[lakynhayes]

In August, I was "fired" because of "theft". This is showing up on my background check and I have found it near impossible to find a job. This has caused an immense amount of issues in my life.

I was informally suspended (on the sales floor) and a week later, still hadn't heard anything. I still to this day have not received a formal letter saying I have been terminated or even a phone call from my district manager or store manager saying that I have been let go. The truth is, I was not stealing from Family Dollar. I never have stolen from Family Dollar. I was a loyal employee and was looking to someday have my own store. My district manager told me (and the rest of the employees at my store) that it was okay if we didn't pay for drinks because people higher up on the ladder wouldn't BOTHER to fix our air conditioner. I spent most of this summer working in inadequate conditions with temperatures inside the store often reaching over 90 degrees. I unloaded the truck on Fridays in heat that reached well over 100 degrees.

I went to dispute this issue with the company LexisNexis that a prospective employer used and to my dismay, realized that Family Dollar was essentially preventing me from finding employment and causing me unwanted stress. LexisNexis said they couldn't do anything about it because I signed an admittance form. I was interrogated (I use this word because he was forceful and threatening) and essentially the only reason I signed the admittance form and wrote out a confession was because he implied I would still have my job. I am now unwillingly a part of the Retail Theft Database because of something I was forced to do, and Family Dollar has ruined any hope of me getting back on my feet.

Mr. Antel, the LP man who interrogated me, made me feel very uncomfortable and wasn?t very clear on why he was even there, much less on why I was suspended or even being interrogated in the first place. I was made to feel like a bad person because I was simply following the instructions of my district manager before I got sick because of the heat.

I was wondering if anyone knew which companies use the Retail Theft database and what are my chances of ever finding another job? Any advice?