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I started working at Kmart about 3 weeks ago. So far in this time period, I've been written up once before for an $11 shortage, but it was cleared because I didn't do a total void on a transaction. Today, I was written up for $20 and I am wondering, will I lose my job?
As someone who once worked at Sears and dealt with the imbecile management running their stores, I would be surprised if they don't fire you. Or, if they don't fire you, whatever course of discipline they do choose to pursue will almost assuredly make you wish you were fired.
As a former retail manager, I wouldn't fire you yet. I would consider it as your first offense as the first offense was cleared. Might ask you to be extra careful when exchanging money. You might want to practice exchanging money at home until you get the hang of it. You might need a little bit more training if you are making mistake.
I once had a lady who was a hard worker but she was extremely bad at the register. She was constantly off. Since she was hired on by my boss, so he didn't want to admit his mistake for hiring her, so he moved her to the floor. But like the others have said. Your store is on it's last leg anyway.
The goal is not to constantly making the same mistake over and over. Make it once and don't repeat it. You are still in the learning stages. Work hard, harder than anyone else. Don't be average. It's easier to get rid of an average employee than a hard working employee.
I'm one of the best workers you'll ever meet, but I'm extremely bad at the register. I just am. I've practiced at home and with people, but in general, I try my very best to avoid cashiering.
And I do know how to make change. I can figure out in my head what change I should get back when I'm at the store.
But I can't do that for more than a couple of transactions in a row. My mind just starts shutting down.
OP, if you are like me, maybe you can become an office assistant or pursue some other position.
I started working at Kmart about 3 weeks ago. So far in this time period, I've been written up once before for an $11 shortage, but it was cleared because I didn't do a total void on a transaction. Today, I was written up for $20 and I am wondering, will I lose my job?
I used to work in the cash office and did payroll for another company, so I will chime in. Because you are new, there is a possibility that you could lose your job, or at the very least be moved to a different position. Two shortages, explained or unexplained becomes a red flag, especially in a short amount of time. Did you share a register? If you did, then you may get documented, but you cannot lose your job, unless they can prove (with reasonable suspicion) that you stole from the drawer. If you did NOT share a drawer, this should concern you; either you gave the incorrect change (gave a wrong bill, or entered the amount incorrectly), took the incorrect amount of money, were careless with how you handled the money, failed to void, or you stole. When you enter the incorrect amount of money (for example, the total of the sale was $53.44, and the customer gave you $60, the change should be $6.56. Even if you entered $100, the register will think that the change should be $46.56; as long as you give the correct change, what you enter into the system will not matter). If you didn't steal, you shouldn't lose your job, but you need to be more careful, because managers WILL get suspicious when you have multiple unexplained shortages, ESPECIALLY if you did NOT share a register. When I worked in the office, I could usually figure out when someone was stealing on the second shortage. Some were clever and got away with more, but they usually were caught, or quit because they were going to be apprehended.
I have been a manager, and I wouldn't fire you, but I will train you more, or I will move you to a different department, but your options will be much more limited (and your hours could be cut). My goal would be to cross-train everyone if they are in retail. I hope that this level of concern will force you to be more careful.
Moral of the story: Please be more careful, or you will lose your job.
The first shortage was explained, so that's only one unexplained shortage. If it's only been a day or so since the shortage, then they may find it later...maybe when you got change, they didn't bring you as much as you gave them.
You probably won't get fired for it. If they were going to fire you, they would have done it when they wrote you up. But if they cut your hours down to almost nothing, that's probably a sign to start looking for another job.
Watch out for the customers who try to trick you, the ones who will try to shortchange you or trick you. One common trick is to pay with a large bill, get their change back, then say, "Oh, I found a smaller bill, let me give you that instead." Then they hand over the small bill, you give their large bill back (if you're fooled by them) and they've just made the difference between the two bills, which you're now short.
Another thing to watch for is a stack of new bills, because they can get stuck together and then you give out too much money. New ones are much more common than bigger bills, but on any new bills, the serial numbers will go in order. If you watch the numbers as you're counting back change and notice you skipped one, then there are two bills stuck together.
When I worked at Kmart, they were fairly slack in having us make cash drops and on busy days there would be a huge stack of 20's under my till. I got in the habit of looking inside the drawer when my shift ended, looking behind the back of the part that slides out, to make sure none of the 20's had migrated under there.
You might want to consider if you are too distracted when you are receiving money from customers and when you are handing money back. Make sure you are focusing on the money in front of you, that when someone's total is $11.00 for example, they have really given you that amount and not 2 one dollar bills. Don't let idle chit chat distract you. Always count back the money to the customer. This is not just for their benefit, but really, it is to cover yourself. Also, as the previous poster pointed out, make sure new bills are not sticking together.
Hopefully, you won't get fired and can slide with a warning. When a manager brings it up, I would acknowledge the problem and explain to them how you plan to prevent it in the future. The good news is that type of occurrence is gonna happen sooner or later with cashiering. The bad news is that with you, it happened pretty quickly. At any rate, good luck to you.
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