Leland Dollar Tree employee exposed to urine left in store bucket

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — A former Dollar Tree employee says she underwent medical testing after she was exposed to urine that a customer allegedly left inside a bucket on a store shelf.

Kate Ransom was working at the Dollar Tree in Leland when the incident happened. Store surveillance video shows a customer taking a bucket from a shelf and appearing to urinate into it while standing in an aisle.

The video then shows the man placing the bucket on top of another shelf. He later walks down the aisle and appears to place an item into his bag.

Ransom said she encountered the bucket the following day while completing her regular rounds through the store. Not knowing what was inside, she reached for it and said the contents spilled onto her.

“When I look at this video, I feel disgusted,” Ransom said. “I’m upset with myself because my first thought is, ‘Is this man OK?’ Because the way it smelled, that was my first thought, and I am upset that is my first thought.”

Because she was exposed to bodily fluids, Ransom underwent medical testing. She said the results have so far come back negative.

Ransom told WWAY she does not blame Dollar Tree for the customer’s actions, but she does have concerns about how store management responded afterward.

Ransom claims one manager initially told her to remain at the store and work the register. She said another manager later told her to go home.

Ransom eventually quit her job.

WWAY reached out to Dollar Tree for a response. The company said the situation is an internal matter and declined to comment further.

The Leland Police Department told WWAY it is investigating the incident.