Customer short changed me

[chb119]

Originally Posted by Grace84

At work a customer short changed me today as he kept pulling cash out from his different pockets which is a distraction technique and then when I counted the money he kept picking up cash and taking some out. Unfortunately when he had gone the finance department realised there was a short change. This customer has tried this before but I did not allow this to happen and he has tried to do this to other colleagues.

I told my manager twice she can check my bag and CCTV and she said she does not need to as she knows I would not do this and knows how intimidating this customer is. The management team are going to look at a plan on how to deal with this for the future. Whilst my colleagues have supported me I feel like a fool that I allowed someone to do this and that this incident could jeopardise a job that I was going to apply for there. The incident shook me and left me feeling upset but I did not cry. I don't understand why people scam like this. Does anyone have any tips so I can prevent this sc*m from trying this again.

First, you work in retail, if something like this, or a person like this shakes you, you are probably in the wrong industry, either grow a thicker skin, or look for a new job.

As for the scam, slow it down, work at your pace, keep a distance between you and the customer, so they can not put down and pick up the cash. Once it is down you pick it up and hold it till you place it in the drawer. If they ask for something back hand all the cash back, and start the count all over again, once they see this is going to be a hassle, they will just give up and move on.

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by Grace84

Does anyone have any tips so I can prevent this sc*m from trying this again.

Why did you type "sc*m"? It's a scam. There's nothing wrong with saying that. And as for what you can do about it, refuse to play along. If someone starts playing these games, tell them to stop. Say, "I need to finish this transaction before you start another." If they're "intimidating", call your supervisor or the police. All you have to do is say no.

[191185]

Where do you work ? and where was the CEO in all of this ?!

[Mr_Geek]

I thought only employees can short change a customer not the other way around? You simply didn't collect enough money and let them get away with it.

[lvmensch]

Many years ago I worked as a fill-in at a very busy little supermarket in Queens. I had picked up the task as a high school kid on LI and was pretty experienced. I was packing for the checker next to me in a slow period when a guy came up and started the cash shuffle. I had seen it before in a briefing at a Grand Union store and realized what it was. And he was good. I knew what he was doing and still could not follow. So I dumped a big stack of bags on to the merchandise and money. The other checker though I had lost my mind. He was not surprised and acted indignant at the clumsiness but immediately stopped the shuffle.
The other checker did not really beiieve she was being conned but the manager sure did.
I would think that every cashier who works in a heavy flow environment gets conned once in a while.
I would also point out that a "store checkers" was also a rumored feature of the industry. Never knew for sure but some of the seniors were rumored to be...basically you double ring an item in the middle of a customers stuff. Practically impossible to detect in those days and probably still hard now. Does not take many such transactions to make a store highly profitable.

[jayguy01]

Tips to keep this from happening again? Know how to count money. If the total is $17.83, you collect $17.83. Having worked in retail years and years ago, it's pretty fool-proof. You take the money from the customer that equals the total of their purchase. Why were you allowing him to pick up and take away money that you had? He hands you money, you take it, count it. If he's short, you tell him, while holding onto the money he's already given you. If he gives you too much, you give him back change. If he tries to take any amount of money from you, give everything back to him and start over. The people who get away with things like this target the cashier they're going swindle. You were targeted, for one reason or another.

[lvmensch]

Let me again point out that some of these guys are so good that any busy cashier has not q chance. And they can often do pretty good sleight of hand so they make bills vanish. You count 4 twenties into the guys hand and he says you are one short and gives you back the pile and there are only 3 twenties.

And the bill shuffles seldom require even that. As I said at that point I was about as good as a cashier gets, but I was not the cashier involved so just watching and a lot more aware than most. I was an undergraduate in engineering school and knew the con was going down and had to physically intervene to stop it.

Even the Disneyland plush store which used to run without the use of the registers could not entirely stop it.

[Kophi]

A few things I do to reduce the chances of being short-changed:

1. When I count the money given to me, it's out of reach of the
customer.

2. Sometimes I won't put the money they've given me into the register
but rather place it on the counter over the register drawer until the
transaction is complete. This way, they can't object to the change I've
given them by saying "But I gave you a 20, not a 10", or whatnot. I
can pick up what they've given me and show them.

3. Once I've entered the amount they've given me into the computer,
they get the change that's on the screen. I do not take additional
change after that point. This is one technique quick-change artists
use to confuse the cashier, so I don't play along even if it's not being
done with ill intent.


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