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Post by moraie on Oct 15, 2016 6:21:12 GMT
So...This has been bugging me for a few days, and I really have no idea how to sort it out.
Last Tuesday, I wanted to pop in Dollar Tree in a nearby town. The parking lot was very full, and had 2 disabled spots, one was taken. (I'm disabled w/a placard.) So I tried to pull into the open spot, and 3 Dollar Tree employees were taking their smoke break IN the disabled parking spot and refused to move so I could park for several minutes. After a bit, when I was clearly not going to give up on using the spot, one of them poked the other 2 to try to get them to move, and one girl stepped from the spot onto the curb, but one girl sitting on the curb continued to refuse to move. Finally they all took a step back onto the curb so I could park, but continued to smoke and acted like my decision to park was inconveniencing them. (They might have moved because I pulled my camera out to take a picture...but I didn't once they stepped onto the curb, and I regret that now!) When I came back out of Dollar Tree, they were STILL there, right off the hood of my car smoking, and I had to walk through them (and their smoke) again to get back into my vehicle.
Obviously I was frustrated by being denied a parking spot I needed, but it bothered me even more that they would continue smoking so that I couldn't exit my vehicle without walking through them. Fortunately my disability doesn't affect my lungs, but my aunt has COPD and uses oxygen, and I can't imagine being forced to walk through a wall of smoke in her condition, or to have to worry about someone holding a lit cigarette inches from my oxygen and not providing room to safely enter the sidewalk.
So...I called Dollar Tree, which is very frustrating to call. Their automated system is set to give you a call back if they feel it's warranted. I used Get Human to get a direct line, and the woman I spoke with said I needed the district manager for the store, and sent me to his voicemail. Its been 3 days and the district manager can't be bothered to call me back. So...if he doesn't care, why should his employees?
I thought I'd try to call Dollar Tree again, but there seems to be no point if I'm only going to get redirected to voicemail. Am I being overly sensitive about this? Would you find it offensive? Anyone have any advice on getting Dollar Tree to respond?
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 6:37:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2016 6:26:48 GMT
I would go in and talk directly to the store manager - face to face. And then if I wasn't satisfied (and hadn't yet received a district manager's call), I would take it to their social media page. I'm not a big fan of that, but that situation is beyond ridiculous and quite possibly against smoking ordinances for being too close to the front door.
Were these adults or teenagers? Because who does that sort of thing?
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Post by moraie on Oct 15, 2016 6:39:41 GMT
I'm not big on going to social media for stuff either. If I'd taken the picture, I probably would have posted it on Facebook at this point, but I didn't, so moot point there.
The smoking law where I'm at says 15 ft from store entrances. You'd thinking obstructing the disabled parking would have been enough of a reason for them not to be there, but that aside, the parking spot was about 20 feet from the doors for them to smoke, and they were on the side farthest from the doors, I'm sure to make sure they met their 15 feet. I also would have thought Dollar Tree would have some kind of corporate policy about not smoking in front of their buildings, but I guess not?
And I think one of the women was probably the shift manager, because she was dressed differently and she was the one that poked the other 2 to move a bit for me. When I left the voicemail for the district manager, I explained it was regarding 3 employees using the disabled parking spot for their smoke break and refusing to move to allow me access and continuing to smoke near my vehicle. So...I know it was a fairly succinct message, but I really would have thought to hear from him by now. My visit was Tuesday about 4:15 pm, so I called Wednesday morning.
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Post by mollycoddle on Oct 15, 2016 6:40:58 GMT
I agree with Burning Feather. The other thing that you can do is to email their corporate offices-if you don't get results from talking to the store manager. Those employees sound like real jerks.
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AllieC
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,059
Jul 4, 2014 6:57:02 GMT
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Post by AllieC on Oct 15, 2016 9:03:29 GMT
I'm not one for social media shaming either, however in this situation I feel it is warranted. That is disgraceful behaviour.
A post on their main Facebook page (which has over 2million likes!) might do the trick. You have given them ample opportunity to respond.
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Post by its me mg on Oct 15, 2016 9:24:57 GMT
Escalate it. The district manager has a boss.
