Popeyes manager fired for refusing to pay back $400 taken in armed robbery

[FA_Q2]

Most places I know of have a limit of 50 bucks. That small.
We will not know about this specific store though – those are local policies.

One or two people easily can spend that much cash at a single time.

That is true. Doesn’t change anything though.
Most people don’t spend that much in cash because few people pay that way anymore.

 

[QuickHitCurepon]

Most places I know of have a limit of 50 bucks. That small.
We will not know about this specific store though – those are local policies.

One or two people easily can spend that much cash at a single time.

That is true. Doesn’t change anything though.
Most people don’t spend that much in cash because few people pay that way anymore.

I would think people are much more likely to use cash at a fast food restaurant. It has a better appearance when you go cheap.

 

[Gracie]

She was a shift manager, it was her responsibility to keep the registers below a certain money amount just because of a threat of robbery. Unlike you, I've done this very job, and when a general manager or owner came in, if the drawers were over, I would get a write up for not doing my job correctly.

$400 is not a lot of money. If it had been quite a bit more like $600 and a clear-cut violation of rules, they would have had a better case for a firing.

What was the limit of cash they were suppose to have in the registers and how much was she over that in previous violations? Were they all just petty violations?

Most places I know of have a limit of 50 bucks. That small.
We will not know about this specific store though – those are local policies.

I doubt that. Do you think that during busy spells they can empty the cash register every time $50 is hit? It's probably more like $200, enough to break a $100 bill and still have cash left for other transactions.

Every place I worked at, including my own two stores, was 200 in the till. No more, no less.

 

[Nutz]

Owner must be a teaper. They always have to blame someone else. But, who cares if he fired this 'manager'. It is a free marketplace. She can find another job if she was good at what she did. And if that Popeye's were to give her a negative reference...sue the hell out of them.

Either way, I love that chicken from Popeye's!

 

[Yurt]

you left out this part:

However, a spokesman in the company's human resources department said Holcomb was fired because she didn't follow company policy, leaving too much money in the cash register. And this wasn't her first offense.

LOL! What did you think they would say "Nice job you got there, be a shame if you lost it? Lets talk about that $400 smackeroos"

the truth? do you proof what they said is not true?

Do you have proof it is? Quite the conundrum

so you have no proof that she was fired for not giving back $400....quite the conundrum

 

[QuickHitCurepon]

Every place I worked at, including my own two stores, was 200 in the till. No more, no less.

So the real cost then would have been only $200 lost. They fired her for a mere $200.

 

[Anathema]

I doubt that. Do you think that during busy spells they can empty the cash register every time $50 is hit? It's probably more like $200, enough to break a $100 bill and still have cash left for other transactions.

The places I worked 20+ years ago started a drawer with $75 cash. During lulls we were expected to count the drawer and return it to between $75-100. We didn't accept anything larger than a $50 and those were to be turned over to be dropped ASAP.

 

[ClosedCaption]

you left out this part:

However, a spokesman in the company's human resources department said Holcomb was fired because she didn't follow company policy, leaving too much money in the cash register. And this wasn't her first offense.

LOL! What did you think they would say "Nice job you got there, be a shame if you lost it? Lets talk about that $400 smackeroos"

the truth? do you proof what they said is not true?

Do you have proof it is? Quite the conundrum

so you have no proof that she was fired for not giving back $400....quite the conundrum

We both dont have proof, but we both believe what we want. Weird huh>?

 

[Anathema]

So the real cost then would have been only $200 lost. They fired her for a mere $200.

In a non-robbery situation I'd fire any employee whose drawer was off $0.50 or more.

 

[EverCurious]

Yup. They fucked up on how they fired her, not why they fired her. Sigh. So if she goes back to work, she will again not do her job and dump the extra cash..which is an open invitation for another asshole to go rob them again.

Could you please explain how the robbers know in advance that she is not putting money in the safe as she is supposed to? And if they know ahead of time she is not putting money in the safe, to which she has no access, but leaving it in the cash drawer for easy access, why did the robber first ask her, at gunpoint, to open the safe? I mean seriously. Do you people think at all about this stuff? Think it out why don't you?

He has eyes?????

And how does he know how much is in the drawer? He has X-ray vision?

Pop, you just broke a major clue in the investigation --- Superman did it!

Are you really THAT ignorant?

Never mind, the answer is obvious.

That's all you got?
Can you walk into a Popeye's right now and tell me how much is in their drawer? From the outside?

