Family members who steal

DarrenX · #1 08-21-2005, 07:35 PM

Here's a new one for me I wasn't expecting.

My fiancee and I are in the process of starting up a salon. We've purchased an existing salon including various inventory (makeup/hair products, etc).

The salon will open in two weeks- recently we've had my fiancee's family over to check it out. When her mother came to the salon, she commented on some makeup she liked.

Long story short, my fiancee is 99% sure her mother took about $70 worth of product from the salon. Obviously $70 isn't going to make or break us, but WTF?? Any ideas on how to handle this one?

Note a few things:

My fiancee has had issues with her mother in the past. She knows if she confronts her, her mother will deny she took them, and blow up at the accusation.

To make things much more interesting, her mother is supposed to be working at the salon.

Her mother is under the false impression we're rich. While we do have a nice house and nice things, we've worked hard to achieve them and have the bills to back them up.

She has a vendetta against "big, faceless corporations", and regularly finds loopholes and writes letters to acquire free products. We also know she views her daughter as a "rich, stuck up snob."- at least that's what she tells her grandson (my fiancee's son) behind her back.

Beyond the obvious answers (not having her work in the salon, cutting ties with her mother)- realistically this will not happen. Thoughts? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

BluffTHIS! · #2 08-21-2005, 08:02 PM

Either come up with a plausible reason not to have her work in the salon and stick to it no matter how much trouble, or give her a makeup "benefit" of $50 a month in addition to her wage with the full expectation that it will actually be $100 with a further 5 finger discount by her. Just be sure to adjust her wage down from what you would otherwise pay to make up for it. However even that is ducking the issue. She sounds like a very negative person who will not put on the best customer service face for your business.

poker-penguin · #3 08-21-2005, 08:39 PM

Watch her like a ****ing hawk.

Either she'll stop stealing or you'll catch her red-handed.

A_Junglen · #4 08-21-2005, 08:43 PM

Have a security camera pointed near the merchendise. After she denies, showing a video will be quite satisfying. Plus it may prevent her from stealing anyways.

#5 08-21-2005, 08:48 PM

If she wasn't your mother-in-law and you knew that she talked crap about you behind your back and stole would you hire her?

She thinks your rich, she tells your son that your wife is rich and stuck up and she's already stolen from you. Will she hesitate to tell the same or worse to customers?

Your wife really is the lynchpin here. You're expected to have a problem with mom-in-law [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

srm80 · #6 08-21-2005, 09:20 PM

I like the video surveillance idea. You could even go so far as to set up a trap for her so it would be easier to catch her in the act. She obviously has issues with her mother, but money is money, and that situation should be dealt with swiftly.

Reef · #7 08-22-2005, 01:14 AM

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I like the video surveillance idea. You could even go so far as to set up a trap

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awesome...

chesspain · #8 08-21-2005, 09:38 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Beyond the obvious answers (not having her work in the salon, cutting ties with her mother)- realistically this will not happen. Thoughts? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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Why is it unrealistic to consider not having her work at the salon?

DarrenX · #9 08-22-2005, 12:26 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Beyond the obvious answers (not having her work in the salon, cutting ties with her mother)- realistically this will not happen. Thoughts? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Why is it unrealistic to consider not having her work at the salon?

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Sorry, just not realistic to sever ties completely with her mother. Not having her work at the salon could be a possibility, but how do you go about telling her she can't work there after she's been looking forward to it for months (without telling her the real reason why)?

chesspain · #10 08-22-2005, 07:24 PM

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but how do you go about telling her she can't work there after she's been looking forward to it for months (without telling her the real reason why)?

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Just tell her that you and her daughter feel "it would be best if no other family members were working at the salon"--assuming that no other family members are slated to work there. Or tell her that you don't want to complicate the relationships you and your fiance have with her by having her be an employee.

If she presses you for more information, just keep repeating whatever you say above. You don't owe her any more of an explanation.

If she throws a fit and avoids you for a while--she'll get over it.

However, if your fiance is unwilling to set this much of a boundary between her and her mother--then you should seriously rethink both your personal and professional relationships with her.