I would ask for the company to review their surveillance ... they have a camera mounted over the doors. They can rewind the cameras. They might tell you some BS like they don't keep the tapes. I'd try though.
At very least, I would definitely make sure I called back and kept going until someone at least responded.
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Post by mollycoddle on Oct 15, 2016 11:38:06 GMT
Is the store in a plaza? Maybe the management company would care. Frankly, that seems like harassment, although they wouldn't see it that way. I wonder if they sit there regularly. They could be doing this to other drivers.
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Post by freecharlie on Oct 15, 2016 13:15:21 GMT
I'd email the store and corporate
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happymomma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
Aug 6, 2014 23:57:56 GMT
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Post by happymomma on Oct 15, 2016 14:13:25 GMT
They're lucky it wasn't my husband driving up on them. Myself, I'd have taken the picture, went inside and raised hell. I don't get riled up about much, but that would be something I'd be very upset over. I hope you get some satisfaction from mgmt. The others here have given you some good avenues to go down. Please update!
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naby64
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,953
Jun 25, 2014 21:44:13 GMT
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Post by naby64 on Oct 15, 2016 14:25:07 GMT
My car outweighs all of them and I would think if it was rolling up really close to them they would get the picture and move. But I am a real bitch that way.
If you think one of them might have been a shift manager, what are the chances that the next level up did not get the message or got a different story if they called the store first.
The handicap parking thing is a big sticking point for me these days. My mom has a placard and I could have one but I choose not to. There are days where I re-think that decision. I am ready to get some post-it notes made that I can slap on a window when I see a car with no tags parked illegally.
I would figure out a way to make a stink. Call, post, whatever wherever!
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Post by christine58 on Oct 15, 2016 14:32:11 GMT
I thought I'd try to call Dollar Tree again, but there seems to be no point if I'm only going to get redirected to voicemail. Am I being overly sensitive about this? Would you find it offensive? Anyone have any advice on getting Dollar Tree to respond? Go into the store and ask to speak to that manager
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 6:37:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2016 15:03:16 GMT
I definitely would have used the horn in that situation. I'd escalate if I were you -- that's incredibly annoying.
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lindas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,168
Jun 26, 2014 5:46:37 GMT
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Post by lindas on Oct 15, 2016 15:11:46 GMT
I would have just rolled down the window and asked them nicely to move. It's obvious your passive aggressive attitude wasn't working. As for the smoking, I'm not understanding why you had to walk through it. Couldn't you have walked around the back of your car?
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Post by scrapmaven on Oct 15, 2016 15:15:42 GMT
I would have rolled down my window and nicely asked them to move aside so that I could park. If that didn't work I'd sit there and see if they move. I wouldn't be rude, because they might not move and if they did I wouldn't want my car keyed while I was shopping. They were jerks and obviously bad employees.
I would call corporate and speak to the vp in charge of employees and complain, mentioning the dm's lack of concern or customer service. Sounds like the entire district needs re-training.
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Oct 15, 2016 15:28:04 GMT
I would have just rolled down the window and asked them nicely to move. It's obvious your passive aggressive attitude wasn't working. As for the smoking, I'm not understanding why you had to walk through it. Couldn't you have walked around the back of your car? I'm guessing the employees were between her and the door. Gotta walk through it either way. Anyhow, I personally wouldn't assume that after 2 1/2 days, the manager must not care. He could be on vacation. He could be out sick. He could first be addressing the employees before contacting you so that he can tell you specifically what has been done about the problem. (And if they're part time, who knows when they are in next.) Power surge could have wiped the voicemail. He could have to talk to corporate before calling. There could be 20 other people he needs to call, all who wanted to hear from him immediately. Who knows. When I contact a company for something, I don't usually get annoyed about a lack of response until about a week has passed.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 6:37:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2016 16:06:29 GMT
Depending where you live, I am not sure complaining will do any good. Trying to find/keep employees vs one customer?
I would make multiple comments on their Facebook page.
