I know most won't believe this, but recently I might have accidentally stolen some money from work. I sort of got caught at the time, but at the same time didn't, nothing has been said, but I'm aware the boss is investigating what happened. I'm not so bothered as I know I'm only guilty of miscounting a handful of coins. However what can the outcomes of this be? Should my boss label me as a thief? I really wish to avoid that as it isn't the case.

"Got caught at the time"? "Accidentally stole some money"?

Please explain how this happened. The Truth. We can't advise you unless we know what actually happened.

Well I went on a night out and got home about 6am. I went to work at about midday tired to say the least, all my change from the night out was in my pocket so I changed it up in the till at work (everyone does it,never any problems) when the manager served someone he noticed some notes missing, and recounted the till. He asked me to put the notes back in as that's all we had, so I did. Once I put the notes in the till was up £1.50 which confused us both, he since asked me not to come into work, and I know what I've done, I miscounted that's all.

How much was represented by the notes you put back?

The till was UP -- meaning "to the good"? Or it was SHORT some money?

If this money exchange is common behavior among employees, why not just "pay back" the till (as you did)? Why is the boss so upset?

I put back in 10, representing a miscount of 8.50 along the line somewhere? Which means some of my own money is still in the till, yet he suspects me for theft? It's all very confusing and quite stressful, he has explained to me what's happening via a Facebook message and just said he will be in touch. I know if he checks the cameras he will see me putting money in first, then taking money out.

How long have you worked there? Do you have a good reputation?

Good reputation, and about 18 months. I recently stepped down from a management position as the company isn't a greatly managed one!

I'm a bit confused. So you put your own money in the till, made change, and then the till was up $1.50? In other words, you gave them an extra $1.50? Is that right?

If this is common practice it must be sanctioned by the boss. Is it? If it is, and it's known to all that it's okay, then I don't see the problem. It's only a problem if it's not sanctioned by the boss.

Also, if it's not a greatly managed company, why did you step down from a management position where you could have made a difference in how it's run?

It's a large company so a management position there still leaves you a minuscule fish in a vast ocean! I changed up my money, the manager asked where the notes was, I told him I changed my own money, then put the notes I changed up back in the till, and the till was £1.50 up, I'm still confused he hasn't explained very much. But I think the till was 8.50 down in the end. This is all I've been told and haven't been informed about what's happening now, except he is reviewing the cctv

Does he know you were out all night and very tired that day?

I haven't had the opportunity to speak to him, I think Facebook messages are inappropriate. And he doesn't answer my calls. I'm embarrassed to go there in case he accuses me of something I am unintentionally guilty for! I feel so bad and confused

Maybe going there would show that you care, that this is important. Or just wait for his cctv report. Is he a "good guy"?

Yea we generally get on, but his hours increased when I removed myself from position, so he has been a bit off recently. I feel it's a lot of drama over something so small

Theft is theft I know, but it was an honest mistake and I'm dead against it. He knows this, we're talking like £3-£10 but we always have variances similar to that

I haven't had the opportunity to speak to him, I think Facebook messages are inappropriate. And he doesn't answer my calls. I'm embarrassed to go there in case he accuses me of something I am unintentionally guilty for! I feel so bad and confused

Have you told him what happened? Have you told him what you did?

I admitted straight after it happened I could well have made a mistake, but I haven't had a sit down chat with him yet to explain my side

I don't think you could have been more obscure about the coins you put in and the notes you took out if you planned it for days.
How much was your count of coins? (You took out 10 pounds in notes. That means you counted 10 pounds in coins? Exactly? Really? Sounds like a lot of coins from one night out.)
How many notes added up to 10 pounds, that you took out and put back in?

If the till was up 1.50 with your coins and the notes put back in, then that means you took 10 pounds and only put 1.50 in coins in!! Not much of a 'mistake.' You just decided you wanted the extra 8.50 pounds!! That's a lot.

I admitted straight after it happened I could well have made a mistake, but I haven't had a sit down chat with him yet to explain my side

Mistakes happen. You said that at first your till was up $1.50, but at the end it as down? How did that happen? Or did I read that wrong?

If it's common practice to change out your till with your own money, then there should be no problem. But, if it's only common practice because the employees have decided it's okay, even though management hasn't condoned it, you could be charged, or at the very least, fired.

So it really all depends on what's allowed, actually allowed, where you work. Not allowed because the employees decided it was okay to do. Do you see what I'm saying?

Bottom line, you took money from the register. Yes, you replaced it with your own money, and you made a mistake. Now you may have to pay for that mistake. It's obvious that this wasn't okay because they're not allowing you back to work, and they're investigating. If it's a common practice to exchange money, take it out of the till and replace it with your own, then this wouldn't be a big deal. Seems like they're making it a big deal.

PLEASE LOOK at my response above, everybody. HE PUT IN 1.50. HE TOOK OUT 10. THE END. All the rest about the till being up or down and how he put more back in than he owed is smoke and mirrors.

PLEASE LOOK at my response above, everybody. HE PUT IN 1.50. HE TOOK OUT 10. THE END. All the rest about the till being up or down and how he put more back in than he owed is smoke and mirrors.

