How does one guard against internal theft in an eating establishment?

Deanie · ‎03-09-2010

My DH and I took our grandchildren out today on St Paddys day. We went to a sweet shoppe called Sweet Frogs. Never been. It was a store that served up deserts and had a section to pour out your choice of ice cream then loads and loads of toppings. You paid by the weight of the finished product. I observed a couple come into the store and hand the young girl behind the section a bag. Looked like a dinner bag. Then I observed them make a sundae and did not pay. She knew them by her conversation and demeanor. I flashed back to the beach when a pizza place was having so much difficulty with the wait staff giving away food to their friends that they instituted a procedure. The wait staff had to purchase all the meals served and at the end of the night they payment should offset the purchase. Theoretically. At the time I thought the procedure was a tad Draconian, today, I saw firsthand what establishments deal with for internal theft in restaurants. It is tough.

Sunshine Kate · ‎03-10-2010

@Deanie wrote:
My DH and I took our grandchildren out today on St Paddys day. We went to a sweet shoppe called Sweet Frogs. Never been. It was a store that served up deserts and had a section to pour out your choice of ice cream then loads and loads of toppings. You paid by the weight of the finished product. I observed a couple come into the store and hand the young girl behind the section a bag. Looked like a dinner bag. Then I observed them make a sundae and did not pay. She knew them by her conversation and demeanor. I flashed back to the beach when a pizza place was having so much difficulty with the wait staff giving away food to their friends that they instituted a procedure. The wait staff had to purchase all the meals served and at the end of the night they payment should offset the purchase. Theoretically. At the time I thought the procedure was a tad Draconian, today, I saw firsthand what establishments deal with for internal theft in restaurants. It is tough.

@Deanie, in circumstances like this, I would not judge. You don't know the whole story.

aroc3435 · ‎09-30-2010

@Deanie Sad to hear. Most establishments have cameras today, even the Mom and Pop non-chain eateries.

Was there only the one clerk in the place to handle customers? Sweet Frog is a small chain so I'm wondering where the manager for this location was.

To give the clerk the benefit of the doubt, could the couple have been the manager/franchise owners, or the woman's parents and if they were her parents, maybe she would pay for them at the end of her shift? Or, is she allowed a comp or two per day to good customers, which some small business owners allow.

sunshine45 · ‎03-09-2010

my first thought was that that was her parents and they brought her her dinner?

she let them get ice cream.

no idea if she is allowed to do that OR if maybe she put money into the register for their cups. small businesses like that often have security cameras. we have security cameras in our business and can watch what is going on 24/7/365.

the bottom line is is that you dont know the entire story or what is really going on.

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"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

If I were out have a great day with my granchildren, I wouldn't have given two thoughts to whatever someone else was stealing....or not stealing. Not my store, not my business.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

I know from a recent conversation with a big store that theft is rampant. They'll slip open packages and steal one or two items and things you wouldn't believe!

So, no, I'm sure theft happens a lot around us and we don't notice it because we don't expect it. From those stories and what I have read in the news recently, I am simply shocked. And appalled at how much it costs all of us. I wouldn't doubt anything now.

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

You're really only making an assumption and don't know exactly what is going on.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

I don't think I would have batted an eye. I would not have even come to the conclusion that any thing shady was going on.

Could be a family business where the young girl was working her shift and her parents, the owners, brought her dinner.

My parents own a restaurant. Often, I would drop in and help myself to something in the beverage case without paying. Yes, I did get looks.

ValuSkr · ‎03-15-2014

It's called "sweethearting" in the retail loss prevention industry. As others said, cameras are one method to prevent it. There are other methods, see the Wikipedia article.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

@Carmie wrote:
I don't think I would have batted an eye. I would not have even come to the conclusion that any thing shady was going on.

Could be a family business where the young girl was working her shift and her parents, the owners, brought her dinner.

My parents own a restaurant. Often, I would drop in and help myself to something in the beverage case without paying. Yes, I did get looks.

Well, for me, it would have crossed my mind and I would have wondered how come they didn't pay. Yes, I'll admit it. I don't know them and I would thought of the possibility.

I learned my lesson the hard way about not being suspicious when I didn't wonder what someone was doing somewhere; someone who didn't look like people I was used to seeing, and that individual stole a bunch of very expensive lighting equipment from us. So I am not ashamed to wonder what is going on when I see things like that now.