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Post by phoenixcov on Oct 15, 2016 17:30:33 GMT
If you have the strength to take this further I applaud you. I am disabled with a bit of an attitude when it comes to able bodied people misusing parking spots. Personally any complaints I make are done on the spot and on the day. I would ask once nicely for them to move and if that didn`t work would of shouted MOVE and sounded the horn. Then gone into the store to repor tthem straight away. I have no filter about standing up for myself and will usually try to do it as quietly and calmly as possible, but have had so many situations like this in my life that I no longer worry about hurting anyones feelings by getting angry. Best of luck
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Post by lindywholoveskids on Oct 15, 2016 18:30:27 GMT
this doesn't happen much where we live in NCal. but in Arizona at a Whole Foods, a huge motorcycle drove up and parked in a Handicapped spot across from us. I couldn't believe the guts he had. Well maybe it's not guts but just rudeness and entitlement. I would speak out if it was me....directly to a manager. show your picture.
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happymomma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
Aug 6, 2014 23:57:56 GMT
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Post by happymomma on Oct 15, 2016 22:47:38 GMT
this doesn't happen much where we live in NCal. but in Arizona at a Whole Foods, a huge motorcycle drove up and parked in a Handicapped spot across from us. I couldn't believe the guts he had. Well maybe it's not guts but just rudeness and entitlement. I would speak out if it was me....directly to a manager. show your picture. Did he have a handicap tag on his bike? (It may have been a sticker directly on the license plate.) If not, shame on him.
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Oct 15, 2016 22:57:26 GMT
Were there still workers in the store? Don't they only usually have only 2-3 people working at a time?
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Post by moraie on Oct 17, 2016 7:02:26 GMT
If you have the strength to take this further I applaud you. I am disabled with a bit of an attitude when it comes to able bodied people misusing parking spots. Personally any complaints I make are done on the spot and on the day. I would ask once nicely for them to move and if that didn`t work would of shouted MOVE and sounded the horn. Then gone into the store to repor tthem straight away. I have no filter about standing up for myself and will usually try to do it as quietly and calmly as possible, but have had so many situations like this in my life that I no longer worry about hurting anyones feelings by getting angry. Best of luck Were there still workers in the store? Don't they only usually have only 2-3 people working at a time? Thanks all for the support. papercrafteradvocate There was 1 employee left in the store and 3 outside in the parking spot. I was actually kind of shocked to see 4 in one place, since I don't think I've ever seen more than 2 in any Dollar Tree at a time. Maybe it was a shift change? I really have no idea, but there was only one teenage girl inside actually working at the register. phoenixcov I'll call again tomorrow. I guess I'm not so outgoing because I'm always a little self-conscious and I don't "look" disabled. I would have just rolled down the window and asked them nicely to move. It's obvious your passive aggressive attitude wasn't working. As for the smoking, I'm not understanding why you had to walk through it. Couldn't you have walked around the back of your car? I'm really not partial to having my car keyed, and people who are that rude to start with aren't above it. Plus, I have mobility issues, so I can't lean out my window to talk to people at the front of my car that are already ignoring an SUV rolling into their personal space. As for their smoking, they were standing between me and the entrance, and if I could freely walk around all the idiots in the world, I wouldn't need the placard.
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,618
Jun 25, 2014 19:55:12 GMT
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Oct 17, 2016 13:44:18 GMT
I would go in and talk directly to the store manager - face to face. And then if I wasn't satisfied (and hadn't yet received a district manager's call), I would take it to their social media page. I'm not a big fan of that, but that situation is beyond ridiculous and quite possibly against smoking ordinances for being too close to the front door. Were these adults or teenagers? Because who does that sort of thing?
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Post by anonrefugee on Oct 17, 2016 14:16:16 GMT
I would have just rolled down the window and asked them nicely to move. It's obvious your passive aggressive attitude wasn't working. As for the smoking, I'm not understanding why you had to walk through it. Couldn't you have walked around the back of your car? One of the reasons to have a handicap space is to reduce travel distance. Walking around the car negates the benefit. Does your city have an ordinance? I'd complain to the shopping strip owners, they are the ones required to offer a certain number of spaces. In most cases if they're being blocked they're in violation of a city code. No good would have come from intimidating them with your car, glad you showed restraint. People this rude and dense are baffling. How do that live with themselves and each other?
