Dollar General employees say closing-then-opening shifts cause fatigue

A Dollar General associate posted about chronic scheduling that forced them to close late and return early the next morning, describing health and fatigue problems from what retail workers call "clopen" shifts. The original account said the worker closed at 11 p.m. and was scheduled back at 6 a.m., and that management repeatedly ignored the employee's posted availability.

Comments posted between January 12 and January 14 backed up the associate's report. Multiple coworkers described frequent clopens, with some saying the shifts were scheduled weekly. Commenters linked the pattern to sleep disruption, decreased on-the-job performance and a rising desire to quit or seek other work. Several people framed the problem as more than an inconvenience, saying persistent clopens were driving retention problems at store level and degrading customer service when fatigued staff had to work peak hours.

Responses from peers offered practical next steps within stores. Workers advised adjusting availability in the chain's scheduling system to prevent unwanted early returns, and escalating repeated violations to store managers or human resources. Commenters also warned that merely changing the scheduling app is sometimes not enough when managers continue to override availability, and encouraged documenting instances when posted availability is ignored.

The worker-sourced account highlights a scheduling practice that carries both human and operational costs. For individual employees, the combination of late-night closing and early-morning openings can interrupt sleep cycles and increase fatigue, which employees say reduces alertness and makes routine tasks slower or more error prone. For stores, frequent clopens can contribute to absenteeism, turnover and uneven staffing at crucial hours, all of which affect floor coverage and loss-prevention efforts.

Dollar General has not been quoted in this account, and the comments represent on-the-ground experiences and advice from current and former employees. The conversation underlines a persistent tension in retail scheduling: matching labor needs to unpredictable customer patterns while respecting workers' posted availability and health.

For employees, the immediate options are to update availability in the scheduling system, document violations, and escalate persistent problems to managers or HR. For managers and corporate leaders, the episode signals potential costs in morale and retention if clopen patterns continue. How stores respond in the coming weeks will determine whether these reports remain isolated complaints or prompt changes in scheduling practices that affect thousands of frontline workers.