Stealing
 

I am nearly 100% certain, that my very best and most productive hairdresser is stealing cash from the till.

I'm uncertain how to approach it, because she has a HUGE client base and brings in 70% of the business. When my partner and I bring up the subject of end of day takings and the fact that they dont balance, she tries to tell us that one of the girls must of rung up the till wrong.

I've know this lady for years, and her family, she's REALLY well paid.

:(

Eye in the sky...http://www.thespystore.com/

A security camera is definitely the way to go. The irrefutable proof will say it all.

Maybe if she's the manager you can set up a meeting to discuss the money missing from the till and impliment some new procedures - possibly only one cashier - although I know that's tough in a hair salon, but just let her know that you're not prepared to put up with it any longer, and the person will be caught and dismissed immediately.

Maybe she's got some financial issue which is her reason for stealing. I know that's not your concern from a professional standpoint, but good staff are hard to find. Perhaps if you have that convo with her, she might own up and let you help her, if you feel so inclined.

Oooh...something I just thought of too. My hairdresser found that one of her best hairdressers was not even ringing up most of her customers that paid by cash. Just be very thorough in your investigations. The rabbit hole could be a lot deeper than you even suspect.

Hey wait a minute - I thought you worked at a car dealership? Where did this salon come from?

Mixed business. Couple comes in, she gets her hair done, he gets a new V8, they both leave happy. There are computer games for the kids.
Don't you have that there?

lol, uh no.

I am at the car dealership.

I am just a partner in a hair salon. Girl cant sit idle on her arse you know.

Ali, she doesnt have any financial problems. She lives with her sister, has an investment home that wipes its own nose, owns her car (which I think the salon has paid for) and has no drug problems :) I think she does it because she can, or she has some sort of *ism* or *mania*.

She's not the manager, my partner manages the salon, but she is the head technician and is very popular. If I sack her, she can work into any dozen salons locally and with her goes a HUGE chunk of the income.

J (Partner) is putting pressure on them regarding the till balancing, and tightening up a lot, but I am thinking a camera will be the go, because I want proof to discredit her around town if it comes to that.

Nasty? Possibly, but you have to reallise if someone else puts her on, we lose all her clients.

Well, some people just get jealous and take ownership of the money they bring into a salon, or any other business for that matter. They feel they aren't being rewarded for what they do and that the business would suffer if they weren't there. That's how they justify their actions, even if they're historically loyal and trustworthy people. Maybe she's disgruntled and is thinking about making a move anyway. Get the proof you need to avoid any slander suits and then put the word out around town. I'm sure some of her clients will consider her actions inapproriate too.

If she wants to justify it to herself, ahe will do. The why isn't your concern - all you have to do is make it too difficult for her.

If she is intent on stealing, she will leave you and go to a salon that it is easier to steal from. That's going to hit you hard, but if she's committed to stealing your only other option is to put up with it - not an option in my opinion.

So yes, tighten up procedures and get a camera. She will either go back to being an honest employee or leave. And in the mean time, make sure you keep an eye out for up and coming honest talent.

How would this conversation work?

The ideal situation would be if she stayed at the company but stopped stealing, right? Just make sure you make a big deal about installing the camera, and telling all the employees about it, etc. Convince her she'll be caught if she does it again.

I was thinking the same thing. When you install the camera, don't point fingers at anyone, that's bad for morale. Just explain how much money is being stolen and how seriously you take it. Make sure they know that you know.

Is there also a way to track that for each customer, you are getting money in the register? Or is the camera aimed at the whole store and not just the register? If the money never makes it near the register, a camera pointed at the register won't catch anything.

I'm thinkin that you put the camera in without anyone knowing - get some video on a tlvcr or whatever is most current these days. THEN have a meeting "show & tell" everyone about the camera you are now installing. This way she/they may stop on her/their own without a confrontation. It may also give her a chance to save face (if thats possible), yet you also have what you may need in the future should the need arise.

Yeah, if you do want to keep her, the camera is reasonable. I see why you need to keep her, as well. It kind of sucks though, that you have to turn into Big Brother as a way of calling her on her dishonesty.

