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Original poster

Colleague did something shifty, I inadvertently helped - what do I do?

55 replies

ToastyBreads · 18/01/2024 12:54

name changed for advice please.
I work for a large supermarket. We are not allowed to buy reduced items until the store is shut.
My colleague asked me to reduce something fairly expensive as low as it would go at the end of the day which I did without really thinking about it (I reduce a lot of items so not unusual for people to bring me things to do that if they see it’s priced too highly etc). They then took it and bought it. So effectively I reduced the item just for them which seems pretty dodgy. I can’t stop thinking about it and don’t know what to do. This colleague is lovely, worked there years and is known and well liked by everyone. Regardless, I don’t want to get in trouble for any part of what could be seen as fraud I guess?
what do I do?

OP posts:

DoughnutA · 18/01/2024 19:23

Aaron95 · 18/01/2024 14:02

I used to work in a supermarket. I also used to reduce items going out of date.

We were not allowed to reduce anything just because another member of staff or even a manager asked us to. It was made very clear during training that sort of thing was theft and would be considered gross misconduct.

Staff were allowed to put items which had already been reduced in the back warehouse and then purchase them at the end of their shift but reducing an item which should not have been reduced was a big no-no.

Assuming this has happened and nobody has noticed, I would think very carefully before informing a manager. If you do, you may well lose your job as when I worked for Sainsburys there was a very definite no tolerance polcy around things like this. It may be best to forget about it and never do it again.

do they have set times and set prices when reducing items or is it more of the person that is reducing the items that prices them ?

botheredand · 18/01/2024 19:29

COL and you work for a massive corporation, and you think your colleague needs ticking off? Chill out

PlateIets · 18/01/2024 19:33

Aaron95 · 18/01/2024 17:14

The lack of trust is for a good reason. Unfortunately retail staff are responsible for around a third of all shoplifting/theft from shops.

Show quote history

Agree with this. I believe Boots staff magazine used to publish stories of staff sacked for theft (and by theft, I mean rigging the system somehow in their favour) to deter others. Unfortunately, in terms of being treated with trust retail is not a nice place to be. Even honest mistakes are come down on very hard and the fraud departments work overtime to note irregularities in staff activity (e.g. linking gift cards sold with staff discount cards). In this case OP, I think you'd be very unlucky if it were picked up on though. Hope you're okay; it's a horrible situation to be in.

duckpancakes · 18/01/2024 19:33

If you reduced it correctly as per procedure and didnt sell the colleague the item then you are fine. If not don't do it again. Keep your mouth shut and hope you get away with it.

FruitBowlCrazy · 18/01/2024 19:59

If the colleague is senior to you, then you were just doing as you were told. If they aren't, then you were just doing as they asked, and that's that.

You 'don't know' what happened to it after you reduced it.

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