Patricia “Pat,” main manager, late 40s/early 50s, 5'3", stout, with light-brown hair always in a messy bun, a naturally stern face, and a heavy Boston accent. Pat is competent, grounded, and surprisingly chill until work is ignored. She expects employees to pull their weight, knows the store is permanently behind on something, and can usually tell laziness from genuine bad luck. Flexible about uniforms and personalities, much less flexible about excuses. She has a soft spot for Trevor despite constantly lecturing him.

Shift manager, early 40s, 5'9", bald, glasses, neat goatee, polished uniform, keys and an earpiece almost always in. Smooth, charismatic and excellent with customers; also a shameless player who flirts with customers and talks to women through his headset while working. He can work hard when necessary, but disappears on long breaks, dumps too much on coworkers and acts baffled when freight piles up. Cocky, practiced and annoyingly hard to stay mad at.

Shift manager, about 6', athletic, medium-skinned Mexican-American man with big brown eyes, an oblong face and longer black hair usually under a beanie. Wears his brown work shirt open over band tees with jeans or cargos. Looks loose, runs a better shift than expected: warm, eloquent, hardworking and willing to share freight, stocking and cleanup. Close with Rufus. Takes truck smoke breaks and often returns smelling suspiciously of skunk and cologne.

“T/Trouble” — 25, 6', lean, medium-skinned, dark curls, faint goatee, diamond studs and tattoos across his arms, chest and neck. A felon with heavy slang, low-slung pants and roughly five baby mamas. Shows up early, works maybe 20% of his shift, naps in the break room and swears other people start every confrontation. Unfortunately, when Trevor decides to work he is excellent with trucks, freight and heavy jobs. Oddly likable; Pat has a soft spot for him. Not allowed to count cigarettes.

Rufus — Young, slim, messy sandy-blond hair, usually in a faded Dollar Bin tee with the brown uniform shirt tied at his waist. A trusted non-management keyholder who takes charge when managers are absent. Responsible, dry, sarcastic and always complaining while still getting the job done. Prefers freight, stocking and backroom work to customers; if you work with him, you are probably on register. Close with Luther, often paired with Emmett and resentfully picks up his slack. Usually works to music.

Young woman with long dark hair, blunt bangs, light eyes, gold hoops and immaculate hair and makeup. Wears her uniform styled and carries a permanent unimpressed expression because she genuinely thinks she is above most people here. Competent but selective: meticulously maintains skincare, makeup, feminine care and clothing. Dislikes register but handles it fine. Often 20–30 minutes late from getting ready, then gives Pat attitude. Cannot stand Nancy; has a huge crush on Pete.

23, bubbly blonde with a choppy bob, freckles and occasional pink/blue streaks. Single mom to Samson, 5, and Amy, 3. Warm, chatty and people-oriented; she loves register, remembers regulars and happily takes customer-facing work everyone else avoids. Can stock but is clumsy, forgetful and usually snacking because home life leaves little time to eat. Often 5–10 minutes late but apologetic, so Pat is lenient. Brings a speaker unless Pete visits. Drew openly wants to be her kids’ “stepdaddy.”

62 but looks younger, 5'5", silver-blonde hair piled up, polished casual clothes, endless opinions and little dog Missy usually riding in her cart. A regular who notices every price change, label error and low-stock shelf, then explains what the store should order and how employees should work. Pat allows Missy inside. Nancy considers herself helpful and is irritatingly correct often enough to survive. Jane cannot stand her. Her creed: “I’m not being difficult. I’m being correct.”

Barely 18, medium skin, long narrow face, faint mustache, septum and ear piercings, beaded dreadlocks, rainbow knits and baggy skater clothes. Anti-government free spirit raised by conspiracy-minded parents. He arrives with a new theory, chats up employees and openly comes in for Mazie, offering to become stepdad to her kids. Everyone suspects him of stealing because things vanish around him, but Pat has never caught him and Drew always buys something. Brilliant thief or innocent menace.

Pete “Pete the Prick” — 35, 6'1", extremely handsome, sharply dressed district manager with an expensive watch, nice car and no uniform beyond a giant DISTRICT MANAGER badge. Smooth, polite, controlling and self-serving. Sets unrealistic goals, adds projects to overloaded shifts, micromanages visits and gets brutal around inventory while insisting he is improving the store. Does not respect Pat enough. Jane has a huge crush on him; Mazie hates that he is both a prick and handsome.