My guess is a direct confrontation, no matter how diplomatically done, would just put her on the defensive and she'd leave anyway, probably out of embarrassment disguised as outrage.

Good luck to you, ducks.

Better to catch her red handed, press charges, discredit her, and make her fess up to how much she pilfered, and have her make restitution.

I wouldn't tip my hand, she'll just figure out a work around or will storm off in a huff and slander you for implying she had anything to do with it. (That's what she told me in her email at any rate.)

Buy the camera and let everyone know you are installing it. Any questions?... say your till balance has not been balancing correctly and your business insurance recommended (insisted?) on a camera installation in case customers were accessing the till when everyone was busy.

This points no fingers at any employees but will certainly keep them honest after the installation. Perhaps also check the appointment books, or implement a system to check and justify, to be sure the clients' money is going into the till.

*I worked for a grocery store before I married who had a closed-circuit camera 'filming' the cashier section of the store. It was fake. It was a camera housing with a small light (to indicate recording) that was plugged in to appear "on". Deterrent for the customers, since the employees knew about it. You don't have to let your employees know it is fake...
hh

Would you like me to strip search all the employees at the end of each day?:blush:

The problem with letting your employees know you are installing security cameras is that you are just telling them to figure out a new way to steal. It won't stop them from stealing and it won't suddenly make a dishonest person honest. One restaurant I worked at had a single cashier who made change for the waiters, any shortages were the responsibility of the cashier. Can you have all transactions flow through one person? Even still, you want to out the rat. IMO

Disclaimer: I don't operate a business.
My thoughts are that a security camera that is aimed at the shop register and door may reduce insurance premiums, and that would be a friendlier way to accomplish the monitoring you need to stop or prove stealing from the register. An alternative - and the reason for the disclaimer - wouldn't numbered receipt books serve to document the money that should go in the register? Each customer is given a statement to pass to the cashier, and you have a record of how much money should be in there and a way to track misdirected funds.

I still think installing the camera "on the sly" is the way to go - then let then know its there after you've got some good footage.

I think you should make her a partner in the business.

That's how the US government would handle it.

HA!

Duck,

I'm sure you have thought about the possibility that if you implement procedures to stop the missing cash flow, that you also inherent the possibility of your "fair haired child" leaving anyway - possibility due to the demise of her "extra" tip fund.

Several different ways to handle this situation. The camera idea is good. Limiting access to the til is good. Mentioning it to her without making her too paranoid is good.

It sucks when one of your best is possibly tipping the til. Good luck to you.

That's why having the camera installed beforehand and having video of her being "dishonest" would be beneficial to have. . . just in case.

You could hang her maggot dripping body from the sign outside, as a warning.

Hmm... do you think that might bother the customers? :confused:

You have to catch her and hang her out to dry. Perhaps even prosecute. Like the others said, she'll just find another way if she knows the camera is there -like ali's acquantance who just didn't ring up some cash sales.

Things kinda turned to shit this week....

We have a nail/wax lady at work, she doesnt work for us, but she rents space.

Anyway, the stealing bitch (SB) was making noise to her clients and to the nail lady that *someone* was stealing and we were *onto it*. Nail lady decided to take it upon herself to be our eyes as her desk is positioned perfectly to see all.

She and another of our senior cutters saw SB take money from the till, so nail lady tells my partner and we implement some changes (take excess cash from the till, limit her exposure and opportunity etc) and I order a nanny cam thingie.

SB and nail lady have been friends forever, and SB asks nail lady whats up, since she has been getting the cold treatment for a couple of days. Nail lady walks SB outside and says, "you know whats fucking wrong, youre disgusting, you should be ashamed of yourself".

The younger girls ask what went on and are giving some bs story from SB about how nail lady accused her of stealing from the till, when she was really replacing a $5 note that she had to put in earlier to make change.

This was yesterday, today, I spend the day in the shop and SB hasnt spoken to anybody....SB actually made a point of saying (to a client, so I could hear) that she would be handing in her notice, as she thought it was *rude* that people were accusing her of stealing. She hates the changes that have been made...(the only change made is my partner is the only one that really handles the money)...and that she cant work like this any longer.

