On Friday, September 5, 2025, I had one of the worst customer service experiences I’ve ever had at this Dollar General.I came in to buy my usual Irish Cream Monster Energy drink — a flavor that’s already hard to find, much less find in the cooler. The cooler space for this product had been empty for several days, and the drinks were stocked incorrectly that day. I grabbed two at room temperature and went to the register.The store manager came out of the office, began ringing me up, and completely ignored me while keeping her body turned toward another customer. She carried on a conversation about not hiring high school students during the school year. When I politely mentioned the cooler hadn’t been stocked, she looked annoyed, her facial expression showing clear irritation, and dismissively said, “That is the vendor’s job.” Her look, tone, and body language made it obvious she was irritated that I spoke up at all. I left feeling disrespected and dismissed.I filed a complaint by email that same day but never received a reply. I believe it may have gone to the store and been buried. On Tuesday, I escalated; Wednesday the district manager called me — but only after already speaking with the store manager first. When I explained what happened, she reacted with surprise, asking, “She didn’t engage with you?” I told her, “No.” Yet all I was offered was that the manager was “sorry,” which came across as favoritism and minimization.Later that same day, I escalated to the regional manager. After 48 hours with no call back, I followed up and only then learned that a $10 gift card had been issued in my name on Sept 12, without anyone ever contacting me. That gesture spoke volumes: it showed exactly how Dollar General values its customers — as if respect, loyalty, and time are worth no more than ten dollars.Policy Violations:Dollar General’s Employee Handbook (publicly available on their website) spells out conduct violations on page 16 that may result in discipline or termination, including:Discourteous or abusive conduct toward any customerUnprofessional behaviorDishonesty of any kind in relation to customersFailure to cooperate in a company investigationViolation of other company policies/SOPsThe store manager’s actions were discourteous and unprofessional. The undisclosed gift card fits dishonesty. If my complaint was buried, that is failure to cooperate.These violations extend beyond the store:The district manager minimized my complaint and showed favoritism (unprofessional; failure to cooperate, p.16).The regional manager authorized a $10 gift card without contacting me (dishonesty; discourteous conduct, p.16).Additionally, the store manager’s public remark about not hiring high school students violates Dollar General’s Anti-Discrimination & Harassment Policy (p.5), which applies to applicants. Many high school seniors are 18 and fully eligible to work, including selling age-restricted items. A blanket refusal to consider them contradicts company standards.Looking back, I also question whether bias against my appearance played a role in how I was treated, given the manager was openly discriminating against another group in that same moment.Why this matters:When district and regional leaders allow this kind of behavior, it sets the tone for every store they oversee. If employees see that ignoring customers and minimizing complaints is tolerated, it becomes acceptable — which damages employee morale and erodes customer trust.Closing:This isn’t just one bad interaction. It is a failure at every level of management. I no longer feel comfortable shopping at Dollar General — not just this store, but any location in the area, since the same district and regional leaders oversee multiple stores. Customers deserve better.
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