Good point Joy. I read it as him putting in ten and then somehow miscounting and the till ended up with $1.50 extra. But, at the end of his shift the till was suddenly low.

It seems we're dealing with a lot of smoke and mirrors here.

I, for one, would like a step by step explanation from the poster.

Joypuly, that's incorrect, I'm having trouble explaining it. I took x amount of coins and x amount of notes to work. I changed up x amount of coins into notes, and my small x amount of notes into bigger notes. When the manager checked the till it was 1.50 up, after I had put back in what I believed to have taken out. If I didn't put the notes back in the till would have finished £10 down if I've worked it out properly, so I would have taken an extra 10. Or, I counted 8.50 as £10 somehow? Hence the confusion to what I've done, which is why I also wish to see the cctv

So if I hadn't put what I believed to have taken out back in, the till would be down, and not up. As I put the notes in instantly, the till ended up being up.

This is the first time you mention changing notes into notes, as well as coins into notes.
It sounds like this all happened the same day. You would have remembered the amounts. To NOT remember the amounts means a cavalier attitude. Either way, your story loses, in my book.

I wouldn't put much faith in the cctv. Not easy to see what went on.

Are you the only one that uses that register? Is it shared by others, or are you the only one, and therefore responsible for any shortage in the registerl?

Why didn't you count the register before you started taking money out and putting money in? That's how it should be done.

When I worked retail we had a $100 float in the register. At the beginning of each shift we counted the register. If it was short the $100 float, or over $100 float, we reported it to the manager immediately. That way the manager knew the register total before the end of the shift, and we couldn't be held responsible for any discrepancy.

What you're saying doesn't make sense. You're saying that you changed out an unknown amount of coins, and an unknown amount of bills equaling what you believe to be $10, so you added $10 in unknown bills and coins, and took out $10 in unknown bills and coins. When the manager checked, you were $1.50 up. Then you say that if you hadn't put in $10 and taken out $10, the register would have been $10 short? Or you somehow only took out $8.50 when you put $10 in? What?

Then you say that at the end of your shift, the register was out money, not up? Is that right? If so, how did that happen?

This is just a mass of confusion. It doesn't help that you're not making a lot of sense when you tell your story.


Joypuly, that's incorrect, I'm having trouble explaining it. I took x amount of coins and x amount of notes to work. I changed up x amount of coins into notes, and my small x amount of notes into bigger notes. When the manager checked the till it was 1.50 up, after I had put back in what I believed to have taken out. If I didn't put the notes back in the till would have finished £10 down if I've worked it out properly, so I would have taken an extra 10. Or, I counted 8.50 as £10 somehow? Hence the confusion to what I've done, which is why I also wish to see the cctv

So if I hadn't put what I believed to have taken out back in, the till would be down, and not up. As I put the notes in instantly, the till ended up being up.

I have to say, if you're having trouble explaining this to a group of people that aren't responsible for your job, or whether you're charged, then how do you hope to explain it to your boss, or his boss?

You better get your story straight before you talk to anyone, because right now you're not making any sense at all.

The way I read it he took out 10. We don't know what he put in since he hasn't said. He did say that he was asked to put the Notes back and after he did the till was up 1.50. Doing the math it would indicate he put in 1.50 and took out 10.

The way I read it he took out 10. We don't know what he put in since he hasn't said. He did say that he was asked to put the Notes back and after he did the till was up 1.50. Doing the math it would indicate he put in 1.50 and took out 10.

I read it differently, but your post makes more sense than what he's posted.

So, if your version is right, he stole $8.50.

I'd still like my questions answered though.

1. What's the float in the register?

2. Did he count the register total before he started taking money out and putting money in, out of his pocket?

3. Does he share the register with anyone, or is he solely responsible for that register?

I worked in retail, recently. We had a float of $100 and before each shift we are responsible to count the money in case those that counted out the registers at the end of shift the night before, screwed up.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times the register was short when I counted it at the beginning of my shift. I'm not talking a few pennies, I'm talking $20 out, a register count of $80, that should have been $100. If I hadn't counted my register and reported the discrepancy, I'd have been on the hook for that missing $20. Money I didn't take. Money that wasn't there to begin with.

It's a crap system. Counting the register, documenting everything, is the only way to make sure you're not charged with something you didn't do.

I'm not saying that the poster wasn't at fault here. Sounds like he was. But, it also doesn't sound like he meant to steal. Sounds like he made a mistake, a pretty big one. He shouldn't be fired for that, or worse, go to court for that.

So I'd like answers to my questions, because I've been there, out $20 on a register that should have been at $100 but was at $80 when I came to work. And our work place had a strict policy about sharing registers. It's not allowed. But that didn't stop it from happening. If you're on lunch, or a coffee break, and it's busy, someone can hop onto your register, no questions asked, even though it's against the rules. Then, at the end of your shift, if you're short, it's your fault. Doesn't matter that other people accessed your register.

That's why I quit! No control, even though there were rules, rules that were never followed!