You're on the wrong thinking lines Pogo. Crime prevention is a /globally/ common practice that have been in practice for ages, one of which these "preventions" is for businesses move cash from the registers to the vault and limit how much a thief can get robbing a store. Two things happen with this very common business policy; a) yes, the companies would not lose as much cash if a robber /doesn't/ know said globally common policy and robs the store anyway, and b) the robbers who /do/ know said globally common policy are less inclined to rob that business knowing that businesses do empty the registers.

Go look around locally for an example, many gas station convenience stores will have a sign somewhere that says something along the lines of "We never have more than $50 in the registers." This also serves two purposes, a) letting the robbers know the /most/ they're going get for their crime is $50 and thus making that store a less palatable hit, and b) letting customers know that the cashier isn't going to be able to break a big bill.

This stuff is literally business 101, I can only assume that people who don't know about it have never been a cashier, manager, or run any business that dealt with cash, or they worked for/were trained by "bad" manager/owners. Here's just a few links:

"A robbery prevention strategy can help you and your business reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim. Unlike burglary and theft, which are crimes against property, robbery is a crime against people. Robbery is a crime that puts you, your employees and your customers in physical danger. In the U.S. alone, a commercial robbery is committed every four minutes. That’s more than 100,000 robberies each year.

For your own safety and that of others, do not try to be a hero. Prevention strategies can be great deterrents to criminal behavior.

Follow These Robbery Prevention Tips:

[...]

• Utilize a safe with a drop mechanism that allows you to make periodic drops during the day to minimize the amount of cash in your registers.
• Always drop large bills immediately and publicize this to discourage potential robbers." ~ http://www.adt.com/business/robbery-prevention

"Keep Cash Register Money to a Minimum

• Place large bills in a drop safe or other secure device as soon as you get them.
• Ask customers if they have exact change or smaller bills. This will help you minimize the money in your register.

[...]

Checklist
Employee Training
1. Do you train employees in crime reduction procedures?
2. Do all your employees know how your security equipment functions?
[...]
Cash Handling Procedures
1. Are there drawer limits for cashiers?
2. Is a drop safe available?" ~ Robbery Prevention Tips Checklist -- Security Today


"

• Keep a low balance in the cash register.

• Place excess money in a safe or deposit it as soon as possible.

[...]
Handle cash carefully. Avoid making your business a tempting target for robbers. Keep the amount of cash in registers low. Drop all large bills right away. If a customer tries to pay with a large bill, politely ask if he or she has a smaller one. Explain that you keep very little cash on hand.

• Use only one register at night. Leave other registers empty and open. Tilt the register drawer to show there is no money in it.

[...]

• Make sure important signs stay posted. For example, the front door should bear signs that say, "Clerk Cannot Open the Time Lock Safe."

~ http://crime.about.com/od/prevent/qt/prevent_robbery.htm


"

• Keep a minimum amount of cash in the register. Close registers after each transaction. Lock registers when not attended.

• Put excess cash in a time-lock drop safe. Keep your safe locked when access is not required.

• Safes can be standing or mounted in floors or walls. Standing safes should be securely anchored to the floor. The back should be against a wall so it will not be accessible. Safes that are visible from outside the building should be well illuminated and have the front (locking side) turned away from the windows. Floor safes should be located where they can be concealed.

• Post signs saying that employees do not have access to the safe." ~ Business Robbery and Burglary Prevention San Diego Police Department

"Besides the beginning amount of cash in the register, determine a maximum amount. Pulling excess money from the cash drawer during a shift, sometimes called a 'cash drop', is good cash management that will reduce the amount of money on the sales floor." ~ How Much Money Should I Keep in the Cash Register


"However, many businesses instruct their cashiers to periodically deposit their cash in a company safe throughout the day and get a paper voucher to show the cash deposited. These daytime deposits minimize the cash held in the cash drawer in case the store is robbed.

After the cashier balances the cash register at the end of the day, the staff person in charge of cash deposits (usually the store manager or someone on the accounting or bookkeeping staff) takes all cash out except the amount that will be needed for the next day and deposits it in the bank." ~ Controlling Cash Register Transactions in Your Business - For Dummies

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

I doubt that. Do you think that during busy spells they can empty the cash register every time $50 is hit? It's probably more like $200, enough to break a $100 bill and still have cash left for other transactions.

The places I worked 20+ years ago started a drawer with $75 cash. During lulls we were expected to count the drawer and return it to between $75-100. We didn't accept anything larger than a $50 and those were to be turned over to be dropped ASAP.

