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Original poster

Small dilemma: should I report a shop-assistant for dishonesty?

18 replies

Caligula · 16/06/2005 09:47

Just mulling this one over and thought I'd ask opinions.

Yesterday I did a supermarket shop and got a cashback for £50.

The girl at the till gave me a £20 and didn't ask me to sign for it. Unusually, I actually had some of my wits about me and noticed that the full 50 wasn't there, so told her. She apologised and gave me the rest, but still didn't ask me to sign for it.

My question is, does this sound like an honest mistake? I don't want to complain and get her into trouble if it was, but I afterwards thought how strange it was if so, because normally they do make you sign, presumably for their own protection so that you can't come back and claim you didn't get your money. I sort of think that this may not have been a mistake, because of her total failure to follow normal procedure - the shop wasn't busy, it was very quiet, but maybe I'm just being suspicious?

OTOH, if I hadn't noticed the missing £30 (and usually when I'm shopping, trying to keep half an eye on the kids I'm quite likely not to), that is actually quite a hit for me in terms of weekly budgets (my shopping budget is £50) and I don't like to think that maybe she's hitting other customers who can't afford that too, either by accident or on purpose.

OTOH if it was just a one off, even mentioning it to the supervisors as a training need, (as opposed to an outright accusation of dishonesty) may get her into trouble undeservedly. Should I bother?

OP posts:
debs26 · 16/06/2005 09:49

i would tell the supermrket what happened but not identify the staff member, then if they have had complaints before they will probably know who it is and if not they can look at further trainng for all staff

compo · 16/06/2005 09:49

Personally I wouldn't as you don't have firm evidence that she did anything wrong

zebraZ · 16/06/2005 09:49

do people still sign under chip and pin?

Original poster
Caligula · 16/06/2005 09:50

You have to put your chip and pin number in, but when you do a cashback, you still have to initial that you got the cash.

OP posts:
hunkermunker · 16/06/2005 09:50

I initialled for my cashback in M&S this morning. I don't in other places though.

hercules · 16/06/2005 09:51

You no longer sign yourself, the checkout person does it instead. You should see her do it though in front of you.

WigWamBam · 16/06/2005 09:51

I didn't have to sign for cashback in M&S last week - I assumed it's because I used a chip and pin card.

moondog · 16/06/2005 09:51

Give her the benefit of the doubt this time.....

Original poster
Caligula · 16/06/2005 09:52

Oh, I've never seen that Hercules. It sounds like different shops now have different procedures. Maybe my local supermarket have changed their's.

OP posts:
edodgy · 16/06/2005 09:52

hiya i used to work in retail and to be honest it does sound like a genuine mistake. i only say this because to steal from the till in this way would be really daft as the till would be £30 down, if she had asked u to sign for it then tried to give you only £20 it would have made more sense that she was pulling a fast one as if she'd have got away with it the till would add up as the whole £50 would have been accounted for in the form of your signed for cash back. If she was going to steal from the till in such a blatant way she could have just pocketed £30 from the till itself instead of not giving you your full cash back. I hope this makes sense lol.

lemonice · 16/06/2005 09:53

In tesco I've sometimes been asked to initial and sometimes not, I'm so absent minded i have to stand there mumbling to myself "I've asked for cashback" over and over...

hunkermunker · 16/06/2005 09:54

Less than an hour ago in M&S, I used my chip and pin, she initialled the cashback, then gave me the pen to do the same on my receipt.

It sounds like it could have been an honest mistake, Caligula - but did you get the feeling she was trying to rip you off? Sometimes you can tell more from their manner than putting it down in words.

hunkermunker · 16/06/2005 09:54

lemonice, I do that too!! PMSL! Once left Sainsbury's without my tenner and had to go back! Fortunately she remembered she'd not given it to me!

edodgy · 16/06/2005 09:58

sorry my previous message should have said that if u didnt sign for it the till would be £50 (not £30) down so the fraud would be obvious.

milward · 16/06/2005 10:04

Doesn't sound like dishonesty to me - just a simple mistake. The customer also has the responsibility to count the money they receive - as you did.

misdee · 16/06/2005 10:29

sounds like a mistake to me. i did this many times, usually when my mind is elsewhere partically at quiet times. sometimes on a till you are away with the fairies and on autopilot. it can be a mind-numbing job at times.

crunchie · 16/06/2005 10:32

Different store have different policies, some you sign, some the assistant signs and some no-one signs. Therefore sounds like a genuine mistake. If she was trying to pocket your £30 she didn't manage it this time.

dizzydo · 16/06/2005 22:03

Glad its not just me!! i have left Sainsburys on two occasions without the money, like lemonice I have to keep saying it over and over in my head to remind myself to collect it. On both occasions I have had to wait until the next day for the till to be checked but got my money back in the end. Sounds like a genuine mistake to me too. Do think the policy varies though re initialling the receipt

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