A Dollar Tree customer makes a shocking discovery as she walks through the candy aisle of the store.
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In a TikTok with over 765,900 views, content creator Kourtney Lynn Jeffries (@koutrneylynnjeffries) reveals the new security cameras installed in the aisles of her local Dollar Tree.
Jeffries’ video finds her walking the candy aisle slowly panning her camera until the rectangular screen of a camera installed in the aisle is visible. Jeffries is seen on the screen holding up her phone, recording.
“Dollar Tree has cameras now. First time I’ve seen them,” Jeffries writes in the on-screen caption.
Viewers weigh in
In the comments section, viewers share their opinions on Dollar Tree’s latest update.
“They’ve always had cameras, that’s just a surveillance monitor. They’re trying to make you see yourself stealing and see if you feel bad about it,” one viewer hypothesized.
“My Dollar Tree has always had cameras. They’re on the ceiling. We’ve had multiple people arrested for stealing from there, they do not play,” A second person shared.
“I doubt that will do much. At least around me, Dollar Trees only have like one person working at a time. It’s rare when I see two employees at the same time,” chimed in a third viewer.
“As a worker at Dollar Tree, a lot of people steal. We even have [a security camera] in the makeup section and when people ask about them, I tell them. They always say ‘people steal from here?’ like yeah.” a fourth person added.
@kourtneylynnjeffries #dollartree #fyp ♬ Oh my god what is that – Shoftyz
Is theft an issue at Dollar Tree stores?
Theft at Dollar Tree, Inc. stores (which include their Family Dollar-branded stores) has been an issue for years. In fact, in 2023, Dollar Tree CEO Richard Dreiling and CFO Jeffrey Davis announced a large drop in gross profit margin—from 32.7 percent to 29.8 percent— and blamed it on “shrink,” meaning inventory losses due to theft, damages and other causes.
In response, the company announced a “defensive approach” to its shoplifting issue, installing more security cases and hiring more guards to curb rampant shoplifting.
The efforts weren’t enough, however. Dreiling announced in 2024 that while he expected the shoplifting problem “would have moderated, if anything, by now, but it’s continuing to accelerate.” The retailer decided to close about 1,000 Family Dollar stores to improve profitability. Six hundred stores closed in the first half of the fiscal year of 2024 and an additional 370 stores will close as their leases expire over the next several years.
At Dollar Tree-branded stores, defensive approaches such as guards, security cases, and an increase in security cameras continue to be a practice to lower “shrink” and protect profits.
As one viewer under Jeffries’ video put it, “They not playing about that $1.25.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Dollar Tree, Inc. via email and Kourtney Lynn Jeffries via TikTok direct message for more information.
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