The store has
always had several security cameras covering the store and register. These
cameras weren’t there to keep an eye on the customers; they were there for the owner
and warehouse staff to keep track of the store clerks. A few times a week, a
touring manager would pick up the money out of the drop safe and switch out the
security tapes (stored in a locked container) and bring the used tape back to
the warehouse.
This week, the
store’s video security system was completely upgraded to include ten cameras around the
building that captured everything happening at the store on tape and could also
be viewed remotely through an internet connection. In addition to cameras
covering the store’s merchandise, there were new cameras surrounding the cash
register at a variety of different angles as well as back room, where we count
out our tills at the end of shifts.
We were assured
that if anyone stole any money from the store, the owner would know
immediately, we would be fired and legal action would be taken. Everyone was
instructed to place money received from a customer on the top of the register, make change for the customer and then finally place this new money into
the register at the end of the transaction. This way, the cameras could easily
record what money was coming in and what was being handed back as change.
One of the
touring managers told me they had hired some “local ladies” who lived near the
warehouse to spend eight-hour shifts watching these videos looking for thieves.
I don’t believe this for a second. Realistically speaking, this would be
impossible. Since the store is open 24-hours a day, they’d need to hire three
people per store, per day that would have to cover 10 different video feeds at
the same time. Considering there are four stores, hiring 12 people per day just
doesn’t seem feasible, particularly when I know how cheap the owner is.
My assumption is
that they occasionally do spot checks with the videos, but so far, no one has
been busted or even reprimanded for not following procedure. They are doing
something though. I’ve heard the warehouse connect to the store through an
old-school modem to download the video feed, but who knows if they’re just
storing this on a hard-drive or actually watching it. The only true benefit I
can see in this elaborate system is being able to cross-reference recordings if
the store was robbed or something terrible happened.
Given the history
of clerks stealing form the store, I’m not surprised they’re going to such
great lengths (and expense) to discourage theft. Still, it doesn’t make the
store a particularly upbeat place to work when you know you’re always suspected
of something. It’s clear no one is trusted and that the owner wants us to know
this.
In all
fairness, the owner also needs to take a closer look at the people he’s
approving for hire. I’ve explained in older posts that the owner likes to hire
older clerks and why this is a terrible idea. The college student working
overnights is (probably) less likely to steal than a 45-year-old burnout
just one hit away from a complete relapse. They’d be better served to run a
detailed background check on potential employees rather than spending thousands of
dollars on video feeds from the store.
Now, we have a
twisted version of 1984 filled with porn, drug addicts and perverts. I wonder
what George Orwell would think of all this.
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