Employee Theft at College Bookstore
My question involves criminal law for the state of: New Jersey
I currently work for a B&N college bookstore (seasonal) at a certain University in NJ. I work less than 7 hrs a week at minimum wage.
About 2-3 weeks ago I stole $10 worth of food/snacks from my job. I didn't want to do it but I have been without food and surviving on maybe 1 meal a day. I have sought for help but everything takes time and there's a lot of other obstacles. In any rate I thought I could do it then pay back secretly somehow whenever I got enough money to do so.
Yesterday my store manager started posting signs for all employees that had certain protocols and one of the "new rules" on the sign was "Bag Check will be happening at end of everyone's shift". This got me very nervous because now I'm thinking somehow they caught on what I did 2-3 weeks ago. What made my paranoia worse was when my manager asked me to speak with her before I left my shift but we never got to speak because when I approached her she was busy and I couldn't wait because I had class.
I have work tomorrow and I am not sure if she will be there and I have no idea if I had been caught or not. My instincts are telling me to either face the music or just call out sick tomorrow and keep applying to other jobs relentlessly and quit over the phone before anything is said.
I am truly scared because I am just a college student who was literally trying to not starve and I know I made a big mistake but I don't want my life, especially my academics, to be ruined over a can of chef Boyardee and a poptart pastry.
Please I need to know what's the worst that can/may happen to me? Is there anything I can do?
Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore
Keep your mouth shut and buy ramen noodles to eat.
Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore
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HungerGames
Please I need to know what's the worst that can/may happen to me?
Based on your username, the worst thing that could happen to you is for you to be locked in some sort of force field dome and required to fight to the death against a bunch of kids and teenagers. In real life, odds are the store has noticed that employees are stealing but hasn't figured out which ones.
Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore
The worst thing that is likely to happen is that you are fired. Even if they've figured out that you're the one doing the stealing, it's unlikely that they would take the issue further than that.
Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore
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Mr. Knowitall
Based on your username, the worst thing that could happen to you is for you to be locked in some sort of force field dome and required to fight to the death against a bunch of kids and teenagers. In real life, odds are the store has noticed that employees are stealing but hasn't figured out which ones.
Yea, I literally came up with any username I could think of so whatever however the theory on trying to figure out who, it's a plausible idea. Thanks
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I am not sure what type of advice "keep your mouth shut and buy ramen noodles" is to a situation as sensitive as this but I was expecting something more legally professional than that. But thanks for the effort.
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cbg
The worst thing that is likely to happen is that you are fired. Even if they've figured out that you're the one doing the stealing, it's unlikely that they would take the issue further than that.
Thank you I am expecting to get fired IF I have been caught. Again, my concern was more in terms of, could this have an academic consequences since it is a campus store. Not sure.
Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore
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HungerGames
Thank you I am expecting to get fired IF I have been caught. Again, my concern was more in terms of, could this have an academic consequences since it is a campus store. Not sure.
Depending on the policies of your campus, choosing to commit a crime can have a potential impact on your enrollment even if the crime is committed off-campus.
Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore
Since it is a campus book store, you could be charged criminally and brought up before the student disciplinary council.
Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore
Chances are if you were to be fired, they would have done so already, not asked you to speak with them after your shift.
The manager is simply trying to find something out, don't tell them that you have taken anything and that you were going to pay them back later. If asked, you simply state that you have no involvement in any theft.
Go to work tomorrow and speak with the manager first thing, tell them you were running late and couldn't wait any longer.
Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore
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Disagreeable
Keep your mouth shut and buy ramen noodles to eat.
...but you can't eat the noodles with your mouth shut.