Gas Station Clerk Fired After Being Robbed

[yizuman]

http://www.kmbc.com/news/16206997/detail.html

Best quote of the article:

"So, basically, I got fired because a billion-dollar company loses $200," Nick said.

I hate asshole companies like that!

[Gothicsmurf]

What a crock of st. I can understand not wanting them to have more than $50 in the register at all times, but he's right. If you have a rush of customers at say 5 pm and 3 of them get a full tank the till is going to be totally over. And it's NOT reasonable or possible to stop and drop after every single person.

Glad to know that this person's life was potentially worth the $50 rule.

[Dreamstalker]

Yup, not reasonable to expect or possible to make a drop after each big bill, especially if there was a rush.

Aren't most cashiers told to not get into confrontations especially if the perp is armed?

[Shangri-laschild]

That really does suck for him that he got fired, but they did have a policy that was probably stated many times and he didn't follow it. They probably could have done something a bit lighter than fire him and while sometimes you do get busy, he was already 50 over before that lady came in. It does suck for him, but they were well within their rights when he broke policy.

[blas]

I feel for the guy. At the gas station I worked at, we were supposed to be doing frequent "drops" when the till got too full, but on days where gas went up or especially during festivals and fairs and large tourist attractions, it'd be so non stop busy and it's NEVER a good idea to be counting large amounts of money when customers are around. Sometimes I had no choice but to let it get higher and higher until I had a quiet point where I could do a "drop".

[csever01]

It does suck for him, but they were well within their rights when he broke policy.

While they were within their rights technically, they still were pretty sucky about it. Think about it - had they not been robbed, would he have even been fired? If the answer is "yes," then that's fine. In other words, they'd better be prepared to fire ANYONE not keeping their register under $50 at all times ON THE SPOT like that, or they could end up with legal trouble. I seriously doubt that they've fired everyone they've ever caught with more than $50 in their register. The robbery is probably the only reason they even knew about it.

[Shangri-laschild]

While they were within their rights technically, they still were pretty sucky about it.

No I agree that it was harsh to fire him instead of doing something like a suspension or something.

[Parrothead]

Well, that's a crock of rancid yak butter!

[tropicsgoddess]

What a bunch of bullshit.

[marasbaras]

With the price of gas these days, it is not unreasonable to expect to be able to go to a gas station and pay with a $100 bill. $50 max in the till is just moronic.

Sorry, I don't care about the robbery aspect. It's infrequent and usually covered by insurance (I'm sure this corp is simply out the time it took to file the claim).

[Reyneth]

With the price of gas these days, it is not unreasonable to expect to be able to go to a gas station and pay with a $100 bill. $50 max in the till is just moronic.

ITA. I have a small tank and I'm edging towards that $50 amount. Granted I normally pay at the pump, but there's been times I've reserved a $50 bill specifically to pay gas. I wonder statistically how often during the day the cashiers would have to drop money at the company.

[draggar]

With the price of gas these days, it is not unreasonable to expect to be able to go to a gas station and pay with a $100 bill. $50 max in the till is just moronic.

I filled up my work van yesterday and it was over $100.

I think the attendant has a good case for one hell of a lawsuit.

ITA. I have a small tank and I'm edging towards that $50 amount. Granted I normally pay at the pump, but there's been times I've reserved a $50 bill specifically to pay gas. I wonder statistically how often during the day the cashiers would have to drop money at the company.

If it was here, considering the number of people with large work vans at my gas station (and I see them all go inside to pay for the gas) I guess after every customer.

Its safe to say that most fillups now are $50+.My wife's van is about $60-$70.

[Arcade Man D]

That really does suck for him that he got fired, but they did have a policy that was probably stated many times and he didn't follow it. They probably could have done something a bit lighter than fire him and while sometimes you do get busy, he was already 50 over before that lady came in. It does suck for him, but they were well within their rights when he broke policy.

Except for the fact that he was *in the middle* of a drop when he was robbed. He *was* doing his job and doing the drop, but the timing was bad.

[Shangri-laschild]

Except for the fact that he was *in the middle* of a drop when he was robbed. He *was* doing his job and doing the drop, but the timing was bad.

I think the fact that he was in the middle of a drop should count in his favor but my point was that I believe he said he had just gotten 2 fifties. He would have already had 50 over what he was supposed to in his drawer at this point. Now if this was something they hadn't had any trouble with him about, then no I don't really see why he should have been fired. This also could have been a "you've been written up 5 times about this and we told you you would be fired the next time" sort of thing. We don't know. I'm not saying firing him wasn't probably overkill.

[JenCdn]

I'm probably gonna get slammed hard for my opinion on this one, but here goes anyway...

I agree that $50 in the till is a little stern for a gas bar especially with the way gas prices are now. Firing the guy is probably over the top too, when you just look at the basics. Buddy got robbed! That should be enough consequence for him - except, I disagree. He's put the whole store in jeopardy of being robbed again, and again.

Regardless if it's unreasonable to expect drops to be made constantly, it's company policy and that made it his job to do.

I disagree that dropping every $20 bill or $50 bill is unrealistic or not possible after every customer. Most tills are computerized these days, it only takes about 20 seconds (if that) at my store. Doesn't take any longer than buying a roll of quarters or dimes from the safe.


Anyhow, we have only his side of the story. The idea that maybe dropping large amounts of cash has been a problem in this store (either from this employee or the whole crew) probably has weight.

BTW, I've worked for the same convenience store chain for 14 years. I've worked in stores that got robbed once a month like clock work. I've done the midnight shift, alone, for 3 years in a row. I have never, never been robbed. And I attribute that to the fact that I follow my company's robbery prevention policy. And yes, now that I'm a manager, if I find more than the allowable amount in your drawer, I will write you up and fire you if the problem persists.

Just my two cents, off the soap box now...be kind guys