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Post by gmcwife1 on Oct 17, 2016 17:13:07 GMT
I would have just rolled down the window and asked them nicely to move. It's obvious your passive aggressive attitude wasn't working. As for the smoking, I'm not understanding why you had to walk through it. Couldn't you have walked around the back of your car? One of the reasons to have a handicap space is to reduce travel distance. Walking around the car negates the benefit. Does your city have an ordinance? I'd complain to the shopping strip owners, they are the ones required to offer a certain number of spaces. In most cases if they're being blocked they're in violation of a city code. No good would have come from intimidating them with your car, glad you showed restraint. People this rude and dense are baffling. How do that live with themselves and each other?They don't even notice there are others!! Sadly their world is about them.
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Post by moraie on Oct 17, 2016 19:20:00 GMT
Update: I spent 48 minutes on hold to get a customer service rep. I explained the situation and that the regional manager hadn't returned my call. She sent me to the VIP of Operation's voicemail for that location. So...new waiting game. Cross your fingers this guy calls me back!
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Post by canadianscrappergirl on Oct 17, 2016 20:30:21 GMT
I'd ask to speak to a manager. Maybe write a letter to your local paper.
Definitely should have took a photo.
Sorry you had to deal with that crap!!
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freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927
Jun 25, 2014 20:06:48 GMT
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Post by freebird on Oct 17, 2016 20:35:15 GMT
screw talking to local regionals... just go to their facebook page and post there. That should kick the hornet's nest.
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Post by Zee on Oct 17, 2016 20:52:56 GMT
this doesn't happen much where we live in NCal. but in Arizona at a Whole Foods, a huge motorcycle drove up and parked in a Handicapped spot across from us. I couldn't believe the guts he had. Well maybe it's not guts but just rudeness and entitlement. I would speak out if it was me....directly to a manager. show your picture. Did he have a handicap tag on his bike? (It may have been a sticker directly on the license plate.) If not, shame on him. An honest question here: what kind of handicap could you possibly have if you can maneuver a large motorcycle, that would make using a hc spot necessary? Again...honestly curious ETA My DH has a Harley and there is no way I could maneuver that thing myself. I can't see anyone who legitimately needs a hc spot being able to drive a large bike.
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Post by secondlife on Oct 17, 2016 21:02:01 GMT
Did he have a handicap tag on his bike? (It may have been a sticker directly on the license plate.) If not, shame on him. An honest question here: what kind of handicap could you possibly have if you can maneuver a large motorcycle, that would make using a hc spot necessary? Again...honestly curious ETA My DH has a Harley and there is no way I could maneuver that thing myself. I can't see anyone who legitimately needs a hc spot being able to drive a large bike. We ride with a Goldwing club. We do a lot of charity rides and stuff. Because it's a Wing group, it trends a little older. We ride with tons of people with handicap tags. A vet with two prostheses - can't walk far, can ride more miles in a day than i can handle. One guy with lung issues who rides a giant trike. We see tons of folks who use handicap tags for various reasons but are perfectly capable of managing their ride.
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Post by Zee on Oct 17, 2016 21:16:41 GMT
An honest question here: what kind of handicap could you possibly have if you can maneuver a large motorcycle, that would make using a hc spot necessary? Again...honestly curious ETA My DH has a Harley and there is no way I could maneuver that thing myself. I can't see anyone who legitimately needs a hc spot being able to drive a large bike. We ride with a Goldwing club. We do a lot of charity rides and stuff. Because it's a Wing group, it trends a little older. We ride with tons of people with handicap tags. A vet with two prostheses - can't walk far, can ride more miles in a day than i can handle. One guy with lung issues who rides a giant trike. We see tons of folks who use handicap tags for various reasons but are perfectly capable of managing their ride. Thanks--the trike I could see, just couldn't picture someone who can't walk across a parking lot being able to handle a large bike. Good to know you know a few of those guys who are still getting out there enjoying themselves!
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