OMG! How could I lose $50?? Lengthy and language ...

[karma_gypsy]

Do you ever have those moments where your brain literally stops recording your actions? And when you go to try and remember something ... you can't remember what happened for the life of you?

That's what happened to me...



Somehow, in my idiotic daze, I manage to lose a $50 bill ... of my bosses money ...


Oops.



Here's how the story went down ... as much as I can remember anyway ...


The management at my work likes to celebrate people's birthdays. One person usually goes around, collects cash from the employees (there's eight of us) and spends the cash on gifts and a card.

I get the task of doing the birthday of a co-worker, who had her birthday yesterday. I was given a week to get everything together. I went around and got the cash from everyone. I even asked the owner (who is actually a really nice, easygoing guy), he said he'll put in a $50 bill in the card ... nice, right? Yes, you can see where this is going.

I don't collect from him yet. I actually made a mental note to collect from him and get him to sign the card LAST. If I went by this rule, I wouldn't be sitting here calling myself a dumbass.

I get the gifts and thought I did pretty damn well with the cash I had (with the exception of the owner, at this point, I haven't gotten any money from him yet). And I get the card as well. I manage to sneak the gifts (in a very large box!!) pass the birthday girl and get my co-worker to wrap it. I even get mostly everyone to sign the card. Again, I'm still waiting to harass the owner for his contribution. This was on Friday.

On Saturday (the birthday, yesterday -- side note: we give the gifts at the end of the day), the owner pops in and pops out, showing up for only about 5-10 minutes or so ... doing important owner-ly stuff. Plus, Birthday girl is hanging around him (she's the assistant manager), so I just left it be, kinda expecting him to be in later in the day (he does this quite often). I ask the manager a bit later on to see if he'll be back in, in which she shakes her head no ... (I know this is getting a bit boring, but hang in there!). I tell her my problem and she says she'll give him a call (keep in mind, I'm still trying to get the cash -- I know I'm sounding pushy, but I'm not ... really).

She gives him a call a bit later on and he tells her to take it from the till and says for me to sign his name (no biggie, really). She hands me the bill and honestly, this is where my mind blanks. I swear, I was even aware that my mind stopped recording, even when she is handing me the bill. After that, it's like little questionable lumps of memory that keeps me second guessing myself.



I thought I had put straight in the card and into the envelope, relieved that I was pretty much done. I still had to get one more signature!. I would do that a bit later, since the guy is busy with a customer. I might have put it off to the side though ... See? I can't exactly remember. I could have been doing a dance and waving it around my head for all I know. I go back to my work.

The customers slow down for a bit, I either grab the card and go straight to him, or I took the money out and set it aside. Where I put aside to is the mystery ...

I go and get him to sign ... this requires crossing over about 20 feet of floor space ... you know ... the floor ... Customer. Shopping. Area. (yeah, are store set up is a bit messed up, stay with me here). I get him to sign it. Birthday girl is near, but around the corner and still unaware of her spectacular birthday surprise.

Huzzah! I'm done! All I have to do now is give her the gift later on!


Oh! Look! The schedule is done. I shall get a copy.


With card still in hand. I grab the new schedule and toddle over to the copier. With the card still in my hand. Is it in the envelope? Is the money still with it?

HellifIknow ...

I don't bother to check. I'm so relieved to be done of the birthday and happy that the new schedule is done for the month. I run back up to my desk, crossing back over the floor to continue my work (actually, it may have been lunch).


The time is nearing. I'm starting to count out the till. Birthday girl had just left for lunch. Oh, what a wonderous time to leave her gift in her work area. She'll have a nice surprise to come back too.

I haven't opened the till yet, I set the paperwork aside and hurry to retrieve the card from my desk and pair it with the gift (which is hidden away in the back room). About half way to the back room, I decide to check the card for the cash (you know ... if I hadn't of done this ... no one would have been none the wiser ...). And guess what?

IT'S NOT THERE!!!

Cue the screechy violin music.


Instant panic sets in.


THE $50 bill is missing ...

Oh SHIT. Maybe I left in on my desk ... I hurry up to it. Birthday girl is up there on her lunch, playing on the internet (at another desk). She makes small talk.

I'm trying to be as discreet as possible, but in full panic mode as I'm am not finding the money. I search under papers, under my keyboard, hell, even inside DVD cases. It's not there!.

Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit. Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.


I hurry away, retracing my steps. Again, being discreet. I go over to the manager's desk (where the last person signed the card), rummage through a few papers coming up empty. I go over to the copier ... still nothing. I hurry to the back where the card is ... (I've still gotta count down the till, time is running out before we close). I search the card, the envelope, my pockets ... NOTHING!

Oh, Lord, I think I'm gonna vomit...

I put the card with the gift and go over to the till. My mind racing on what I should do... I could still say nothing and no one would have known ... But ... I did.

While counting the till and doing my thing (still panicking), I urge the manager, who is standing a few feet away, helping a customer to come hither when she had a moment.

She does so, a few minutes later when she's done.

