Overconsumption has long been associated with the holiday season, but a TikTok user's aggravating discovery about a Family Dollar's wasteful practices took it to a new level.
What's happening?
In retail environments, holidays tend to govern much of the inventory and merchandising cycle.
Seasonal items are cycled out aggressively to make way for more merchandise, and according to TikTok user believeinyrdreams (@believeinyrdreams), it's worse than shoppers think.
@believeinyrdreams Unbelievable #waste#food#dumpster#garbage#clothes ♬ original sound - Dee💕
"Nothing ever shocks me … but this kinda did," said the user, who also goes by Dee.
In the clip, she explained that during a visit to Family Dollar, she overheard employees discussing holiday decorations.
"One of the employees was beyond, beyond upset — like, she was having an anxiety attack," Dee recalled. As she continued listening, she overheard that in the past, employees were permitted to divert a few items from the trash, with the rest of the unsold merchandise donated.
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She learned that a recent policy change meant that all unsold Family Dollar merchandise "had to go in the dumpster," including "boxes that haven't been opened."
The employees' anger was so contagious that Dee approached them, learning that the policy led to dumpsters that were perpetually overflowing rather than donations.
"When I see this sheer waste, it disgusts me," a visibly enraged Dee seethed.
"Buc-ee's doesn't even put theirs on sale, they throw them in the dumpster! I asked why [and] was told a write off is more profitable than donating!" a user replied.
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Definitely 👍 "It's been like that. They also destroy the products so that people can't use them," another commented, referring to the retail practice of destroying unsold goods to render them unusable.
"They just throw them away. In black bags. I worked for Family Dollar," a third admitted.
Why is seasonal retail waste concerning?
Not unlike fast fashion, discount variety stores like Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General specialize in high-turnover, low-cost goods, a cycle that exacerbates consumption.
The issue isn't confined to dollar stores, though, as big box chains like Home Depot have been caught engaging in similarly flagrant seasonal waste.
All of this merchandise generated emissions during manufacturing, in transit to the store, and en route to a landfill, all without ever being used.
American landfills are overflowing, and they are also a major source of methane emissions.
Instead of solely harming the planet, unsold items in the supply chain can often be donated to those in need, something commenters and the original poster repeatedly emphasized.
Is Family Dollar doing anything about this?
Family Dollar's 2024 Sustainability Report mentioned "donations" or "donating" 13 times, primarily in the context of sums of money.
A section indicated that "12,000 product donations" to Boys & Girls Clubs of America had been made, as well as "product donations" to military families through Operation Homefront.
Family Dollar also disclosed donations to natural disaster relief efforts but provided no details.
Notably, many cited donations were "collected," suggesting they were solicited through customer purchases rather than from existing inventory.
Although "waste" appeared 24 times, most instances were vague and primarily concerned operational waste.
The word "unsold" did not appear at all.
What's being done about seasonal retail waste more broadly?
TikTok commenters lamented that "every store" was guilty of similar wasteful practices, and while the statement was hyperbolic, it wasn't exactly false.
Consumers hold a lot of power, however, and choosing to vote with their own family dollars by shopping sustainably funds responsible retailers while reducing demand for low-quality goods.
Moreover, supporting mainstream brands' planet-friendly initiatives can help cut down on corporate waste.
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