To think retailers should t charge staff for shop lifters

[Cecillie]

Dd just started a temporary job in a Morrison's local. Training was non existent and it's minimum wage . She has been worried about people using tap and pay and walking off before transaction approved as the system is really slow but there were no systems in place.
Today a guy bought £10 of beer, tapped and power walked off, transaction was declined.
She immediately told her supervisor and was made to pay for the beer on her debit card. So basically an hour and a half pay for her .
Surely this isn't legal ? They can claim it back as lost stock ?
Supervisor said oh that's nothing , someone had to pay £200 once

This is crazy! I've worked in three different retail companies over the years and one of them used to guilt-trip us about shoplifters (there was a security guard floating around the large store who we were supposed to radio for if we saw a shoplifter; we were as vigilant as possible but when very overworked and very understaffed you'd need eyes in the back of your head to catch them tbh) which I thought was very unfair but we were never expected to pay for anything out of our own pocket.

The last one I worked in made it very explictly clear that we weren't to approach anyone (there were one or two "known shoplifters" who had been banned from the store but in practice there's not much way to physically enforce a ban...) and the store was well insured so it wasn't worth us risking being attacked by a nutter. The occasional person, usually someone who had worked there for many years, did still intercept shoplifters if they saw them and the goods were generally handed over without fuss but like hell I was going to risk getting punched and luckily management supported that mindset one thousand per cent.

All that said, I actually don't think it's too much of a stretch to imagine some manager or colleague trying to pull a fast one to get money out of the new person. The vast majority of people I worked with were friendly, genuine and helpful but I can vividly remember one shift manager who would definitely have done something like this (he ended up being quietly moved on less than a month after joining our store because he was unbearable)... definitely get her to escalate it OP. Totally unacceptable.

Report that to head office. I agree with the poster who said the supervisor probably took home the paid for beer. There will probably be all sorts of interesting stock losses going on in that shop, at the behest of the supervisor.

It is absolutely not policy that staff are to pay for what is shoplifted. Never has been, never will be.

I imagine the 'supervisor' is targeted to minimise shop losses. And is also running a scam - that paid for case of beer probably went home with her.

It can only be one or the other. The beer going home wouldn't help with the stock loss issue.

If OPs DD pays for a beer which remains on the shelf then she has paid for the stolen one and nothing is missing when a stocktake is done.

It seems as likely as anything to be a nasty prank / hazing / exploitation of the wide eyed new girl.

Looks like it's a corrupt manager. Your daughter needs to report it to head office. This is also a good time for her to learn how important being in a union is.

That's really awful. Your poor daughter. I'd have expected better of Morrison's

Disgusting. Surely they’re insured for this?

YANBU. It’s a safety concern.

If a 16 year old girl sees a large 40 year old man run off with a case of beer is she expected to try and stop him?

Tweet Morrissons using a fake name if you want. You'll soon find out if it's policy. If it's true it will shame them into stopping it.

That's ridiculous that your daughter had to pay for that.

Surely they’re insured for this?

Morrison's is not going to be filling in all the paperwork to claim five quid on an insurance policy for some nicked beer

Retailers self insure. In other words they assume a certain amount of 'wastage' by theft and build that into their pricing.

@MurielSpriggs

Surely they’re insured for this?

Morrison's is not going to be filling in all the paperwork to claim five quid on an insurance policy for some nicked beer

Retailers self insure. In other words they assume a certain amount of 'wastage' by theft and build that into their pricing.

They tot it all up...surely? And claim for x amount once a year or so. When their stock take doesn't tally with their takings, that's put down to theft.

I think this supervisor is on a dodgy. OP your DD needs to make an appointment with the manager of the store. And if they're not helping her, then head office. And if nothing from them then she needs to tell the police. She's been robbed whilst at work basically.

No, this isn't right. I never had to do this when I worked in retail. They have insurance for this!

If I were your DD I would have refused and walked out the door! The next step would have been reporting it to the HR department (by email or phone).

Where I work is the same so we have a rule that the goods simply aren’t handed over until payment has approved. It slows us down when we are busy but that’s tough, I’m not being made responsible for other peoples payment issues.

so this deduction has taken your dd brlow minimum wage.
I agree your dd should join a union contact the head office.

and not take her debit card to work with her. a deduction like this through the books would show up as illegal and leave a paper trail.

@Mandalay246

If I were your DD I would have refused and walked out the door! The next step would have been reporting it to the HR department (by email or phone).

Young people don't always have the guts to do that though. I wouldn't have...not until I was well into my twenties did I have the nerve to stand up against authority figures. I do feel as though OP's DD was basically robbed though!

She was forced to pay for something....it looks BAD on Morrisons!

DD needs to not take her debit card with her. This is disgusting from Morrison's, they have insurance!

I don't know why a pp thought the details had changed, they really haven't

@FlaminEckVera

Third time lucky...

I'm out. THE details in this tale are changing more often THAN the members of The Sugababes.

Looks like you were trying to flounce in style, and spectacularly failed. Pathetic

I worked in retail for years, this was never a policy anywhere I worked. As others have said this cannot be right, the supervisor is just covering their own back to minimise losses when the tills are cashed up.

If this was just a shift supervisor is there a store manager your daughter could talk to? Just ask what are the policies around shoplifters, should they be stopped etc, say this wasn't covered in initial training. If the manager says something along the lines of 'you should challenge the the shop lifter but if you feel threatened let them walk away for your own safety and report it' (which I would expect to be the policy) then she can say 'That's interesting supervisor made me pay for the stolen beer...'

@shouldistop

I don't know why a pp thought the details had changed, they really haven't

I know. Utterly bizarre. Some people on here could start a fight in an empty room.

Hope you get a good response from your email OP and that your DD finds a much better job!

I can't believe this has happened?
Absolutely out of order. I'm not sure on the legalities but I'm sure this can't be legal.
The store should invest in better security systems and not rely on retail staff for security.

This is madness! The supervisor should be made to pay your dd back.

@shouldistop

I don't know why a pp thought the details had changed, they really haven't

The fact that the stores are owned and operated by McColls was not in the OP.

There is no way Morrisons would do what McColls appear to be doing.

Tell her to grab a pack of those beers that she paid for on her way out the door.
That’s disgusting.

You should have said this in your OP.

ODFOD. She said it was a Morrisons local. That's precisely what the McColl's deal is.