A Dollar General in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, saw all of its workers quit at the same time over the weekend, and a sign on the door explained why.
The walkout happened as the group of six employees that included managers claimed they were underpaid, undervalued, and overworked, WKOW reported Sunday.
One of the signs read, “We Quit! Thank you to our amazing customers. We love you and we will miss you!”
An image shows the large neon-colored sign:
A Dollar General in Wisconsin closed after all its employees quit at the same time. https://t.co/YBQ7VL004e
— WBTV News (@WBTV_News) March 12, 2024
Another sign said, “The store is CLOSED. The whole team has walked away due to a lack of appreciation, being overworked, and being underpaid.”
Former store manager Trina Tribolet said the group of workers did not agree with the company’s donation policy that said employees must trash items near expiration or the store did not sell anymore.
The group wanted the items to go to local charities, therefore, they tagged items set to be thrown away as damaged and handed them off to the charity groups.
Even though the group also said they were understaffed and overworked, Dollar General’s directive to cease donating unlisted items brought the decision to walk off the job to a boiling point.
Tribolet said, “Is donating items that weren’t on the donation list to charity against Dollar General policy, yes. But that’s why I wrote in my letter they need to change their policies.”
Social media users expressed their opinions about the story, one person writing, “You guys should see the amount of food big groceries throw away.”
In a statement to WKOW, Dollar General said:
At Dollar General, we are committed to providing an environment where employees can grow their careers and where they feel valued and heard. We apologize for any inconvenience our customers experienced during the three hours the Mineral Point store was closed this past weekend. The store reopened at 11am on Saturday morning to serve the community.
Additionally, we are proud to serve local Wisconsin communities with donations through our Feeding America partnership at 21 stores across the state. The Mineral Point Dollar General store has donated nearly 7,500 pounds of food to local food banks such as Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin over the past twelve months. Food safety is a top priority for Dollar General and Feeding America members, therefore, DG stores are required to follow Feeding America donation policies.
A similar instance happened in 2021 when a photo of a Burger King sign in Lincoln, Nebraska, got lots of attention for its blunt message that informed potential customers the entire staff had quit, Breitbart News reported.
The restaurant’s sign said, “WE ALL QUIT, SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.”
This morning, all of the Burger King employees at the Havelock location (here in Lincoln, Nebraska) quit all at once—and let potential customers know about it. pic.twitter.com/2FeFcw7E4I
— Ted Genoways (@TedGenoways) July 11, 2021
A pair of former workers claimed management was the reason for leaving the job.
Employees had reportedly complained of having to work in the kitchen without air conditioning for weeks at a time in temperatures that reached over 90 degrees, and one of the staffers apparently suffered from dehydration.
The restaurant was also reportedly understaffed and had difficulty keeping new hires.