The “Dollar Tree Gooner” Meme Is a Disturbing Example of the Internet Gamifying Sexual Violence
The “Dollar Tree Gooner” meme has a disturbing origin involving alleged sexual assaults at Dollar Tree stores.
Graphic content warning: This story describes incidents of sexual assault.
The phrase “Dollar Tree Gooner” might sound like another bizarre internet meme, but it refers to allegations of sexual assaults against women shopping at Dollar Tree stores. A San Diego woman is suing Dollar Tree after she allegedly experienced one of several similar incidents, while attorneys say at least 11 women across the country have reported related attacks.
The lawsuit has received renewed attention after NBC 7 San Diego reported on the case, while The Guardian investigated dozens of alleged sexual offenses connected to Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. That reporting found that some men allegedly recorded or shared footage of incidents online, where the behavior became associated with terms including “gooning,” “tagging,” and “sharking.”
Online, the alleged assaults became something else entirely – a meme. People have since used “Dollar Tree Gooner” as the name for a cryptocurrency coin, a SoundCloud song, and an unofficial Pokémon card.
The Allegations Behind the Meme Involve Real Women
The San Diego lawsuit is about an alleged incident at a Dollar Tree on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard in March 2025. According to the complaint, Jane Doe was shopping for office supplies when she noticed a man following her through the store. Her attorneys allege that he approached her from behind and made physical contact before leaving.
Doe later discovered a substance on her pants that she believed was semen. She reported the incident to a Dollar Tree employee, who allegedly told her that the camera covering the aisle was not working.
The lawsuit also alleges that another woman was targeted at the same store the previous day and that the same man returned six days later and targeted a third woman. San Diego police identified the suspect as Noe Gonzalez Cresencio and arrested him on three counts of lewd acts and two counts of sexual battery, according to NBC 7. The charges stem from the reported incidents and do not establish guilt.
The terminology can obscure what is actually being alleged. “Gooning” is a broader internet term for prolonged masturbation, while these communities reportedly use “tagging” and “sharking” to describe ejaculating on unsuspecting women.
Not everyone who uses the word “gooner” engages in criminal activity, and simply encountering the meme does not mean someone supports the alleged assaults. The concern is that the meme has separated the phrase from the women whose experiences gave rise to it.
Dollar Tree sued because men are using the store for the "Dollar Tree Gooner" trend, where they wipe s*men on women in the store.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 13, 2026
According to the lawsuit, at least 11 women have been s*xually assaulted as part of the gooning trend at Dollar Tree locations.
22-year-old Marine… pic.twitter.com/0E4OBOksxg
The meme has spread well beyond the communities where the terminology originated. NBC 7 reported that it has inspired a cryptocurrency coin, while The Guardian documented a SoundCloud song and unofficial Pokémon card using the phrase.
Recording Alleged Assaults Can Turn Violence Into Online Entertainment
The reporting continues to raise questions about how online attention may encourage this behavior. Sociologist Michael Halpin told The Guardian that some perpetrators appear to seek an audience, with comments and engagement potentially encouraging others to participate.
A 2024 incident in Philadelphia shows how quickly an alleged assault can become online content. A woman recorded an encounter at a Dollar Tree, and the footage spread online before suspect Gary Miles turned himself in. He later pleaded guilty to indecent exposure, open lewdness and indecent assault without the other person’s consent.
Dollar Tree has said it takes reports of unlawful or harassing behavior seriously and cooperates with law enforcement. Meanwhile, the “Dollar Tree Gooner” meme has moved far beyond the alleged incidents themselves, making it easier for the victims behind the reporting to disappear from the conversation.
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