04-28-2022
Mary Gundel worked as a Dollar General store manager in Tampa, Florida. In March 2022, she released six TikToks entitled “Retail Store Manager Life” to document and criticize her working conditions. She addresses the challenges of long hours managing an understaffed and underfunded store, including handling disorganized shipment routes. Just a week after she posted her first video, Dollar General fired her.
In January 2021, Dollar Store congratulated Gundel for being one of its top employees, giving her a pin that read “DG: Top 5%.” She used to love her job, according to an interview in the New York Times. She became less satisfied as delivery trucks showed up without notice and left boxes stacked in the aisles for days. She did not have enough staff to unload them. She ran the store for long stretches by herself because the company set limited hours for other employees to work. One of her TikTok videos has been viewed approximately 1.8 million times. Other Dollar General managers are also speaking out on TikTok in the wake of Gundel. They also detail working alone because of budget cuts.
Dollar General responded via a statement that it offers many avenues for employees to voice concerns, including an open-door policy. They say they use employee feedback to identify and address concerns. “Although we do not agree with all the statements currently being made by Ms. Gundel, we are doing that here.” Meanwhile, Gundel is using her TikTok platform to continue posting videos from other women working at Dollar General. These “spokespeople of the day” individuals respond to questions and concerns from other employees. Most employees keep their identities hidden to protect their jobs.