A Managers Trick

Oh like he's baiting you to see if you'll take it.

I don't know if it's legal or not (he'd likely just say it's an oversight if ever pressed on it) but it shows they are testing you. Twice. And you've passed but I get it. What would bother me is if you've shown no reason for them to suspect you would steal, they are just trying to trip you up to see if you'd be tempted.

I would be uneasy too. In all the jobs I've ever managed, I've never set out traps for my staff or set them up to see if they're dishonest.

Awkward because you know they are doing it too. I've not heard of this no .. and I have friends who have been cashiers. Just keep reporting the extra cash but if continues and you grow tired of it, time to find another job where they actually trust you enough to stop testing you.

Good luck :)

Maybe he was testing you to see if you would be honest and report the extra $20. I don't see how that could possible be illegal. Maybe he counted the float incorrectly and was embarrassed to have it pointed out. Anyway, that is why most companies have the float double counted, once by the manager and once by the cashier. To keep mistakes from happening and to keep everyone honest. Nobody can "trick" you into stealing anything. Only someone who is dishonest would steal something.

He can't trick you into stealing money. If you steal,it is because you freely choose to do so.
Leaving extra money in your till isn't tricking you into stealing. If there is extra money in your till at the start of the shift, there should be that same amount of extra money in your till at the end of your shift, along with a note from you about the extra funds.

I don't understand your thoughts about being "tricked". That never would cross my mind. Is there something more to the story when you were a cashier someplace else? Does he have a reason to bait you?

The key is to count all of the money twice BEFORE you start and know exactly where you start from so you balance out at the end of the shift and have the same amount left in the drawer than when you started.

It is pretty simple, if you are over or under any money, you report it at the time you are counting the money to the manager.

If you are uncomfortable with the position and handling money, then you need to find another job. I personally would not work for someone I did not trust.

Do you count the till at the beginning of your shift? Is that when you find an extra $20? Or do you believe someone is opening your drawer in the middle of your shift?

What have you said when you discovered it? Did you accuse a manager of trying to trick you?

My reaction would have been, "That's weird! The count is $20 over. I hope I didn't shortchange a customer. What should I do?" It wouldn't have occurred to me to think a manager tried to trick me.

ETA - For now, just stick with, "The drawer is $20 over," and let it go. He might have stuck it in his pocket for the moment. If this happens quite often, that's one thing. But for now, don't make a big deal about it. Keep your eyes open, for sure. Maybe keep a notebook of who and when this happens. But don't say anything to the managers right now. You would only cause problems for yourself.

double check your drawer before your shift and if this keeps happening, call loss prevention and tell them what is happening - he should not be putting money from the till into his pocket, he should be putting it in an envelope marked for over/short cases

I'm sorry - I don't understand this. How are **YOU** being tricked to steal money??

You MIGHT be being tested - but WHO would take money from the till? If the manager takes the $20 and walks away - your drawer is still correct. YOU DID NOT TAKE ANYTHING.

If you are not "feeling" it. Find another job.

Years ago, I worked in an office in which we accepted down payments that we later gave to a cashier. Sometimes money would disappear and manager was never concerned about it. A couple of years later he was arrested and found guilty of embezzlement.

My situation seems to be the opposite of yours. However, I pay attention when something doesn't feel right. I'd ask other cashiers if this happens to them and perhaps ask for advice. I'd keep a written record of each incident. If this continues I'd consider talking with Personnel Services office or your manager's supervisor.

So you're saying the manager is putting in an extra $20 so when you see that you would be tempted to steal it since it's over? And it's a "trick" because he purposely put it there and is setting you up to see what you would do? I guess if that's true then I would not trust him either and would be looking for another job. Good luck.

How are you being tricked to steal money? You count your box before you start and then count when you are done. Easy. If you are over, you alert your supervisor. If you are under, you alert your supervisor.

I don't know why he is acting that way. However, if you are uncomfortable then this isn't the job for you. I would also suggest you talk to him after work or before. If there is an HR department, get with them.

Again, I see no trick in trying to get you to steal. That would be on YOU.

How does one trick you into stealing? That sentence seriously bothers me. I know I would not want an employee working for me that sees that as an invitation to steal.

