Stole a soda today...

[BookstoreEscapee]

This afternoon on my way out I stopped in the cafeteria at work to get a drink. I walked down with one of the guys from my office, and his ride was going to be late so he went to get some cookies. The cafeteria was open but there was no one there. A couple cooks were way in the back but no one was out there to ring us up. After a few minutes he gave up and just put the cookies back. But I had already gotten my soda and sipped a little bit of it. If it was a bottled drink I would have just put it back in the fridge and said forget it. But it was a fountain soda, so I couldn't exactly put it back (I could have dumped it but then they would have lost it anyway so that seemed kind of stupid)...I waited around for about 5 minutes but no one came out so finally I just left. Felt a little weird about it but what was I supposed to do? And it was only 75 cents...

[Becks]

Did you at least leave the money on the counter with a note?

[BookstoreEscapee]

No because I didn't have exact change...maybe I can pay for it on Monday? I don't know if it's worth it...and it wasn't like they were closed because the gate was open. They close for 45 minutes mid-morning to switch from breakfast to lunch and again mid-afternoon to prepare for shift change in the warehouse; in between scheduled breaks for the warehouse crew so there arent't too many people around to be getting food except for some of the office people, of which I am one. But every time I've gone in there on my way out there's usually at least one register person around stocking the fridges or other supplies or cleaning or whatever.

[blas]

Shhhhhh I've taken Sharpies home from the factory.....

[Becks]

I see.

Try paying for it on Monday. Explain the situation. I don't know how strict your place is about stuff like that, but where I work that can be a fireable offense. Just looking out for you.

Blas, when I was doing subassemblies back in the day, I'd permanently borrow () a roll or two of double sided tape. That stuff rocks.

[wolfie]

IMNSHO, the safest thing to have done would be take option #3 - leave a note under the full cup (pouring it out could be seen as vandalism or deliberate wastage) at the cash desk saying that you had gone in expecting to buy a soda but that after you had poured it you found that there was no cashier to accept payment.

The cafeteria would still have lost the soda, but there would have been no illicit action on your part. Removing a non-paid-for item is shoplifting, but merely pouring a self-serve soda on the assumption that someone would be at the cash desk to sell it to you is a normal thing to do.

[Boozy]

I wouldn't worry about it Bookstore Escapee...

Fountain sodas have a cost of about three cents to the company.

You could have left a note, etc etc etc....but seriously, no one's going to care.

[NightAngel]

I've grabbed a soda at work on a number of occasions and gotten busy while waiting for one of my co- workers to ring me up. Then after close, when things have died down and I can think again, realized I NEVER paid for it.

I just pay for 2 the next day when I get my drink. Because I do that my boss knows I'm honest because I admit my previous mistake and take care of it.

At least if you go back and explain and offer to pay then there won't be any question about it later. If you say nothing and someone saw you they could cause you trouble.

[Banrion]

I don't know how large your place is, or how strict your cafe is, but when I was in the call center, it was common practice for the cafe workers to "run a tab" if you were short on money, or if they didn't want to break a $20.00 for a salad and soda, due to being low on change, they would tell you to pay for it tomorrow. Even though the cafe was staffed and run by an outside company it was pretty casual, and we had a very solid staff, so they got to know people, and it wasn't a problem.

[AirHostess]

When I was a flight attendant, EVERYONE even the pursers took food and drink from the bar. Especially when the airline hadn't provided us with sufficient crew food and you had no change to buy the vastly overpriced passenger food.

[powerboy]

Fountain sodas have a cost of about three cents to the company.

but seriously, no one's going to care.

Yeah right. The gas station I go to, had to call the cops, because of someone coming in at night and stealing a fountain soda, for 2 nights in a row. I stopped by to grab a soda, for my lunch one day, and all of a sudden a couple of cops came in, and talked to the cashier about it, and she told them what happened.

[Broomjockey]

Fountain sodas have a cost of about three cents to the company.

That may be the cost, but a lot of places don't count by cost, but by selling price, which ups the count rediculously quickly. Especially at my first theatre. A stack of cups goes missing? $80 in one go.

So BSE, how'd it go?

[Boozy]

That may be the cost, but a lot of places don't count by cost, but by selling price, which ups the count rediculously quickly. Especially at my first theatre. A stack of cups goes missing? $80 in one go.

Yeah, that's basically how the law works for shoplifting in most cases. If I steal a Nintendo Wii, I get charged with whatever count covers the retail price, as opposed to the manufacturing cost. And that makes sense.

But I don't agree with the stack of empty cups scenario. Looks like your theatre was a fan of Enron accounting.

These companies can "count" however they want, as long as they realize that on the balance sheet and as far as insurance coverage goes, that stack of cups only cost them three or four bucks. They may fill those cups with soda and sell them in the future, but that hasn't happened yet. Claiming anything different is just funny math.

[justZu]

But I don't agree with the stack of empty cups scenario. Looks like your theatre was a fan of Enron accounting.

Its not just theaters, at the ballpark if I am short a sleeve of draft beer cups, then my stand is considered short $250($5 each x 50 cups). The ridiculous thing is we also have non-chargable cups - they are the exact same cups, but with a different design imprinted on them. They have no value at all. I could waste them all and it would not make a difference.

[BookstoreEscapee]

So BSE, how'd it go?

It's all good . Thanks everyone.

Our cafeteria is run by an outside company, too; but the time I was in there is normally a really dead time for them, since the majority of the employees in the warehouse are shift workers and have their breaks scheduled for them (at weird times like 11:42 and 12:17, too ); the day shift is 7-3:30 and I work 8-4:30 so there is pretty much no one on a break when I'm leaving and very few leaving at the same time, either (usually just me and the guy from my office, actually). So I guess they don't feel the need to be overly vigilant at that time of day.

I think I'm going to email their suggestion box and see if it's possible to bring refillable cups for drinks or even dishes for salads...you know, like Starbucks takes off 10 cents or whatever if you give them your own cup for your drink. Their cups are styrofoam and most of their dishes are, too...I hate throwing out all that every day. I would even pay the same; small soda is only 75 cents (BN "subsidizes" the cafeteria to keep the prices down for the employees - you can usually get a decent lunch for under 4 bucks). Only issue is that they weigh the salads so the type of plate you use could make a big difference...