She's gonna walk, but her clients can be replaced and we have realised that a lot of them are relatives who dont pay a hell of a lot anyways.

*sigh* give me 11 blokes to work with any.day.

I just tell them to fuck off and throw staplers and things are all good.

Get a couple of thuggish guys from work to AT LEAST scare the piss out of her, if not kick her in the nuts.

Really, if I weren't concerned about keeping my carbon footprint trim I'd hop on a flight to Oz and do it for you.

I'm ser.

It's not because she's a woman Ducks. You're a woman and you're no trouble (I think). It's because she's a disloyal, sticky fingered, amoral cunt.

Don't worry. Karma knows.

Ducks, we know why you really want us to "give you 11 blokes".

That'd last you almost two weeks.

Seriously, just make sure you get your side of the story out into the towns gossip channels before she does. And keep following it up.

And don't forget to mention that she has VD

I'm tempted to kick her in the cunt

You could start the rumour that she practices hairstyles on her own pubes

Meh, that would probably get her more clients around here

ah.

you know, if you kick her in the cunt, you'll probably have to replace those shoes with a nice new pair..... seems like the best answer all round.

That moster... always thinkin'....

Tell that skanky thief she needs to go immediately--sounds like she's very manipulative and poisonous. You don't need that crap, Ducks.

(waves hi! @ fellow stapler-thrower. 'cept I never throw them at people. that would be rude!)

good riddance to bad rubbish. You should fire her before she quits.

Oh, I throw them at the guys I work with...they deserve it!

I went down to fire her, but she quit.

hehe...the shopping centre gossip asked me what was going on....I felt it was my duty to inform her :)

Now, are you going to de-escalate the "security measures"? You don't want to punish the rest of the (innocent) crew, now that the bad apple is gone.

I wouldn't - consider it preventative measure for the future.

Surveillance without cause is a step towards 1984. Oh, and it's bad for morale.

:stickpoke

Its for their own protection. If you aren't doing anything wrong whats the issue? What if they got robbed? It'd be nice to have video of it.

:rolleyes:

??? I believe there were concerns of other employees potentially stealing as well. Why not have a security system just like convenience stores, department stores, dollar stores, banks and ......???

I must be really dense here Pie - Whats your point?

Nevermind, classic. I should remember never to poke the conservatives.

It's funny, because we're seen as far to the left of America, but I see nothing wrong with having cctv in a store where one of the employees is suspecting of stealing.

Surely it would be more of a travesty if all the employees came under suspicion because of the actions of one?

Good point SG - upon that we agree.

Pie - I'm a moderate, thanks and honestly I still have no idea what the hell you are talking about. Whats the downside to monitoring your own business?

Apparently, Pie == Pollyanna, since I would like to live in a world with as little surveillance as possible.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

Oh, come on Pie. Don't give up that quickly!

The default should be no surveillance cameras unless there is a reason. Duck's reason for a camera just quit. So a camera isn't needed.

Does she have a right to put a camera in her private business? Yes. Of course. But it will be bad for morale. A good boss takes things like morale into consideration when making decisions. Her remaining employees are honest. Why should she videotape them? Would you, classicman, like it if your boss pointed a video camera at your desk to videotape you while you work? I can't answer that for you, but I can say that I would hate it if my boss did that to me. I'd probably start looking for another job.

I don't think she should video tape her employees, but taping her cash register makes tons of sense.

Really though, noone ever watches the tapes anyway,unless there's a reason to. Like the situation she just went thru. The after-the-fact taping didn't help at all did it?

I would think that a business where virtually, if not all of the employees are women would feel safer knowing there is a camera there as a deterrent to crime.

I thought this thread was about embezzling money, not the rash of gang rapes in Australian beauty salons. But if this is a high crime area, then pointing a camera at the door is appropriate.

I think the surveillance system can have many beneficial outcomes and be used to protect both the employer AND the employees. BTW wasn't there a conversation with a nail woman who was implicating another employee at some point? maybe I misread that.

The camera was instituted to catch a thief in the act. To pretend that it is now for the other employees' safety is disingenuous, at best.

Fear of being caught on tape is rarely a deterrent to Australian Beauty Salon Gang Rapists. There've been studies.