Stealing

[Lash Sensation]

Hi, I am new to this site but not to business, It still amazes me that as a business owner we are never sure of what we should do in a case like this. I feel for you, but you must report it to the police and have them come and do an investigation. I would not question these girls myself apart from telling them money is missing and asking separately have the seen anything. Apart from legal ramifications if neither of them is really the culprit. But I am sure deep down in your heart your gut feeling is telling you which one you think it is. A thief will always steal.
I think these ladies have all given you good advise, what is the worst that can happen? You do nothing and it happens again, you call the police and the person is caught! In anycase it puts a bad tast in your mouth and if you do have a thief in your salon you can gaurentee this is noyt the first time they have done this to you.
You need to now put some security practices into place to protect you in the future, if these people have keys to your shop, take them back now until it is sorted out. Can you put individual staff key axcess on you till or computer so that you know the last person to open the till. I would leave a small amount of marked money (a note) lying on the floor as if it has been droped and see who tells you about it or if it goes missing. It will if you have a thief .
Good Luck

 

[RedAdmiral]

Hi Everyone Thanks for all the replies. I was bulling on friday as turned the place upside down and still no sign so had to call the public office and get an incident log. I asked the girls and no1 knew anything and were just wide eyed at the thought of one of our best and loyal customers being in the frame or a 7 yr old girl......... or them.
I honestly dont know what to think - 7yr old girl,,,,,,,, best client,,,,,,,,, staff,,,,, all as bad as each other really.

I have moved the till and set up new rules - I have main access, pin no.s, all cash to be dropped in safe etc. Will consider a camera -I can get one with my computer software so will look into that.

the main thing is that this had made me think long and hard about how I am in this salon - its all too casual as even if a client/stranger did take the money we let them as we werent keeping our eye on the ball.

 

[bombini]

With regards to the camera I would not bother having one hidden unless it was an ongoing problem and you were trying to catch the culprit, I would just have it openly on display as a deterrent.

I am not aware of the full laws on hidden cameras but a business near me installed one and successfully used it in court against an employee that had stolen over £15,000 from the shop over several years !!

 

[Kim Lawless]

This came to mind when I first read this thread: Several years ago, my mum was sitting in the hairdressers and watched a young boy come into the salon and speak to the receptionist, apparently asking her to change a note. She opened the till and he asked her about something behind her, as she turned around to look, in a split second, he calmly dipped his hand in the till and nicked £20 and she was none the wiser until my mum called out and he ran out of the salon.

 

[Jessica Rabbit]

Hi Im really sorry that you had this happen to you at this time off year and the way the credit crunch is at the moment. You should call the police and hope the person or staff member is caught. xx

Im think off you x

 

[Ineedawig]

Invest in the hidden camera.

I myself like to think that everyone out there is honest like myself out there, but that is not the case, and to be too trusting, unfortunatelly, translates in being too naive (been there, done that).

It is your business, you have to protect it from theft. I have read somewhere recently that theft alone costs the UK retail millions of pounds a year (that is both the theft of money and property).

There is no other way to know who did it, but don't tell the staff, it has to be the hidden camera. They are not that expensive these days, but will save you lots of heartache (and money) in the future, for a relatively small investment. I mean, would you leave the door of your salon unlocked at night, trusting that noone will attempt to steal anything?

All you can do at the moment is call the police. As someone else mentioned, perhaps the mere metion of the Police will make money reappear (if it is the inside job, obviously).

P.S.

It is important that the camera is HIDDEN and that the thief does not know that it exists.
Beacause if it is not hidden, they can manipulate it, cover it with something, turn their back to it when stealing, even disable it in some way (breaking it, smudging it, etc.)
Honest people have nothing to fear of the hidden camera, but it will catch a thief who thinks that no one is watching.

 

[Lynne Baker]

Invest in the hidden camera.

I think you might fall foul of the law if you do this.

 

[Ineedawig]

Of course, check the law first.

Even if you can't do hidden, to the open one, but make sure it is somewhere that can't be easily reached and disabled, but can "see" things well.
Unfortunatelly, in these hard times, there may be more and more thefts around, at least if you have a camera a)it might be a deterent b) if it is not, the thief might get caught