When Skimming From The Bottom Makes It To The Top

This occurred when I was sixteen years old working my first job as a cashier at a popular chain convenience store. A customer was giving me a hard time, complaining things were too expensive, and starting to get angry because the register was being very slow and kept freezing up. 

Customer: “Hurry the f*** up! First, you overcharge me and now you won’t even let me pay!”

Me: “Sorry sir. This register just keeps freezing up and now it appears the cash drawer is stuck. Let me call for my manager.”

I call the manager and jiggle the register drawer a bit to see if I can get it to open. As I am shaking it, a large amount of folded money in a plastic money clip falls out from somewhere under the register. I pick it up, confused. The customer sees it too, and his eyes go wide and I can see the gears start to turn. Just then the manager arrives.

Customer: “This kid stole my money! She asked to see my clip and now she won’t give it back!”

Me: “What?! No, this thing just fell out from under the register. I have no idea where it came from.” 

My manager gave me a really suspicious look and asked me again:

Manager: “Where did the money come from?”

Me: “It fell out when I was jiggling the broken cash drawer.

He did not look convinced. I don’t really blame him because why would hundreds of dollars be stuck under a register in a money clip?

Customer: “I want her fired! Not only can she not do her job but she is a thief!”

At this point I am really upset thinking I am about to be fired for theft I didn’t commit. The customer is still screaming while the manager tries to calm him down, and I get an idea.

Me: “Wait, why don’t you just check the cameras!”

I point to the four security cameras behind the checkout counter.

Manager: “Absolutely, in all of the confusion I wasn’t thinking about that before.”

Customer: “Uh… no wait that’s okay. I have to go; it’s an emergency!”

He sprinted out the door without his purchases. My manager and I still went up to the office to see where the money came from, and it turns out a couple of my coworkers had been sneakily skimming small amounts of money off the register for weeks and hiding it. They ended up getting fired.

I worked there for a year and never saw the customer again.