If you’re a budget-conscious shopper who is always on the prowl for some deals, then you’ve probably come across TikToks from Dollar Tree customers who recommend some of their favorite items the store has to offer.
However, one TikTok user has a problem with clips like these—they don’t accurately represent the aesthetics of Dollar Tree stores. To get to the bottom of what the consensus is among Dollar Tree shoppers, Jenna (@jenna_michael) uploaded a video of her Dollar Tree and asked others what theirs looked like.
Most people agreed—their Dollar Trees looked like the aftermath of a high school house party when that one kid on the block’s parents were away for the weekend.
“You know how everyone on TikTok seems to have these like really aesthetically organized Dollar Trees? This is what mine looks like,” she says while flipping her camera around to show an assortment of haphazardly put-together Christmas-themed items, a shopping cart overflowing with cardboard boxes with some other boxes resting on the floor.
After panning to the left, she reveals what appears to be an entire aisle filled with more cardboard shipping boxes that are presumably filled with items that have yet to be unpacked.
The view isn’t a pretty one and appears to ultimately be in line with what many Dollar Tree shoppers and employees on the platform deal with on a daily basis. In November 2022, a worker for the chain went viral on TikTok after displaying the massive quantities of product they were expected to unpack while on shift. Another employee also aired their gripes on TikTok showing the aftermath of their return from vacation: Dollar Tree’s stock room was packed to the brim after just a few days of their co-workers leaving the inventory unattended.
@jenna_michal This is a nice area too ive seen so much worse 😂 #dollartree #dollartreeorganization #dollartreestore #influencers #dollarstore #unorganized #unorganizedchaos #tiktokdollartrees ♬ original sound – Jenna B
There have also been customers who’ve shown how it is sometimes physically difficult or downright impossible to walk through the store without stepping on inventory.
So why does it seem like so many Dollar Tree stores are slovenly messes that appear to be managed by folks with a hoarding addiction?
While Jenna mentions that there are Dollar Tree stores shown off on social media that are more organized, there may be a reason why these locations can become unruly disaster sites. The store operates on a high sales volume for profit margin business philosophy. Discount retailers like Dollar Tree’s successes are predicated on selling as many low-cost items as possible, items that they often buy as part of overstock/liquidation sales. Even Dollar Tree-specific items, like budget versions of essential toiletries and home goods, need to be sold at high volumes in order for stores to turn a profit.
TikTok viewers had a number of different reactions to Jenna’s video, but overall a lot were grateful the social media user decided to show what a “real” Dollar Tree looks like.
“Thank you for showing a real dollar tree,” one top comment read. “I’ve never seen a clean one in real life.”
Someone else added that the layout of Jenna’s Dollar Tree was similar to theirs, writing, “This is also what mine looks like complete with a bucket for catching rain leaks.”
Another commented, “Mine looks like we’re several months into a zombie apocalypse.”
One TikToker said that not only does their Dollar Tree look like a hot mess, but they’re also unable to find a lot of the products that other shoppers gloat about finding.
“Mine too and I don’t find many of the things they find in theirs,” they wrote.
There was a viewer who gave their reasoning as to why so many Dollar Tree locations look like they just got ransacked by looters who ultimately decided they didn’t want to steal anything.
“Usually understaffed, they force restock entire truckloads by hand in 8 hours because there’s almost no storage,” they said.
“All three of mine looks exactly like this. Not once have I walked in and not though a tornado hit it,” someone else joked.
And then there was this TikToker who declared, “I have never seen an organized Dollar Tree in person. I’ve only been in stores that look like that.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jenna and Dollar Tree via email.
