Subway Management are morons

Subway Dunedin found one of their staff, Jackie Lang, poured two cups of Coke for her and a friend without paying for them. The retail value of the drinks is $4 and the wholesale value (actual cost) is probably 10c or so (drinks are here the big margins are in fast food).

Now while Ms Lang shouldn’t have done what she did, a reasonable employer would probably just give her a warning. Unless there were other issues with her employment, outright dismissal is somewhat over the top.

But even that pales into comparison with what they did, which is not just to sack her, but to have her arrested and charged with theft is just nuts. It reminds me of Otago University a few years ago who had a cleaner arrested for stealing university pens. Hell if taking a pen home makes you a thief, we’re all thieves.

Lang will I am sure get diversion, but it would be better of Subway asked the Police to drop the charges. The damage to their corporate reputation will be considerable. It certainly makes me less willing to go there, if that is how they behave.

Lang did do wrong, and Subway were justified in taking some action. But having someone arrested for sharing a drink with a friend is vast overkill.