Quick Changing

[casey13]

SVC = Service Coordinator

So I am helping with cash pickups and we do the first lane. The person touching the money (SVC) pulled the money so that there were only two twenties left in the drawer. Then we went to the lane right next to her when the cashier called the SVC back because the customer was claiming the cashier had shorted her a twenty. Her change was about 57 and some odd change. She was showing how she only had one twenty.

Well, the SVC called the loss prevention to review tapes and they searched around the bag racks to see if she had dropped. Meanwhile, she is touching the SVC on the arm and calling her sweetie. This is bugging the SVC, but she doesn't say anything. Then the customer asks if she can return the items and just get her 100 back. The SVC says that she can return the items at the service desk and that they are reviewing the tapes about the missing twenty. The lady then thanks the SVC, tells her how important the change is, and then leaves.

The tape supposedly showed that the lady stuck a twenty in her pocket because the cashier counted it back to the girl. She might have gotten away with it if we hadn't done a drawer pull right then.

[LillFilly]

Yep, sounds like a scam. It's only going to get worse for the holidays! Feel bad for people when there are no tapes to review though.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

It is a scam. And the swamp is always doing huddles and giving reminders about these delightful people because there seem to be boatloads of them in the area.

However, the people we deal with do it differently. They buy a small item like a pack of gum or a soda, pay with a large bill, and then try to get the cashier to give them change in different denominations, so the cashier doesn't know they're being ripped.

Policy is you never, ever make change at the registers. You shut your drawer and direct the person to the service desk.

[jackfaire]

Yeah also having a manager offer to count your till is a great way to have the person "suddenly" find the money you shorted them.

[Fryk]

I used to love doing that to scammers at McDonald's. That adversarial look on their face would melt into defeat right before my eyes, which put a sparkle in my soul!

[casey13]

If for some reason the cameras don't pick up the change or it's been awhile, they will count the drawer. She might have been trying to avoid it because she had a cash drop for the register in a lock box already. The girl did leave pretty quickly when she discovered that we have cameras right over the drawer and pointed at each lane.