Normally as an investigator, I take on employee theft investigations only when large or repetitive cash shortages or merchandise discrepancies appear. It is not very common to look at small dollar employee theft cases.
There is a growing trend among many small businesses and low volume stores that is a concerning. It is the theft of small cash wrap items caused by internal theft. Most of these employees are cashiers, so they are close to these items throughout the course of their normal shift.
We are seeing many employees taking small items at the register such as a pack of gum or a candy bar. Sometimes it might be a drink from the store’s coolers. Often, the employee simply forgets to have someone ring up those purchases because they were distracted after taking the item.
They take the items while they are on the clock, which is why they get distracted easily when a customer comes up to pay, or the manager is busy elsewhere in the store.
It might only happen once, or it might be a few times before this employee realizes that no one caught his or her mistake. No one noticed that the pack of gum or the soda was never paid for. It is in that moment that the employee then realizes that no one will have caught the loss and will continue to take those items because they know that no one is watching. This activity will then lead in many cases to larger thefts.
For more information on employee theft, employee theft investigation or internal theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia