Macy’s New Inventory Program Gave Cashier A Way To Steal
Written by Evan SchumanAugust 24th, 2011
One of the very best times for a retail thief to strike is when technology is brand-new, because employees don't yet know what to expect and therefore can't recognize unusual activity. That's the hole an 18-year-old Macy's associate tried to use when his Syracuse, N.Y.-area store had just started the chain's new Search-and-Send program, which allows one store to access the inventory from another store and have items shipped directly to the customer.
Indeed, the associate might have gotten away with it, had he not gotten too greedy and obvious. How obvious? He purchased the chain's most expensive Movado watch—a $2,995 Swiss timepiece with a tungsten carbide bracelet—but not before he "processed an unauthorized markdown" to make the price $2.95. Think a better-than 99.9 percent discount would trigger a flag? The good news for Macy's low prevention: It did indeed trigger a flag. The bad news: Nothing in the system stopped the associate, who had worked for Macy's less than five months at the time, from processing it and having the product shipped.
This Story Is Only Available For Premium Subscribers. Click Or Login In Below To Read The Rest Of This Story.
Already a Subscriber? Login Here
Leave a Reply
Readers, specifically those who want to comment on a story:
Our Comment SPAM system is getting very aggressive these days and has been blocking legitimate comments. If you post a comment and don't see it appear within 2 hours or so, can you please send a heads-up to customer-service@storefrontbacktalk.com? Ideally, please include the time you posted the comment. That will allow us to try and hunt for it. Thanks! P.S. We're working on fixing the system, but we don't want to lose any valuable comments in the meantime.
Our Comment SPAM system is getting very aggressive these days and has been blocking legitimate comments. If you post a comment and don't see it appear within 2 hours or so, can you please send a heads-up to customer-service@storefrontbacktalk.com? Ideally, please include the time you posted the comment. That will allow us to try and hunt for it. Thanks! P.S. We're working on fixing the system, but we don't want to lose any valuable comments in the meantime.
I have strong reservations about the 'individual' certification and posting of that information for merchants. Can you imagine the potential employee poaching that might occur? The implications when competitors can look up how many are certified with each of their competitors? 
-Christine