Running multiple cash transactions on anything less than $200 is going to cause shortages very quickly. Do the math starting from $20 bills and working your way down to pennies and note these days that fast food restaurants have responded to the fact that customers don't like to hear they can't break a large bill.

 

[QuickHitCurepon]

If she had done it several times, then they are to blame for leaving her as manager. If they are lying that she had done it several times, then they are souless bastards who think $400 is worth more than a person's life.

Right, after a brutal robbery is absolutely not the time to fire her.

 

[Gracie]

• Use only one register at night. Leave other registers empty and open. Tilt the register drawer to show there is no money in it.

I did this everywhere I worked. Drawer open, tilted. No money in there.

When I managed a retail store on the busy waterfront, I had 200 in the till at all times. Both registers. I had a stash of 200 in smaller bills, hidden since they didn't have a drop box.
The other employees I managed made sure to count their drawers every hour but on super busy days like weekends...every half hour. 200 in drawer. Rest brought to me immediately. Once that collection got to 1k, I would head to the bank which was a few blocks up the street. I wanted to go at 500 bucks but sometimes I couldn't. So I would just hide it.

 

[Anathema]

Running multiple cash transactions on anything less than $200 is going to cause shortages very quickly. Do the math starting from $20 bills and working your way down to pennies and note these days that fast food restaurants have responded to the fact that customers don't like to hear they can't break a large bill.

The places I was working generally had 2-4 registers open at a time. It was also 20+ years ago when most people didn't walk around with $50 or $100 bills in their pocket.

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

Running multiple cash transactions on anything less than $200 is going to cause shortages very quickly. Do the math starting from $20 bills and working your way down to pennies and note these days that fast food restaurants have responded to the fact that customers don't like to hear they can't break a large bill.

The places I was working generally had 2-4 registers open at a time. It was also 20+ years ago when most people didn't walk around with $50 or $100 bills in their pocket.

I'm 40 years old. My experience working fast food is as ancient in days as yours.

 

[QuickHitCurepon]

If they are lying that she had done it several times, then they are souless bastards who think $400 is worth more than a person's life.

Are you saying that had she done her job and made her money drops she would have been killed?

It is possible. The gunman might have gotten frustrated at not getting much money and killed her.

 

[Gracie]

Every place I worked at, including my own two stores, was 200 in the till. No more, no less.

So the real cost then would have been only $200 lost. They fired her for a mere $200.

They fired her for not doing her job. Period.

 

[Pogo]

Could you please explain how the robbers know in advance that she is not putting money in the safe as she is supposed to? And if they know ahead of time she is not putting money in the safe, to which she has no access, but leaving it in the cash drawer for easy access, why did the robber first ask her, at gunpoint, to open the safe? I mean seriously. Do you people think at all about this stuff? Think it out why don't you?

He has eyes?????

And how does he know how much is in the drawer? He has X-ray vision?

Pop, you just broke a major clue in the investigation --- Superman did it!

Are you really THAT ignorant?

Never mind, the answer is obvious.

That's all you got?
Can you walk into a Popeye's right now and tell me how much is in their drawer? From the outside?

You're on the wrong thinking lines Pogo. Crime prevention is a /globally/ common practice that have been in practice for ages, one of which these "preventions" is for businesses move cash from the registers to the vault and limit how much a thief can get robbing a store. Two things happen with this very common business policy; a) yes, the companies would not lose as much cash if a robber /doesn't/ know said globally common policy and robs the store anyway, and b) the robbers who /do/ know said globally common policy are less inclined to rob that business knowing that businesses do empty the registers.

Go look around locally for an example, many gas station convenience stores will have a sign somewhere that says something along the lines of "We never have more than $50 in the registers." This also serves two purposes, a) letting the robbers know the /most/ they're going get for their crime is $50 and thus making that store a less palatable hit, and b) letting customers know that the cashier isn't going to be able to break a big bill.

This stuff is literally business 101, I can only assume that people who don't know about it have never been a cashier, manager, or run any business that dealt with cash, or they worked for/were trained by "bad" manager/owners. Here's just a few links:

"A robbery prevention strategy can help you and your business reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim. Unlike burglary and theft, which are crimes against property, robbery is a crime against people. Robbery is a crime that puts you, your employees and your customers in physical danger. In the U.S. alone, a commercial robbery is committed every four minutes. That’s more than 100,000 robberies each year.

