Many retail stores lack a strategy for managing excess inventory. They would rather toss out seasonal items and leftover inventory than donate it, as donating it can somehow devalue the brand.
But what about a store like Dollar Tree, where it's affordable for the masses? The retail associates of Dollar Tree are getting tired of tossing items instead of donating and are venting on social media about their experiences.
What's happening?
In the Associate Discussions thread in the r/DollarTree subreddit, one associate shared a story from their workday.
"What a waste. I just can't throw stuff away that someone could use. This is a bunch of kids' clothes. I'm gonna just leave it out of the dumpster. Hopefully someone finds it," they wrote.
Comments from other Dollar Tree associates were filled with other unfortunate stories.
"I was absolutely disgusted by the end of my shift," one user commented.
Another associate wrote, "I tossed four full carts of plastic plates and party items."
Why is this trash policy at Dollar Tree important?
Unless the items are consumable goods near or past expiration, there is no need to toss anything that is undamaged. Many of the items sold at stores like Dollar Tree are party supplies, stationery, school supplies, accessories, and toys.
Products in these categories — which are often made from cheap plastic — can be easily donated to schools, thrift stores, recreation centers, and hospitals instead of thrown away. If they end up in landfills, they will take a long time to decompose while shedding microplastics and other toxins into the environment.
Greenpeace found that only 5% of plastic waste was recycled in the United States in 2021, and Statista estimated that 40 million tons of the material was discarded in the same year in the U.S.
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Heck yes 👍 Is Dollar Tree doing anything about this?
Dollar Tree has no customer-facing policy regarding waste disposal. There have also been instances where marked-down items that were still on the shelf were not allowed to be sold if they rang up under 20 cents. Customers have heard it called a "penny policy" and have had their items taken from them to be dumped instead of bought.
On a positive note, Dollar Tree does have community impact programs that offer grants, gift cards to non-profits, and product donations after disasters.
Dollar Tree has also committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030. Its strategy includes reducing planet-warming pollution output, working with suppliers who also meet its pollution standards, and focusing on renewable energy across stores, corporate centers, and warehouses.
What can Dollar Tree do to minimize inventory waste?
Dollar Tree can address its waste problem from two angles: reducing the waste in the production process and reducing the waste at the end of the season to reduce sunk costs.
During the production process, Dollar Tree can focus on reducing plastic waste and other non-recyclable materials. It can concentrate on reusable packaging or biodegradable packaging.
If the items do not sell, Dollar Tree can implement a policy that donates all unused goods to local charities, schools, hospitals, and pet adoption centers.
While corporate policies to benefit the environment could help on a massive scale, we can also each do our part in our daily lives to recycle, consume less, and use less plastic.
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