Right I'm still confused as to what happened, maybe this will clarify.

I've gone to work with a pocket full of change, and a pocket full of notes.

The register is shared and had been used before I arrived at work.
I had (what I believe to be £15 in coins this is where I may have miscounted) I changed it in to 1, £10 note and 1 £5 note. There was only 1 ten and 1 5 note in the till. My manager went to use the till and asked me and another colleague why there was no notes in there, I told him I changed my money up and replaced the notes with coins. He said that now he has to 're float the till' I'm not sure why he needed to do this, I told him I would put the notes back in as that's all we had in the building, leave the change there and I'll take the £15 when we have more notes. He gave me £5 in coins and said take the 10 later.

5 minutes later he comes out of the office and said the till is £1.50 up (theoretically should be £10 up, as I already have 5 of my 15.
I like to think I'm good at maths and couldn't have miscounted £8.50?
I ended up going home, convinced I was out of pocket to get a message saying don't come in for your shift tomorrow I have some concerns I want to talk to you about?

I'm just worried because of the lack of information he has given me, am I suspended? The shift he asked me not to come in for was my last one before I go on holiday for 6 weeks. So now I'm not at work until the start of May (if I even have a job)

There is no set float in the register its whatever's in there from previous day

But to count 8/9 out of 15 wrong seems like I should be back at school with that math, I know I'm innocent, is it a case of me proving my innocence or them proving my guilt? (If this is what they think?)

Okay. Making sense now. BUT --

Why would you strip the register of the only notes in it? Isn't it important to have notes available for customers? (What kind of business is it?)

Hospitality, were very very quiet on Mondays, our locals always come in around 1.30 PM and pay in £5 notes the majority of the time, by quiet I mean I won't serve anyone from 11-1.30 majority of the time, and we're a large pub, we always have more notes in the safe, this is the first time we apparently haven't. (I don't have access to the safe since I stepped down), we do get some restaurant trade around mid-day but that's all done on a different terminal.

NO, it is NOT making more sense now! In fact his story changes each time. Even contradictions within this latest one.
And I already said what ScottGem followed me with.
This is an attempt to see how many of us can be strung along.

I had (what I believe to be £15 in coins

Sorry, but this is a matter of accuracy not belief. You should have counted the coins, preferably with a witness, before you exchanged with the till. Nor should you have done so if it meant stripping the till of notes.

I would go to the manager and tell him that you must have made a mistake counting the coins and apologize.

Sure. 'Handful of' coins becomes 10 pounds in coins, then 10 pounds in notes and coins, then 15 pounds in coins.
Never mind that that is a lot.
Someone who was offered a promotion can't be that confused, casual, and cavalier about accuracy.

You believe, and you think, but you don't know? If you're going to exchange money from pocket to register you can't think and believe, you have to know.

Going to play devil's advocate here. I've worked in retail, and we don't share registers for the very reason that if money goes missing, who knows who took it, or who made a mistake?

You obviously made a huge mistake, but can they prove it was you? Sadly they know that you exchanged money from the register, so they have someone to blame, and that's you.

I'm shocked that this is even allowed. Most stores won't allow employs to exchange money from pocket to register. Those that do, require that someone be there to witness and document the money being exchanged, to make sure that there's no theft, and that the proper amount is being exchanged.

This was a very bad idea. I wouldn't be surprised if you lost your job over this. I would talk to your boss and apologize, explain that it was a mistake on your part, and then hope that you still have a job in May.

Good luck.

You don't "accidentally" steal from your employer. You may have miscounted the amount in which you put in the drawer as compared to what you took out, but you don't accidentally steal. Stealing means it was done purposefully.

If you accidentally miscounted, you come clean and discuss this face to face with your employer and beg his/her mercy. However, your wording here, i.e. "Accidentally" stole speaks volumes in that you did this on purpose and are now backtracking trying to make it look like an accident.

You know full well that the drawer needs notes to keep it afloat, yet you admit to deduct notes in exchange for coins.

I'm sorry, but there are too many inconsistencies in your story to lead me to believe this was an accident. You did this on purpose and now you are trying to get us to assist you in formulating an excuse for you.

I've owned my own business, I've heard all of the excuses. Yours doesn't hold water.

He asked me to put the notes back in as that's all we had,
...
Joypuly, that's incorrect, I'm having trouble explaining it. I took x amount of coins and x amount of notes to work. I changed up x amount of coins into notes, and my small x amount of notes into bigger notes. .

First you say there were no notes and now you are saying changed notes into bigger notes. Your story keeps changing as we point out the inconsistencies. Whiche makes your creditability suffer.

Bottom line here is you miscounted (deliberately or accidentally) the amount you put in the till and took out an amount higher than you put in. So that when put back the larger note you removed, the till now had an overage.

At best is you got yourself in a pickle for sure by not doing your due diligence, and got sent home for it, and you have your "vacation" time to worry about it. Pretty appropriate for the sloppy way you handled your responsibility. At worst you will be dismissed, but instead of just stewing in your own juice, you should have a talk with your boss in the coming days to find out where he stands... and where YOU stand.