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Dollar Tree is a massive (and always growing) retail store with locations spread all throughout the country. They are a major employer, but we still must wonder: Does Dollar Tree hire felons?
At Relaunch Pad, answering important questions about employment opportunities for former felons is our top priority. To answer these questions, we go right to the source. We contact every company we profile directly to find out if they hire people with felonies.
That isn’t all. We also try to answer other questions that are key to finding work. For example:
- Does Dollar Tree hire people with misdemeanors?
- Does Dollar Tree do background checks?
- Will Dollar Tree screen for drugs?
With some luck, you may be able to get a job at Dollar Tree with a felony! So, without further ado, read on to find out about Dollar Trees’ hiring policies.
Does Dollar Tree hire felons?
Official company policy for hiring felons
We contacted Dollar Tree directly to find out their policy for hiring former felons. What did they say?
Unfortunately, nothing. We haven’t gotten a response from Dollar Tree yet. We will continue trying to make contact, but for now we have done some independent digging.
While we cannot say anything definitively without their response, we have not found evidence that they have a policy against hiring people with a felony.
Has Dollar Tree hired felons in the past?
Our research suggests that Dollar Tree has hired people with felonies in the past. These accounts are mostly from company review sites where previous or current employees can provide information on their experience with the company.
Does Dollar Tree hire felons? Our secondhand accounts suggest that they have before!
Does Dollar Tree hire people with misdemeanors?
Of course, it isn’t only former felons that have problems finding work. Even misdemeanors can cause problems during the hiring process.
Does Dollar Tree hire people with misdemeanors? We can’t say for sure, but it does look like they have — especially when hiring for entry-level positions.
Is Dollar Tree on the Ban the Box list?
The Ban the Box list is a movement geared towards getting questions about criminal records on job applications removed. The idea is that this will help people be seen for their skills, rather than their past.
While Dollar Tree hasn’t signed on to Ban the Box, some of their locations will have to follow this practice. Ban the Box is actually law in 34 states now!
Then there is also the Fair Chance Business Pledge. This is a pledge businesses can take to show that they will treat former felons fairly in the hiring process.
Unfortunately, Dollar Tree has not signed the Pledge. Does that mean you won’t be able to get a job at Dollar Tree with a felony? Not at all. Many companies that do hire former felons have not signed the Pledge yet.
Does Dollar Tree have special programs for hiring felons?
Some companies will even have special hiring programs for former offenders. Unfortunately, this company doesn’t have any programs like that.
Programs for hiring former felons are, unfortunately, somewhat rare. It’s not unusual that Dollar Tree doesn’t have one.
What are the odds someone with a felony will get hired?
As you can probably tell, we don’t have any concrete answers about Dollar Trees’ hiring policies. Since they haven’t given us a response, we can’t say anything for sure. Because of that, we rate your chances of getting hired with a felony as uncertain. However, keep in mind that we have seen reports that people with records have gotten hired here before!
What are some entry-level jobs?
Most of the entry-level jobs are in their retail stores. If you look on their career pages, you will mostly find cashier positions. There are some management jobs for people with more experience, though.
Hours will vary from store-to-store. It seems that most locations are open in the morning and close between 9 and 10 at night. However, we have seen that some locations are open 24/7.
Either way, if you do get hired, you can expect to see both day and night shifts, as well as weekday and weekend work.
How to get hired at Dollar Tree with a felony
Though most positions at this store chain are entry-level, you still want to submit a good application and resume. Previous experience will be useful in getting hired. If you have worked retail before, or held a customer service position, you’ll have a better chance of getting hired. Make sure you highlight that experience on the application!
Most people struggle with resumes. Use your resources to make your resume even better. Getting a friend or family member to look at it can help. Career centers are also there to help you nail your resume.
If you do submit a good application, Dollar Tree will be in contact to setup an interview.
Interviews are another part of the hiring process that makes people feel uncomfortable. The best way to succeed in an interview is to put your most professional foot forward. Dress appropriately, and try to conceal tattoos and piercings if you can. These are guidelines that any candidate will be expected to follow.
In addition to dressing right, you will also need to show them that you are good with people. Most of their jobs involve customer service, so they want to know you’ll be able to comfortably interact with people.
Be yourself. This can be hard to do, especially because interviews often don’t feel very natural. Try to practice interview questions with an important person in your life. Doing a “dummy interview” may make you feel more prepared for the real thing.
Last but not least, try your best to relax!
Does Dollar Tree do background checks?
Now that we have gone over how to get hired at Dollar Tree, it’s time to focus on another important factor: When and if your record will come up in the hiring process.
Does Dollar Tree do background checks? From what we can tell, it looks like they do, but not for every position. For instance, if you are applying for an entry-level cashier job, they might not. If you are applying to be a store manager, though, they probably will.
Regardless, there are some things you should know about background checks.
For one thing, there are some states that won’t even check your entire record. Instead, they will only look back to the past seven years. Here are those states:
- California
- Colorado*
- Kansas*
- Maryland*
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire*
- New York*
- Texas*
- Washington*
There are also states that don’t include not guilty verdicts. Those states include:
- Alaska
- California
- Hawaii
- Indiana (limited check)
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New York
Last, there are also states that will see your entire record, including crimes you were found not guilty of. These are:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- DC
- Delaware
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana (extensive check)
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Company Ratings
We took a look at glassdoor.com to find out the average company rating at Dollar Tree. We found that they have received a 2.9 rating on their 5 star scale.
Their lowest average rating was 2.6 for benefits, while their highest was 2.8 for opportunities.
This rating is a little low, but if you are looking for your first job out of prison or have been between jobs for too long, you may have to take whatever opportunities you can get. The good news is that the job doesn’t have to be permanent. Once you get settled in you can start looking for opportunities that are more interesting to you.
What felony convictions might have a hard time getting hired here?
Since Dollar Tree has mostly customer service-related jobs, they probably won’t hire people with violent or sexual crimes on their record. That is usually what we see for customer service jobs.
Since all of their positions involve handling money, they also probably won’t hire someone with a record of theft.
Does Dollar Tree Drug test?
It looks like drug tests are not a standard part of their routine. However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry, as many businesses reserve the right to drug test if they feel the need to.
Have you applied for a job or worked here? Share your experiences!
We’ve tried to demonstrate how to get hired at Dollar Tree. However, we could always use more help. If you’ve worked at this company before, we would love to hear from you!
