Sweethearting: Justified or a Crime?
Sweethearting is one of the most performed thefts in the United States of America. Giving small discounts and not ringing up a few items at once may not look like a major theft, but over time, it can collect up to a massive amount of money. It is punishable by law and indulging in it can get employees fired from their jobs.
Below, we have mentioned a few examples of sweethearting that are observed across different retail stores in the market:
-Product scanning avoidance
This form of sweethearting occurs when an employee intentionally skips scanning a product at the counter while checking out. It doesn’t matter if the product is cheap or expensive and if continued for long, it can send a wave of losses through the company.
-Manually reducing the cost of an item
This form of sweethearting occurs when the employee inputs incorrect item numbers (SKUs) or overrides the system’s default price for item(s). Although this act can be performed as an act of kindness for someone who is in need, employees should avoid indulging in it.
-Scanning coupons when the customer didn’t submit them is also one of the most common forms of sweethearting that is observed at stores across the US. Often, a customer may not carry a coupon with them and thus they might ask the employee for help. Even though some employees might bend to their well and provide coupons to scan right there, the employees are advised not to do it.
An employee should never input or reduce product prices without a coupon from the customer. A coupon, in most cases, is a manufacturer’s coupon. If it is indeed a manufacturer’s coupon, the store has to mail the coupon to access credit. Thus, in the absence of a coupon, the store will get no credit from the manufacturers.
-Other few known examples of sweethearting include voiding totals, returning gift cards for cash, and using invoices to lower the total price, tax, and other necessities.
Effects of Sweethearting
Wrecking Profit Margins
One of the biggest reasons why sweethearting is considered a crime is because of the money loss that comes with it.
Something as insignificant as giving away a pack of gum at the hands of an employee could cause a loss of thousands of dollars in the long run if every employee decided to do it.
Introducing Favouritism
Another reason why employers across different stores dislike sweethearting is that it introduces the concept of biasness and favouritism in the business.
If a store has employees who give away free items only to a certain individual/group of people, it will induce a sense of favouritism amongst the other customers.
In a business, it is important for the employer and the company to ensure that its customers know that the prices are fair and consistent for every customer.
Furthermore, employees who process items without scanning them (that is allowing customers to pay less for the item or not pay at all) are considered direct theft from the business.
Consequences For the Manager
-Employees should remember that manually inputting deals and price reductions that don’t exist can trigger warnings to higher management.
-Even if the store manager wasn’t aware of the activities that were happening at the store, the issue can quickly rise to the notice of district managers, regional VPs, and even higher up the chain in the company, because in the end, everything that is happening inside the store is the responsibility of the head of the department/store manager.
-Not only can sweethearting affect the company’s profits, but it can also lead to the manager/store head getting fired from their positions.
Conclusion
Sweethearting is one of the most performed thefts in the retail industry within the United States. It can be performed in a lot of different forms like
-Product scanning avoidance
-Manually reducing the cost of an item
-Scanning coupons when the customer didn’t even submit one
-Other minor forms like voiding totals, returning gift cards for cash, and so on
One of the major reasons why Sweethearting is considered a crime is because, in the long run, it can lead to a huge loss of money for the company. Apart from losing the money, employees can also face the consequences of indulging in sweethearting by losing their jobs or introducing the concept of favouritism within the business.
Question1) Can employees be arrested for indulging in sweethearting?
Answer) There haven’t been many cases observed in which an employee was arrested in case of sweethearting, but it is not impossible.
Employers often fire employees who indulge in sweethearting but usually the authorities are not involved. But the case of giving away a massive number of products or giving away expensive products for free or for very low costs can likely get the authorities involved.
In case the employer possesses evidence against the employee who indulged in sweethearting, they can press charges against the employee.
There are some methods with grey areas, such as coupon scanning errors. Under such cases, employees are advised to immediately contact their employers.
