Does Big Lots Drug Test?

Big Lots is one of the more popular retail chains in the United States. They started in 1967 and have more than 1400 locations as of 2022.

Being a competitive business with a hunger to succeed, Big Lots is always looking to expand more. It is not surprising that they are always hiring. If you yourself are looking to apply to Big Lots, chances are high that you will find yourself with a job.

However, you might be concerned if they conduct a drug test during the recruitment/hiring process. In this piece, we shall learn Does Big Lots Drug Test?

Does Big Lots Drug Test in [year]?

The answer to the question depends on the situation. Firstly, we should understand why companies such as Big Lots conduct drug tests at all. The major reason is to identify employees who might be on drugs during working hours.

Being on drugs during working hours might lead to accidents of different kinds, including the mishandling of equipment, fire accidents, electricity accidents, and much more.

Now that we are clear about the reason why chain stores such as Big Lots might conduct drug tests, we can tackle our main question. The answer depends on when exactly we are talking about.

Big Lots does not conduct drug tests during the recruitment process. This is because drug tests are not a part of their standard recruitment process.

On the other hand, in some cases, if the HR department suspects it, Big Lots might conduct a background check related to drugs, etc. But rest assured, Big Lots does not conduct drug tests during the recruitment process.

They also do not conduct random drug tests for employees who are already working in the store. Remember this is not during the hiring process but after the hiring process when you are working as an employee at Big Lots.

They do not conduct drug tests at random. Even though it could work as a measure to ensure safe working and shopping conditions for their employees and customers.

In case Big Lots suspects that some particular employee is on drugs or under the influence of some other intoxicant, they will conduct a drug test for sure.

In such a case, the drug test is not random but directed at the specific suspect. In such conditions, the drug test conducted will be a standard drug test.

Do you have to produce a drug test at Big Lots during hiring?

Many chain stores and corporations ask their potential employees to produce a drug test during the hiring process.

This means the test has to be taken at your end and the report be submitted along with all the other documentation. The drug test asked for is generally a standard drug test.

Big Lots does not ask for any such submissions during the hiring process. The standard set of documents that one has to submit does not include a drug test. However, note that Big Lots does conduct a background check when they are recruiting.

In case they find that you have been involved in drug-related issues in the past, or you have been found under the influence of drugs or caused accidents in such a state at your previous job, you can be sure that Big Lots will conduct a drug test. You can also expect random drug tests throughout the coming months in case you get hired.

To sum it up, Big Lots does not require you to submit a drug test during the hiring process. But they might ask you to give one if they find suspicious activities in your behavior during your background check.

Do Big Lots Conduct Random Drug Tests in-store?

Many applicants also seem to be concerned about random drug tests. Do Big Lots conduct random drug tests in-store? The answer is no, Big Lots does not conduct such tests from time to time.

It is a part of their standard policy to ensure the safety of customers and employees. To this extent, the administrative staff often tries to notice the behavior of employees. A random drug test will only be ordered in case the staff finds some employee’s behavior to be suspicious.

Many retail stores and corporations do conduct such random drug tests at the workplace as a way to ensure that all employees are in working conditions and fully sober to help conduct the business. Big Lots, however, does not engage in such random activities.

To conclude, Big Lots does not conduct random drug tests. However, they will conduct a drug at a particular person if they find their behavior suspicious or they think they are under the influence of drugs or some other kind of intoxicant.

Recommended: Big Lots Background Check.

When can you expect a drug test at Big Lots?

The next most asked question is when can you, as an employee, expect a drug test while working at Big Lots. We already established that Big Lots does not conduct a drug test during the recruitment process.

Big Lots also does not require you to conduct a drug test report during the hiring process. So we can be confident that at no point during the recruitment process will you be required to go through or submit a drug test.

Coming back to the original question, even though Big Lots does not have the rule to conduct drug tests, they still have a 100% drug-free work policy.

This means that no employee while working at Big Lots can be under the influence of drugs or any other kind of substance. We can see where this is going.

While drug tests are not mandatory during the hiring process, Big Lots might single you out and ask for a drug test to be conducted in case they find the behavior suspicious.

The administrative staff has to stick to the policy, therefore they cannot allow employees to work under the influence of drugs. So this is one of the conditions where Big Lots might ask you for a drug test.

Another condition is when Big Lots does a background check during the recruitment process and they find some problematic issues.

Problematic issues, in this case, may include but are not limited to drug-related activity in the past, causing accidents at previous work or job under the influence of drugs, having drug-related police charges, etc.

If the recruiters find anything of the sort, they have the liberty to order the applicants to go through a drug test. The test is a standard drug test, urine samples are collected. They might also conduct similar tests in the future in case you get hired.

Conclusion

When it comes to working at a retail store, working for a popular store such as Big Lots is always an attractive option. However, applicants are often concerned about the drug tests and drug-related policies of the store.

As we discussed above, Big Lots has a very liberal working policy when it comes to drug tests. They, of course, have a 100% drug-free working policy so you can not expect to turn up under the influence of drugs.

With that said, if you were wondering about drug tests during the recruitment process, they do not conduct them at all.

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