Getting Just For Desserts

(It is many years ago, when debit/credit cards are not used nearly as much as nowadays, and nearly all transactions are in cash. My wife and I are on vacation and have stopped between home and our destination for lunch. We have eaten at the buffet, and I am standing in line to check out. I noticed someone, who looks like a manager, running the register when we came in. He is still at the checkout desk, but he is taking the tickets at a small cashbox and making change from it. I think this is a little strange, during the rush hour with about 5-10 people in the checkout line all the time, but figure it is none of my business. After waiting in line for a few minutes, I come to the front.)

Manager: “How was your meal?”

Me: “Fine, thank you.”

Manager: “Great! Your ticket is [amount].”

Me: *handing him a twenty* “Here you go.”

(The manager takes the money, makes my change from the cashbox, and spikes my ticket on a different spike than the one next to the register, but again I’m thinking “Not my problem.”)

Manager: “Here is your change, and come again!”

Me: “Thanks!”

(I move aside so he can serve the next customer. This is a rather un-assuming fortyish man, wearing a suit, and who looks like your average accountant or middle-level manager.)

Manager: “And how was your meal, sir?”

Customer: “Fine!” *hands over cash and ticket*

(The manager makes change from the cash box, spikes ticket on the spike not at the cash register, which has several tickets spiked but nowhere near as many as the one next to the cashbox, and hands the change over to the man:)

Manager: “Here is your change, and thank you. Come again!”

(Customer takes his change, puts it in his wallet, opens his suit jacket and places his wallet in an inner pocket, and pulls out a small leather folder which he opens and shows to the manager:)

Customer: “I’m Agent [Customer] of the Georgia Department of Revenue. I need to speak to whoever is in charge today. Right now, please.”

(I have been watching the entire thing, and I involuntarily start, my jaw falls open, and I get a look on my face which evidently says “Busted!” to whoever is watching. The manager looks at the badge the agent is holding out, and deflates like a balloon. The agent turns to look at me, realizing that I have figured out what is going on, and grins a grin that just screams “Some days I just LOVE my job!” I look at him, grin in return, and do my best to make it out the door before bursting out in laughter.)

Wife: “What was that all about?”

Me: “I’ll explain in the car, but I wonder if he or they were skimming just from paying taxes or from the company as well!”

(My wife just looked at me in puzzlement, and I spent the next several miles of our trip explaining how the restaurant was shutting down the register during the busiest part of the day, doing cash only, and keeping the receipts without paying sales tax, while still charging it to their customers. Either someone reported them, or they just had the bad luck of a revenue agent eating lunch there and catching them red-handed!)