Oh to answer your question, yeah, if that was what happened it is perfectly legal. You choose to steal money that is on you! I doubt that was the intent, the drawer was just off, perhaps an oversight the night before, perhaps someone was over the night before and didn't admit it, who knows.

He put it in his pocket because what else should he do? He didn't have an envelope for it, shouldn't be walking around with money, there is nothing to see here other than your attitude which I don't really like. Generally it is normal practice to not openly carry money out in the public and I have held jobs where you would be terminated for doing so.

My whole life I have worked with money or accounted for money in one form or another. When I see trick me into stealing that little voice yells terminate.

What I find odd is that you didn't count your drawer before you started. I worked a few jobs as a cashier, and the manager put the cash in the drawer, and I was always told to double check it before I started, so that everyone was comfortable. Otherwise, if you are short at the end of the night, there could be an argument about who made the mistake. Thus, in the future, I would always count your drawer before you start, to avoid any discrepancies at the end of the night.

And of course you should always report if your drawer is off.

As for whether or not it's legal - I don't see why not. It's no different than when a store hires secret shoppers to report back on how customer service handles customers, especially difficult customers.

Your money should be exactly as noted when you start and end your shift. If I was more than a few pennies off, I would get written up. I once had a $50 slide under the tray. I was going to have to pay it back til my coworker found it (he came in after me) but then HE almost got written up for having an extra $50. IMO, your manager should not be being dishonest with money. It's not a game. If it's not $150, make no transactions til it's exactly as recorded in the books. Make someone else count it with you, if necessary. If he put it in his pocket, I wonder if *he* is actually stealing 20s this way. If this happens again, I would talk to another manager. Often there are different managers for different shifts, so you'll see more than one in a week.

Just don't steal it and no worries! Maybe they were told to do it to test employees. It's not illegal to put extra money in a till. I thought you were going to say he tried to convince you to steal the money somehow with him to scam the company....

Nope not illegal. Kind of stupid since if money is missing you either took it or short changed a customer by mistake.

I think your manager is just testing you to see if he can trust you to be honest when handling money. I don't think it's illegal for your manager to create a situation that would require you to alert him to extra money in the cash drawer but I can understand how it might make you feel like you're being set up.

If you want to keep this job I suggest you just continue doing your work. As long as you're honest you shouldn't have any problem. Once your manager is comfortable you can be trusted he will probably have better things to do with their time than continue testing you.

If more than one manager has done this that leads me to believe it is a standard company test they apply to all new cashiers. All the more reason to believe it is nothing personal.

Good luck!

I don't blame you for feeling uncomfortable. The guy's a jerk to make that assumption.

You had better watch yourself around him. I'd try to get moved out of anyone's department who does this.

Does he have to sign that he has checked the till? Do you have proof that you started with $150 in the till and that you still have $150 in the till when you leave? I'd make darn sure that no one walked away from me if I were in your shoes...

Count in and sign off then do your job and when you're done count out. Check your sales on the register then subtract your sales from your drawer and see if it's the right amount. If you don't have that option I'd be sure to keep track of what's in there.

Is this a small owner run store or a big chain store. In a small store, sure, they can bait you but in a large chain, they'd be fired for something like that.

Continue to make sure that you point out that you found the extra cash. And also make sure that you don't get in trouble for it. Sometimes having too much money in the till is an issue as well - means you are not giving the right change!

every time i open the store, i count the drawer, and anything over and or under goes on the official form.
ditto when i close. if there's an overage or shortage, i simply note it on the sheet.
i can't be tricked into stealing because i don't steal. period.
no one can make me uneasy about it because it doesn't happen.
how do you know HE placed the extra $20 there? and if he did, just how exactly do you know his motivation for doing so?
the only thing in this scenario that would make me uneasy would be having a cashier whose thought processes ran this way.
khairete
S.

Are you really asking if it's legal to steal? Stealing is wrong. Even if you were "tricked" you would be held responsible. On a go forward, refuse to take money that doesn't belong to you. If there is a regional manager for you to talk to you might want to ask him or her what is the protocol when the drawer has too much money which also shouldn't happen.