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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
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    2

    Unhappy 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?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    OH10
    Posts
    17,019

    Default Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore

    Keep your mouth shut and buy ramen noodles to eat.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
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    98,846

    Default Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore

    Quote Quoting HungerGames
    View Post
    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.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    24,521

    Default 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.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    2

    Default Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore

    Quote Quoting Mr. Knowitall
    View Post
    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

    - - - Updated - - -

    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.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Quoting cbg
    View Post
    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.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore

    Quote Quoting HungerGames
    View Post
    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.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    OH10
    Posts
    17,019

    Default 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.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    3,666

    Default 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.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    10

    Default Re: Employee Theft at College Bookstore

    Quote Quoting Disagreeable
    View Post
    Keep your mouth shut and buy ramen noodles to eat.
    ...but you can't eat the noodles with your mouth shut.

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