Question

You have been working part–time for a large national department store chain for the past year. Your store, like others in the mall, has been experiencing a higher than normal amount of shoplifting. Store management has hired off–duty police wearing street clothes to walk around the store as if shopping and arrest thieves. The store manager strongly enforces the store policy that all people caught will be arrested. For several months, you have suspected a fellow salesperson of taking office supplies home on a frequent basis. You have overlooked these discrepancies because she helped you learn the ropes when you started, and you believe that everyone takes a supply or two on occasion. Today, you saw the person take a damaged jogging suit, give the customer credit, and then put it in a store bag and place it under the counter. That night, as you were both leaving, the person had the bag with something in it. It could be the jogging suit or just something that your co–worker purchased earlier. You want to know if the jogging suit is in the bag, but you also know that if it is the jogging suit, the store manager will prosecute her.

What would be the most ethical action to take?

Take your manager aside and tell him/her what you witnessed.Let your manager handle the situation from there since it is potentially dangerous.

Do nothing.It is not your responsibility to investigate the situation. Let your manager find out him/herself.

Pull the person aside and explain that you thought you saw him/her put something in the bag. Let your co–worker know that you aren't going to tell anyone if it is true, but that the person should really stop to avoid jeopardizing her or his job.

Post Only: What would you do? Explain how you would handle this situation.

Answer 1

Let your co–worker know that you aren't going to tell anyone if it is true, but that the person should really stop to avoid jeopardizing her or his job.

I believe that this is the most ethical way of stopping her and handling the situation as well because he or she needs to understand that the activity she is involved in is not at all right and cannot be tolerated any more because this will lead to even greater problems making him or her lose their job if they are caught within such issues.