People are clever and clever people who think they can’t get caught get careless.
I made a couple of friends working at the burger and fry shack that summer. One of them was Derek. He was cool. A year older and already driving; longer hair; metalhead like me. I had no idea, of course, that this friendship would eventually land me in the security office shaking like a leaf.
A week or so before my call down to the office, Derek let me in on a little secret, although, as it turns out, it wasn’t really a secret. He was lifting money from the cash registers, and “it was a foolproof system.”
Not only was he doing it, but several people were. Someone else had shown him. And now he was going to show me.
We sold three things at our stand: burger (with or without cheese), fries, and soda. Each priced a nice round number like $1.00 or $3.00, plus we had a “meal deal” where you got all three for $5.00.
Most customers ordered either a single item or the meal. Almost no change and easy math.
“Gimme a fry. Here’s $2.” Or, “Gimme two meals with cheese. Here’s a $10.”
And since they’re not getting any change, they grab their grub, wheel around, and off they go. They’re not looking at you or their money. As the cashier, just peek behind you to ensure no manager is watching and hit the “no sale” button. The cash drawer pops out, but with some kindergarten sleight of hand, that $5 or $10 misses the drawer and lands in your front pocket, and the cash register and daily reconciliation are none-the-wiser.
The system was foolproof.
But here’s the thing about clever people, they really like to show others how clever they are. What good is it if you can’t take credit?
More people. Less foolproof.
