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At the drugstore we had an incentive program: if an employee saw another employee providing exemplary customer service, they would fill out a card identifying the employee in particular and a short description of what they witnessed. The card would then go into one of many plastic sleeves that were attached to a bulletin board located in the employee lounge. After a certain amount of time (I can't remember how long, perhaps every quarter) there would be a draw; whomever had their name pulled would win a prize.
On one of these cards was the following description:
"<name of employee>
For attacking that old man who was stealing rubbing alcohol."
The story behind this card began when I innocently aided and abetted a would-be thief, back when I was in the first of what would be my ten-month stint at the drugstore.
While in the midst of my usual task of stocking shelves (which I would do when I wasn't behind the cash register) a seemingly sweet old man approached me and very politely asked me where he could find the rubbing alcohol. Rather than verbally direct him, I walked him right through the aisle and to the shelf where they were stocked. He was asking me for a specific kind of rubbing alcohol, and I was more than happy to help him, even more so because he was so polite.
Well, fast forward to a few days later, when I see the card in question on the bulletin board, and ask another employee about it. Turns out that kindly old man had attempted to steal that rubbing alcohol, but had been stopped by the employee whose name was on the card. (Of course, she didn't ACTUALLY attack him - it was a big joke because she's in fact the sweetest, kindest person you could meet.) Apparently, he had taken the rubbing alcohol so he could DRINK it.
Now I'm not sure how they knew that he intended to drink it, as I doubt he volunteered this information. Perhaps they assumed he was going to do so because this drugstore seems to be a hotbed for homeless people and alcoholics stealing mouthwash.
And to think that *I* was the one who unknowingly helped him out! But if you're going to steal something, why would you draw attention to yourself by asking for help to find it?
On one of these cards was the following description:
"<name of employee>
For attacking that old man who was stealing rubbing alcohol."
The story behind this card began when I innocently aided and abetted a would-be thief, back when I was in the first of what would be my ten-month stint at the drugstore.
While in the midst of my usual task of stocking shelves (which I would do when I wasn't behind the cash register) a seemingly sweet old man approached me and very politely asked me where he could find the rubbing alcohol. Rather than verbally direct him, I walked him right through the aisle and to the shelf where they were stocked. He was asking me for a specific kind of rubbing alcohol, and I was more than happy to help him, even more so because he was so polite.
Well, fast forward to a few days later, when I see the card in question on the bulletin board, and ask another employee about it. Turns out that kindly old man had attempted to steal that rubbing alcohol, but had been stopped by the employee whose name was on the card. (Of course, she didn't ACTUALLY attack him - it was a big joke because she's in fact the sweetest, kindest person you could meet.) Apparently, he had taken the rubbing alcohol so he could DRINK it.
Now I'm not sure how they knew that he intended to drink it, as I doubt he volunteered this information. Perhaps they assumed he was going to do so because this drugstore seems to be a hotbed for homeless people and alcoholics stealing mouthwash.
And to think that *I* was the one who unknowingly helped him out! But if you're going to steal something, why would you draw attention to yourself by asking for help to find it?
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