When I worked at the insurance salvage store, we all took a turn on the register. We had other jobs, like the floor manager, and the pricing department. But a schedule was made by Vera the bookkeeper, and we all spent a few hours ringing up customers. The only employees immune to this duty were the salesmen in the basement, where the lumber and carpet and wallpaper were sold. Not the lumber itself, which was out on the large parking lot. But that belonged to the sales guys downstairs. They got a commission for each sale, and would give us a paper ticket to stab on a spike.
Anyhoo... partway through the year I worked there, money was missing. I don't recall how much. But it was enough of a discrepancy that the owner brought in the police! The owner was hardly ever at the store, having many locations. But he came in for this. He was a nice enough fellow, but quite intimidating. He looked like Yul Brynner. Grew up on a farm with a lot of brothers. Said as a kid, he was thrilled when his mom served SPAM for dinner, because it was a real treat after eating the beef and pork and chicken raised on the farm.
Anyhoo... Mr. Owner first talked to everybody individually, in his office in the basement. All I could tell him was that I did not take the money, and I had no idea who might have taken it. Obviously, the department heads were unlikely culprits, because they had a good salaried job for years. The hourly workers were a motley crew. There was me, a teacher taking a year off to get my master's degree. A young single mother. A grandmotherly old lady. The 17-year-old high school son of one of the department heads.
THEN, the detective came in and set up the polygraph equipment! That was my first and only time taking a polygraph. It was interesting, and just a little scary. I was worried it might be wrong! I recall the stretchy strap thingy wrapped around my chest, and a thing on my finger. I don't remember the rest, but if I saw it on TV, I'd probably recall.
Anyhoo... I passed my polygraph. Turns out the thief was the 17-year-old kid, who would take money out of the register a little at a time. A twenty here, a twenty there. We all worked the same register, nobody getting a fresh drawer of counted money. Filling in for breaks. Taking over shifts back-to-back. The kid's mom was pretty upset with him. Nothing really happened, other than he couldn't work there any more.
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Another inside job was discovered at our DENTIST's office! It was 30 miles from Hillmomba, in another town. Our neighbor worked there as a dental hygienist, so we would get our teeth cleaned, and see the dentist if we had problems. Farmer H's insurance provided for two teeth-cleanings a year. He always stopped on his way home from work. I would schedule mine for days off from school.
Imagine our shock when we learned that an audit had uncovered a THIEF! An embezzler! It turned out to be the receptionist! A lady we were on a first-name basis with, seeing her in stores, having attended parties at our neighbor's house with her. And it was some of OUR payments that had been stolen! From when Farmer H paid in cash. And a couple of our checks that she had cashed. Of course she lost her job. I think she had to pay back the money, but didn't get any jail time.
Just goes to show, you never really know ANYONE when it comes to money...
4 comments:
This is so true. I knew a man who stole from his kids piggy banks and used a visiting cousin the blame the theft on. After the cousin had gone home of course so they couldn't question him. Closer to home I had to hide money I was putting away for when the bills came in for a certain someone who would even quiz his own kids as to where I kept it. None of them ever told, claiming to not know.
River,
Good for your kids, playing dumb! The Pony would probably have succumbed to pressure in such a situation. Genius would have sold out for money. Or for revenge, if he was mad at me!
Wow, that would be the lowest, to steal from your kids! When I was managing fabric stores, I got a call from an assistant manager about a theft done by a recent new hire that I was laready skeptical of. She arrived at work one day in one of those sleeveless shirts with big armholes and was sent home to put a bra on. Her father was a city commissioner, as she was apt to point out on a daily basis and she was black. Only reason I mention that is she was always calling every one a racist, even when she showed up to work braless. But, back to the theft. The assistant manager was sharp and noticed that the money she took from a customer did not seem to match the merch that was put in the bag. The customer was a friend of the girl and one of the items was a big sewing basket, a high ticket item ver $30. The amount rung up on the register was only $7 and some change. When I asked if the police had been called, they had and my asst. had locked the girl in the store! police report went through and I had to go as the rep of the company to press charges, then again to the court hearing. My boss was furious with me for wasting time on such an insignificant amout of money involved. He was an asshat. The court proceedings were great, though. The smug little commissioner's child was so sure she would walk out with no consequence (and no bra on either). Neither parent accompanied her, just a group of her friends, which turned out to be unfortunate for her. Oh, and the judge was an elderly black man. My asst was called to relate the story and the judge commented that it was probably not the only time she had done it. The girl took the stand and presented her defense that she was one of only three black employees and that management was racist and had it in for her. She could offer no incidents to back it up and was smiling sweetly. No defense counsel for her, she was sure things would end well for her right up to the point when they placed the handcuffs on and took her to jail!! Before they handcuffed her the judge admonished her and told he was sick and tired of young black people using racism as an excuse to commit crimes and decided that since she was so smug he was going to start the day making an example of her in hopes that she would learn somthing from her actions and attitude. I felt so justified to have followed through to the end! This was back in the 80's. so we can conclude that this wasn't a country wide solution!
Kathy,
There are none so indignant as those who have something to hide! I suppose her tactics had worked, up until they didn't!
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