Stupid Is, As Stupid Does.

I have a buddy who also works in the retail industry. Let's call him Fred.

Fred works for a nationally known "big box" retail chain. He often tells me about things that go on over at his company. Some of the things he describes simply amaze me.

Fred tells me that the customer service managers at his store allow cash to build up in the registers all day long, never removing any of it until the drawers are closed down at night. Having worked for retail companies who would threaten their employees with public execution if they ever let their drawers go over a few hundred dollars, I found this to be inconceivable.

"I'm serious as a heart attack," Fred tells me. "Just last night, they had me checking on a drawer in the express lane that had a two, maybe three inch thick stack of twenties in it." (Having worked at a bank and handled big money before, I estimated the dollar amount he described to be at least $6,000 if not more.)

"That's not counting the huge stack of hundreds, fifties, and checks that were in it, too." Fred continued. "Just think of all the names, addresses, and account numbers listed on those checks...and the electronics department! Don't even get me started about THAT register..."

"What did you do?" I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

"I told the customer service manager, like I've done a zillion times before, and she just blew me off, saying that's just the way they do things. It really made me angry -- it's neither right nor fair to expect a low paid cashier to be responsible for that much -- it also puts his life in danger. If word gets out on the streets that the express lane has that much money on a given evening, that's just begging a robber to come in and point a gun at the poor cashier." Fred was ticked off beyond measure at the thought.

I recalled the register layout over at Fred's store. The express lane registers are wide open -- with nothing to protect the drawer from a "Till-tap," or grab-and-run with the cash. I also thought about the possibility that if one of Fred's co-workers were disgruntled, they could hop onto the Internet and post on a website or blog for all the world to see that a major retailer in the Oklahoma City area lets their cash accumulate in the drawers. 'DOH!

(Well, by golly shucks -- I would never advocate that anybody give out such information. It could happen, though, if management ignored the employee's complaints long enough.)

"I'm afraid of what could happen, really I am," Fred told me.