I am Seth, and I am 18. I just started working in a large depot store in hardware supplies. This is my second job, and the pay is way better than working in fast food. There are 4 of us working each shift, and I do the second shift and finish at 8.00 pm. In the last hour or two of the day, I am either stacking wood or replenishing the stock on the shelves.
I have a female manager in her 40s who is tall, slim, and good-looking. Builders loved her and were loyal to this store. The other two are men in their 50s and very knowledgeable. They help me learn what they sell and what people need for their work at home or for builders.
One night, I was talking on the phone in my car and saw the manager load some tools in her car. I thought she would be dropping them off to a client. The next day, I was putting out more tools and looked at the machine we use to scan an item, giving us a tally of what should be there. One was missing. I thought there was an error and reported it to Fiona. But she fobbed me off as a clerical error.
Five months into the job, tools and stock were missing. I wasn't happy about it and showed this to Fiona. She thanked me for finding the errors. The next day, there were no counting errors as all the items had been changed. I waited after closing and watched Fiona put a large saw into her car. The one she put in, I knew there were five left in-store.
The next morning, there were four on the shelves. I knew this as I talked with a customer that day about the store, and we discussed they were selling fast and these were the last five available. The tills didn't show it was sold. It just disappeared from the system. That night I watched Fiona put in several boxes of screws in her car.
I followed her, and we ended up at a small construction company. A guy came out, grabbed the boxes and handed over an envelope. I laughed as it looked like a drug deal, except it was hardware. The next night, I followed her as she went to a different builder and sold him some bolts and screws. Bitch was stealing. I took photos like in the movies of the deal. I took stock readings the day before and after.
I followed her three times, and the same thing happened. I had to confront her and confirm what I knew was happening I left the store at 8.00 pm as usual and waited outside the exit door. I stood before her as it opened; she held a battery drill box.
"We need to talk!"
"What do you mean we need to talk," in a very annoyed voice
"You are stealing from the store and selling it to the builders that come here," she looked shocked, and before she had a chance to say anything, I held up a picture of a builder and her swapping money for tools. She looked very angry.
"You little cunt, that isn't me."
"It is. Go back inside, let us talk, or I will call the police," I didn't know what I would do, to be honest at the time.
I followed her to her office. She threw the tool on her desk and sat on her chair, looking defiant. "So you think I am stealing? I will pay for it the next morning."
"No, you won't, look at this." I handed her a printout of store stock levels before she left and then the next day. She read through the paperwork I handed to her, and she sat for a few minutes reading.
"So you think you have caught a thief? Do you? I can explain everything here."
