Before the days of I-Phones, I-pods, I-pads, and all of their respective minis, consumers actually went to the store to purchase music. Either in compact disc, cassette tape, or the old school record form, many malls had stores that would carry these products and distribute to the public. One of my many early retail jobs was in the South Shore Mall in Bay Shore, New York at Record Town. This was always the hot spot at the mall. Record Town had a great location (just outside the food court) and many attention grabbers to lure shoppers into the store even if they had no intention of purchasing music that day. I always had a love for music and made many purchases at Record Town and was very happy to land a job there.
My first day started like any other with a manager named Steve introducing me to everyone and showing me around the store. Steve was the same age as me, and had been working at Record Town for over a year. Explaining everything from how to punch in and out, how to use the register, and how many breaks I was entitled to. He was very personable, answered all the questions I could come up with, and was well versed in all the daily activities of Record Town.
After the first week and a half of training, I was starting to get into a flow, similar to the way Steve was working and would know what the next move would be while dealing with a customer. I began to notice that when a customer would pay for their items in cash, Steve would not hand him or her the receipt. He would simply say, “Your receipt is in the bag. Have a nice day”. These receipts were not going in the bag, but behind the bag holder where, by the end of the day, there was a collection of receipts. I did not say anything because I did not feel it was my place, but I did keep a close eye on those receipts to see what would happen.
Once the day was over and the doors were locked, all the nightly employees would straighten the store up and get it ready for the morning shift. These duties included sweeping, vacuuming, wiping down the cd racks, and putting away any merchandise left at the register, or misplaced throughout the store. Coincidently enough, it was Steve’s job to return all merchandise to its proper location. Steve would be alone doing this job, but I kept an eye one him. I watched him peek at the cash receipts he collected throughout the day, pull the product off the shelf, and into a bag under his cart he was pushing around. Once he was done putting the product away, the cart went into the back room and, when no one was looking, that bag went into a backpack in his locker. I would watch him walk out of the store with his backpack on and drive home. The next day I noticed a kid come in and return some product, receive the cash, talk to Steve for a few minutes, then leave. Apparently Steve would hand this backpack off with the receipts to a friend of his and would have him return the merchandise to all the Record Town stores within the area. Since the merchandise was paid for in cash, all refund would be in cash also.
Since Steve was the manager, I did not know who to talk to about this scam that is being run. Being the new guy, I did not know if no one knew about this, or if everyone knew about. If I brought it up to the wrong person, I could be out casted and possibly out of a good paying job. Steve and I had become friends at this point because we had a lot in common and I did not want to see him out of a job. I knew if I brought this up to him, he might ask me to join in on their scam. Although it would be quick and easy cash, the consequences could be terrible. I was caught between a rock and a hard place. I wrestled with this on my mind for over two months, and almost every day I worked with Steve, I would see him collect his receipts, then the product, then his friend the next day would be returning it all.
Before I could make a decision Steve’s scam was up. His accomplice was attempting to return product and unbeknownst to him, or Steve, there were undercover Record Town security in the store. Securities witnessed the accomplice talk with Steve for a few minutes and then return product that security had videotaped Steve stealing the night before while putting merchandise back on the shelf. They questioned all the employees in the store and nobody had a clue as to what Steve was doing, at least that is what they said. When it was my turn to sit down and be interrogated, I told them everything I suspected. Apparently security had an idea this was going on and waited until the amount of product stolen was at a grand larceny level. Steve pleaded guilty to lesser charges to avoid any sort of jail time, but was obviously fired from Record Town and was sentenced to five years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
If faced with this same situation today, I would most likely do the same thing I did then. Steve got what he deserved and if I had spoken up then he might not have been caught. He may have realized that he was getting sloppy and people were starting to notice what he was doing. I could have said something and Steve could have enticed me enough to join his scam and I could be the one doing community service. By biting my tongue and laying low I stayed out of trouble and possibly helped to get Steve caught.