For your own safety and that of others, do not try to be a hero. Prevention strategies can be great deterrents to criminal behavior.

Follow These Robbery Prevention Tips:

[...]

• Utilize a safe with a drop mechanism that allows you to make periodic drops during the day to minimize the amount of cash in your registers.
• Always drop large bills immediately and publicize this to discourage potential robbers." ~ http://www.adt.com/business/robbery-prevention

"Keep Cash Register Money to a Minimum

• Place large bills in a drop safe or other secure device as soon as you get them.
• Ask customers if they have exact change or smaller bills. This will help you minimize the money in your register.

[...]

Checklist
Employee Training
1. Do you train employees in crime reduction procedures?
2. Do all your employees know how your security equipment functions?
[...]
Cash Handling Procedures
1. Are there drawer limits for cashiers?
2. Is a drop safe available?" ~ Robbery Prevention Tips Checklist -- Security Today


"

• Keep a low balance in the cash register.

• Place excess money in a safe or deposit it as soon as possible.

[...]
Handle cash carefully. Avoid making your business a tempting target for robbers. Keep the amount of cash in registers low. Drop all large bills right away. If a customer tries to pay with a large bill, politely ask if he or she has a smaller one. Explain that you keep very little cash on hand.

• Use only one register at night. Leave other registers empty and open. Tilt the register drawer to show there is no money in it.

[...]

• Make sure important signs stay posted. For example, the front door should bear signs that say, "Clerk Cannot Open the Time Lock Safe."

~ http://crime.about.com/od/prevent/qt/prevent_robbery.htm


"

• Keep a minimum amount of cash in the register. Close registers after each transaction. Lock registers when not attended.

• Put excess cash in a time-lock drop safe. Keep your safe locked when access is not required.

• Safes can be standing or mounted in floors or walls. Standing safes should be securely anchored to the floor. The back should be against a wall so it will not be accessible. Safes that are visible from outside the building should be well illuminated and have the front (locking side) turned away from the windows. Floor safes should be located where they can be concealed.

• Post signs saying that employees do not have access to the safe." ~ Business Robbery and Burglary Prevention San Diego Police Department

"Besides the beginning amount of cash in the register, determine a maximum amount. Pulling excess money from the cash drawer during a shift, sometimes called a 'cash drop', is good cash management that will reduce the amount of money on the sales floor." ~ How Much Money Should I Keep in the Cash Register


"However, many businesses instruct their cashiers to periodically deposit their cash in a company safe throughout the day and get a paper voucher to show the cash deposited. These daytime deposits minimize the cash held in the cash drawer in case the store is robbed.

After the cashier balances the cash register at the end of the day, the staff person in charge of cash deposits (usually the store manager or someone on the accounting or bookkeeping staff) takes all cash out except the amount that will be needed for the next day and deposits it in the bank." ~ Controlling Cash Register Transactions in Your Business - For Dummies

Lotta verbage here, I'm gonna cut to the chase of "two things".

Thing One: it minimizes how much a robber can take. We already agree. I say that's the ONLY thing it does.

Thing Two: it makes robbery "less probable" --- well, no. It can't. (a) Said robber has no idea how much is in there, (b) said robber MAY know that's probably the policy, but then the drawer is hardly his only resource once he's in the act. The first thing he went for was not the drawer but the safe. He could have also robbed people individually. It ain't like the contents of a cash drawer are all there is, and even if there's only 20 bucks in there -- if he gets it, that's 20 bucks he didn't have when he walked in and pulled a gun. It's not like armed robbery is an exact science with pie-chart thresholds defining how much money is worth pulling a job.

 

[danielpalos]

Every place I worked at, including my own two stores, was 200 in the till. No more, no less.

So the real cost then would have been only $200 lost. They fired her for a mere $200.

They fired her for not doing her job. Period.

Which Job was that and why was Management not there to ensure there were no excuses to the bottom line?

 

[Gracie]

Every place I worked at, including my own two stores, was 200 in the till. No more, no less.

So the real cost then would have been only $200 lost. They fired her for a mere $200.

They fired her for not doing her job. Period.

Which Job was that and why was Management not there to ensure there were no excuses to the bottom line?

Her JOB was to MANAGE the store. MANAGERS have DUTIES. One of those DUTIES is to dump cash in the drop box safe when the register goes over 200 bucks. Why was not management there? Hello? Is anyone home, McFly? SHE WAS THE MANAGER! HER superiors were not there because they hired HER as MANAGER when they are not there. Get it?
Dayum.