In a viral TikTok video, a Dollar Tree employee addressed the criticism he receives about his 5 a.m. work shift.
User Devon (@dgagnon809) records himself working in the aisle of an empty, and slightly dark, Dollar Tree, in the clip. He’s seen breaking down a box before transitioning into a smooth dance.
“POV: me getting off at 10am having the rest of the day to myself,” the text overlay on the video read.
In the caption, he adds that having the rest of the day to himself instead of working in the middle of the day is the “only good thing” about his early morning work time.
@dgagnon809 only good thing bout that shift🤷🏽♂️ #fypシ #foryoupage #viral #relatable #dollartree #morningshift ♬ original sound – Marcus
The video has a whopping 11.3 million views and more than 14,000 comments. The comments section was starkly divided between those shaming Devon for working at a dollar store and others coming to his defense.
Those shaming him largely made fun of the low wage they assumed he was making and teased his part-time hours. But low wages are something that needs to be solved at the company and legislative level—not in a worker’s comment section.
Others pointed out that he at least has a job and that those are “perfect hours for people who have goals outside of working.”
“Why are y’all hating on his hours? He’s probably in school so it’s perfectly normal to work part time,” a commenter added.
In a follow-up video, Devon addressed the rude messages and said that the Dollar Tree job is temporary while he’s in college. He added that he’s in a Fire Academy Track program that puts him on course to become a firefighter.
“Don’t pay the negative comments no mind. You gotta work the job you don’t want to get the job you do sometimes,” a commenter wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to Devon for comment via Instagram direct message but did not immediately hear back.
