This is something going on with a relative as of late. My cousin - whom I will call "Matthew" - was arrested at his retail job not too long ago because he was using coupons meant for customers. These are the coupons that tend to print out several seconds after the receipts that people tend to walk away from before the thing is even done printing. Basically, Matthew used some of the trashed/abandoned coupons for himself and he was found out when someone in management noticed the customer credit card numbers were not matching Matthew's number. To which I ask, "How did they know these people didn't give Matthew their coupons?" They didn't give them to him in the sense of handing them to him and saying, "Here, use these" but they haven't proof that these customers did not do this either.
The store fired him and had him arrested, and the story in the local paper made it sound like he was intentionally hoarding these things from customers when he was just basically making use of stuff customers threw away.
Don't want this to go into fratching, but let me ask this: is it truly a horrible thing for an employee to use a customer discount (that does not affect customer credit, etc.) that was thrown away? I'm not just saying this because Matthew is relation, but I think his employer was overreacting a bit. I almost kind of see this like going through a public trash can for Coke bottles (bought by others) and using the My Coke Rewards things for yourself. Or is it a matter of those discount coupons becoming store property and it then being a case of company theft? Do stores usually make such a big deal over someone using their garbage? I honestly do not know.
In any case, Matthew's got to appear before a judge and present his case. It's pretty much going to be his word against theirs while each side uses the same evidence and he is not hopeful for the case turning out in his favor.
He's working on getting a lawyer and compiling evidence in his favor. And I'm wondering if there is anything I can do for him that will be of help. I may go to where he used to work and buy something to see if I personally receive a discount coupon or not, just to show that he was possibly not the only one tossing out coupons.
The store fired him and had him arrested, and the story in the local paper made it sound like he was intentionally hoarding these things from customers when he was just basically making use of stuff customers threw away.
Don't want this to go into fratching, but let me ask this: is it truly a horrible thing for an employee to use a customer discount (that does not affect customer credit, etc.) that was thrown away? I'm not just saying this because Matthew is relation, but I think his employer was overreacting a bit. I almost kind of see this like going through a public trash can for Coke bottles (bought by others) and using the My Coke Rewards things for yourself. Or is it a matter of those discount coupons becoming store property and it then being a case of company theft? Do stores usually make such a big deal over someone using their garbage? I honestly do not know.
In any case, Matthew's got to appear before a judge and present his case. It's pretty much going to be his word against theirs while each side uses the same evidence and he is not hopeful for the case turning out in his favor.
He's working on getting a lawyer and compiling evidence in his favor. And I'm wondering if there is anything I can do for him that will be of help. I may go to where he used to work and buy something to see if I personally receive a discount coupon or not, just to show that he was possibly not the only one tossing out coupons.
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