A Dollar General manager in Florida recently faced termination after posting a TikTok video highlighting unsafe working conditions in her store. Frustrated by the exhausting environment and staffing shortages, Mary Gundel decided to shed light on her situation.

Now a former manager, Gundel founded Dollar Store Workers United to advocate for better conditions in retail. In her viral TikTok, she exposed Dollar General's understaffing and the struggles she and her colleagues faced while trying to meet the company's demands.

Let’s take a closer look at Gundel's experience and the significant issues her video raised about retail working conditions.

Known for low prices rather than cleanliness or top-tier customer service, Dollar General often suffers from a reputation for disarray. Many might jump to blame apathetic employees, but Gundel argues that the underlying issue lies deeper.

In her eye-opening TikTok, Gundel unveiled the chaos at her Tampa location—displaying empty shelves and a sea of unboxed merchandise with no workers available to assist. The impact of chronic understaffing was visually evident.

Retailers nationwide are grappling with staffing shortages, but Gundel's experience reveals a more severe issue: Dollar General's management policies. Initially allocated 198 hours a week for employee scheduling, this budget dwindled to just 130, leaving Gundel scrambling for sufficient help.

This Tampa location, regarded as a “tier 3 store,” averages about $10,000 in daily sales, translating into roughly $3.5 million annually. Even with an influx of at least 425 customers each day, Gundel was overloaded, often clocking in at 60 hours per week without overtime pay.

This excessive workload meant taking on more than one person’s responsibilities: including unpacking, restocking, and managing various store operations, while still being held accountable for maintaining the retail environment to company standards.

Following the viral impact of Gundel's story, other Dollar General employees have stepped forward on social media, detailing similar grievances. In April 2023, another TikTok user, Dani (@danisdope), shared her own accounts of imbalanced labor demands, which resonated with Gundel's experiences.