I suspect an epidemic of cashier theft

I know that normally when one talks about scams one talks about customers trying to confuse cashiers.

That said, it happens. However, that's not what I wish to discuss, and I'd love to know if others are seeing it as well. I've asked on 4 other boards now and I'm getting a lot of confirmation from people about recent experiences.

When it first started happening to me I shrugged it off as mistakes. Now I think it is something else. I have had the very weird experience of it happening to me every time I've left the house for the last week or two. It's happened at the bank, the grocery store, the movies. Actually every place BUT the drug store.

Cashiers are short changing me, or saying I gave them a 10 when I gave them a 20, or a 1 when I gave them a 5. It's not all malicious, because sometimes the bill will STILL be in their hand or laying on top of the register and they really just act...well...stupid.

One friend said that there's been a rash of cashier's keying in that customers want cash back, and then pocketing it, knowing that most people don't check their receipts that well on cards.

I also had 2 bills that I paid, where I got receipts, and then it was not credited to my account. I've had to take the receipt in to prove that I paid. It's all making me feel a bit paranoid.

The other thing that has happened is I should have got a $1.50 Catalina at a grocery store. I saw it come out, and the cashier took it and put it beside the register. When I asked for it, she said nothing came out. They are not keyed to individual's cards, like the drug store rewards programs are. It made me a bit angry but I wasn't going to argue - but then a friend told me the same thing happened to her - and then I heard of someone else I know paying for her groceries with Catalina's that she got from a romantic interest who was a cashier. She said that her girlfriend was a cashier and that people often just leave the Catalinas or say they don't want them.

I can see how if you skim 1.00 and 3.00 Catalinas all day that belong to others that you could easily have enough to pay for a lot of groceries. If you have a Catalina missing, save your receipt and write the store and the Catalina folks.

So anyway, that's some of my experiences, and I'd love to hear if others are seeing the same sorts of things, and well, to just generally alert folks to watch their transactions like a hawk.

This is easy to do since you can short change people and if they notice all they have to do is apologize an say they miscounted and give them the correct change. I used to know someone who did this, never made more than 10$ in a single day though. Trick is to short the change and not the dollars even still its wrong but its change..

Now for the 16yo working the cashier working for mcdonalds gives me 10 a 5 an 5ones as change from a 20 because she is to busy laughing and talking with co workers. I happily take my money back, with a free meal.

I just caught an old timer at the gas station, doing a carny scam. There are two types of these worked with change though there are many types worked with currency.

Type 1:
The cheat solders coins together in a common set that has to do with a regular sale such as at a ticket booth. On the bottom they solder on a ring. This leaves a glob of change in their hand that doesn't fall into yours. But it looks like your change. Then they load a couple rolls of pennies into the till tray. They pretend to count the change but only add pennies to the coins on the ring. They then put the bills in your hand and turn the hand with the fake over on top after showing the glob to look like your change. If there is a line you wont count the change and just pocket it.

Type 2: Much sneakier, involves a steel ring plated with brass, or a brass ring with a magnet. They keep a magnetic or steel shimmed quarter in their pocket depending on the type of ring they use. They then do the same in giving change and each time they retain a quarter. In a high traffic till they may do 200 customers in a day. Thats $50 they pocket for a day, or an extra $1000 a month.

At the gas station the old man water falled the coins into my hand and I saw the magnetic quarter and reached out my other hand and swept it loose from the ring. He looked straight at me and turned red, but didnt say a word. I could tell he was mad I caught him and was walking away with a $12 gimmick quarter, but then again he was caught, so he couldnt say a word.

You are correct with the major companies not crediting internet payments. Caught that twice since Jan of this year as well. And no matter what you see while handling cash, be certain you stop and count it one more time before leaving. That is what they count on you not doing.

I've had the same problems with giant grocery stores. I've never had them try to short change me, but I have had multiple cashiers try to not give me the printed out coupons for dollars off my next shopping trip. The typical response I get from them is "they didn't think I would want it since no one uses them anyway".

reply to post by wiandiii


Yes, those are the Catalinas. If that happens, we should all be contacting the companies. CVS and Rite Aid tie theirs to shopper cards, but the catalinas can be used by anyone. Walgreen's, Kroger, and a lot of others use those, they just come out of a little machine beside the register. Would be nice if they came out beside the customer.

When you see some of these 'extreme couponers' paying 0 for a lot of food, a lot of times if you notice they are using the Catalinas. This person I know said a cashier gave her enough of them to buy her groceries with for a week. I don't buy that many people didn't want theirs.

One thing too I'd like to know- I had someone in front of me once not get some and they said they were out of ink. I went to a different register. So if they are out of ink or paper and do not print, do they print all at once when refilled? And, if so, who gets them then?