I worked a retail job recently and felt that I was a good asset for the store. My girlfriend ended up working there as well, my biggest downfall was telling them that we were dating. Anyway, I recently took up a different position at a different company to earn more money and have more hours as I graduated from college.
Not long after I start the new position, I go back to my old job to do some shopping as I still like the store and the products they carry, and they occasionally host a game wherein you find a hidden item in the store and show it to a staff member to earn a dollar amount coupon to use that same day. My girlfriend was with me and I found one of the hidden game pieces. It should be noted here that employees are not allowed to win. Employees can have one designated shopper to use the employee discount should they shop there, and these people are not allowed to win either. In the TOS of the game, family members (only close relatives) and even housemates (related or not) cannot participate in the game.
Knowing some inside information, I know that the company does not stress to its employees that they know ALL the rules of the game, nor are they given the time to read all the rules or TOS. The main rule they focus on is an employee or designated shopper winning. And that the same person does not win more than once for the duration of the game.
Anyway, the manager on duty, who is a senile old man who forgets he has a job of being a manager sometimes, asks “Are you even allowed to win?” To which I said “Yes, I’m no longer an employee, I should be able to win.” Then he said “I’ll need to check the rules.” Which, to no one’s surprise, he didn’t do. He hands us the coupon and we walk over to check out with one of my good friends from the job and who is a supervisor. They did not stop us, nor check the rules, they accepted my fair win as fact. I paid and we essentially got a 50% off discount with the amount of stuff we got with the coupon.
Fast forward to a few weeks later and my girlfriend tells me that she was called into the office and had a chat with the store manager about this whole thing. Long story short, my girlfriend gives the best defense she has as to why we won fair and square and if the manager on duty didn’t hold up the ToS of the game, than it is no fault of ours. She also MADE MY GIRLFRIEND PAY THE COMPANY THE AMOUNT THE COUPON WAS WORTH. This is my biggest gripe with this whole situation. It was MY MONEY that was used.
They don’t ask every customer if they are a family member of an employee, a housemate, a designated shopper. They aren’t obligated to give out that information. This is why telling an employer of your relations is a no no. I’m asking if this is worth fighting. TOS are a hard thing to go against, but making an employee pay for a customer seems like a horrible line to cross. I see this as the managers fault for not being able to have the knowledge of and upholding the rules of the game.
I can go into more detail in the comments should you have questions. But, for those who may know more about workplace rights and laws, is this worth fighting? Before anyone says “it’s just $20”, which it was, it’s not the amount, it’s the principle.
Thank you for reading and for your feedback.