A Malaysian business owner has urged customers to always ask for receipts after alleging that a staff member had been pocketing cash payments without recording orders in the system.
In a post on Threads, the owner claimed the employee had memorised menu prices to carry out the alleged scheme without raising suspicion among customers.
The owner illustrated how it allegedly worked using a caramel latte priced at RM13.50 and a tuna sandwich costing RM4.50, bringing the total to RM18.
Instead of entering the items into the system, the employee allegedly calculated the bill from memory and collected the customer’s cash payment.
The owner further claimed that the staff member kept RM1, RM5 and RM10 notes, along with coins, in their pocket to provide customers with change.
“They would give customers change using their own money. Then, the sales money would go into their pocket,” the owner alleged.
As a result, customers could have believed they were completing an ordinary transaction, while their orders were allegedly never recorded in the business’s system.
When a commenter asked whether the outlet had closed-circuit television (CCTV), the owner confirmed that cameras were installed but said there was insufficient time to review the footage daily.
According to the owner, suspicions arose when stock was running low despite recorded cash sales remaining below RM500.
“There was a lot of stock running out, but cash sales didn’t even reach RM500. That was when I checked the CCTV,” the owner wrote.
The owner did not disclose how long the alleged scheme had been going on or the total amount of money involved.
Following the experience, the owner appealed to customers to make it a habit to collect their receipts or request one if staff did not offer it.
“So I’d like to ask everyone for help. Please get into the habit of taking your receipt, or asking for one if the staff don’t give it to you,” they wrote.
The post prompted other Threads users to suggest ways businesses could strengthen their payment and order-tracking procedures.
One commenter recommended introducing self-service kiosks or app-based ordering systems so staff could concentrate on preparing food and drinks.
Another suggested requiring every order to be entered into the system before the kitchen or barista began preparing it, alongside daily stock and sales checks and regular CCTV monitoring.
Meanwhile, a commenter who identified themselves as a senior outlet supervisor advised customers to be cautious when staff claimed that the system was down and receipts could not be issued.
The business owner’s experience has prompted a simple reminder for customers: always check that a transaction is recorded and ask for a receipt before leaving the outlet.