I don't know if any of you have ever freaked out while whispering while trying not to vomit ... it's hard. I was kinda hoping she found the money lying somewhere and would go "here it is!"

Nope. She didn't.

I was honestly going on that too.


Well. She freaked out (whispering as well) with me.

I'm in trouble now.


Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit. Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.


I finish up the till. She goes over to another till and fishes out another $50. I tell her that the owner can take it out my paycheck (if I would have had $50 on me, I would have just slipped in in the card and not said anything. Hell, if I had $50 on me now, I would just take it to work and pretend I found it somewhere stupid ... buuuut I don't).


SHE HANDS ME THE MONEY .... AGAIN!!!


I told her she could have put it with the card herself ... but she handed to me anyway ...


"Don't lose it this time ..."



DUH!


I put it in my pocket ... checking and rechecking it as I finish the till and hurry to the back to place it in the card.

In a pissy/upset mood now, I grab the gift and shove it on the counter.

"Happy Birthday, A!" I tell her, trying to cover my extremely upset feelings.

I meander back up to my desk and begin another feverish search until closing time. We have to put away jewelry and such, so I finish up and help the others.

I overhear the manager telling Birthday girl what happened .... lovely.

The owner calls (like he always does when he's not there) and I overhear manager telling him what happened (well ... at least I don't have to do it). Thank goodness.



She hasn't brought up the word fired or write-up yet ... but this only happened yesterday, I still have yet to go back to work.


I opted to stay late and let the other two employees go home (they're still in the dark about it, I want to keep it that way). I spent my 15 extra minutes or so searching (manager and Birthday girl helped a little too). We come up with nothing. At least they're being nice about it .... to my face.

In admist of searching, we did joke about it a little (I joked about finding in my shoe, manager mentioned to check my underwear when I get home -- Nope, still a no go!). Birthday girl tried to keep our hopes up and said, "oh, it's still around here somewhere ...!"

We lock up and go home. The manager mentioned ... "well, at least I didn't see any overly happy customers today!" (meaning, she didn't observe anyone getting visibly overexcited about finding a $50 bill on the ground ...).


I get in the van and tell the story to my husband ... whom also had a shitty day yesterday ...


I still feel really REALLY bad about it. I honestly didn't mean to lose it and apologized profusely (we've had a problem with employee theft before ... I didn't want to arise any suspicions ...).




Well, I have to leave and go to work in less than an hour ....





Wish me luck ....

[Sableonblonde]

Do you ever have those moments where your brain literally stops recording your actions? And when you go to try and remember something ... you can't remember what happened for the life of you?

Yes, that happens to me every day it seems. I set things down, and then sort of black out for a moment and when I need to find them again, I cannot for the life of me remember where I set them.

I might be kind of a bitch, but I would NOT appreciate having to cough up some money everytime a co-workers birthday came around. If I wanted to buy them a gift then I would. I would not appreciate it being some kind of unwritten work rule. But it truly sucks that you were doing something nice for someone and as a result are now dealing with all of this stress. It's so unnecessary

[karma_gypsy]

Yeah, sometimes it's just too hard to come up with any kind of cash, especially when some birthdays fall so close together. I give what I can though. It's always nice to receive a gift and a card on my birthday...

You're not a bitch at all for saying that. Sometimes its just hard to come up with anything, because $5 or $10 can mean a meal or the remainder of a bill ...




The manager "let" me search a little more today (oh boy ... ). I cleaned up my desk (which is delightfully clean now) and still nothing. If I would have stashed it anywhere ... it would have been at my desk.


I'm beginning to think it simply fell out of the card somehow (and I missed it) and someone simply picked it up. You don't necessarily have to make a lot of noise or celebrate whenever you find $50.00 (although most people probably would - actually I'm sure most probably would have turned it in). I'm sure someone probably just spotted, lying innocently on the floor, walked over to it, shoved it into their pocket and walked away. Simple as that. Which sucks....

[nomorecarts]

no security cameras?

if you had it where customers can go someone probably took it, you don't have to freak out just because you found a little money. hell, a coworker could have found it and kept it

[karma_gypsy]

We have dummy cameras ... just no actual working ones. I would have happily went over security tapes if they were working though...


But, yeah, I agree with you there. A co-worker (or customer) could have easily taken it and just feigned ignorance. I've searched high and low. I can't find something that's not there ... And if it hasn't been found by now (it's been 24 hours now), it's probably not here .....

[Anakah]

Would it help if I told you I messed up big time and over paid someone $800? They even saw the customer it went to after they checked the tapes yet I was still SOL. Which go figure I still kept my job... I was like ten points away from being fired after that. I held on by a string and been at my same job for two years now.

Since you offered to take it out of your pay check (shit happens) they shouldn't fire you. I hope everything turns out okay.

[karma_gypsy]

$800? Ouchies. I think that would literally make me physically ill. You're a trooper for dealing with such a honest mistake.


My co-worker (who has had the past few days off) was told the story as well. She was getting the hint that they were taking it out of my paycheck.


Although, it would be nice if they told me to my face that they were doing it .... (management kind of does that a lot .... do stuff without telling us employees exactly what's going on ...).