Run, run, run!!!
Store Level- You are expected to get Store Managers to run a store that is open for 12-13 hours a day, 7 days a week on 115 hours. Not possible! Most of these Store Mangers work well over 70 hours a week for $30,000. But if you happen to get a Store Manager that is lazy, or is incompetent HR will back them...all they have to do is make a complaint about you. True or not that Store Manager is now untouchable for fear of lawsuit. Meanwhile, the rest of your Managers are busting their butts to get it all done and the squeaky wheels do nothing.
Equipment-Antiquated equipment, computers, buildings...everything! Nothing ever works correctly. The only way to fix it is to go and buy the part or router or whatever yourself and hope you can get reimbursed. One store-in Florida-had no air for over 5 months. They wonder why sales are down...the chocolates are dripping off the shelves, the loaves of bread have condensation in them...disgusting! Another store has a 6 inch wide crack in the floor...a sinkhole will swallow that building, I hopes its after hours.
Corporate Level-Hours and hours of your time is wasted in conference calls about stuff that has no chance of working. No one responds to you from tech support for computer problems for days on end. Facility services almost don't exist. Nasty emails arrive daily and nightly. Your phone will ring from 5:30am until after midnight every day. I had to start leaving my phone in another room so I could get 4-5 hours of sleep a night. They expect you as a DM to get your managers ($30,000 a year) and your hourly employees (min. wage) to work miracles while corporate executives take the private company jet back and forth to work from home every week. It's insanity.
Overall, DG is a terrible place to work. You will be treated poorly and in turn you will be expected to treat those under you the same way. It sucks to lose a $90,000 a year salary, but it was that or my soul. I'm glad I have made the decision to jump ship...wonder what my boss will say when I tell him! Wish me luck!
