Store owner allegedly sold winning lottery ticket, fired staff to avoid sharing commission
WADSWORTH, Ill. — Selling the winning lottery ticket turned out to be unlucky for four employees at the gas station that sold the $25.5 million ticket Jan. 3.
The employees, a former manager and three cashiers, allege that they were fired because the Wadsworth Mobil owner did not want to share the one percent commission he received for the winning ticket.
"I'm kind of sorry we sold the winning ticket only because it cost everybody their job," said former cashier Sandy Creamer.
Former manager Sabu Elvumkll of Park Ridge met with the owners on behalf of the cashiers to ask that some of the $255,000 commission be shared with the other employees.
Shortly after this meeting, Elvumkll and the other employees were let go.
The commission is paid to the gas station owner six to eight weeks after the winning ticket was sold, said Illinois Lottery spokeswoman Laura Lehmann.
"Whoever is the owner of that store would receive that one percent. Whatever they decide to do with that money is up to them," Lehmann said. "Most do put it into revitalizing their retail location."
She added that while many also share with their employees, they are under no obligation to do so.
Wadsworth Mobil owner Jose Mathew of Elmhurst said he lost about $200,000 from the land's high rent.
"God gave me the gift to cover the loss to pay back a credit card," Mathew said.
He added that he felt no obligation to share the commission with any of the employees.
Mathews said he fired Elvumkll because he was short of inventory, and said he fired the cashiers for failing to show up to work with a new manager.
The former employees all tell a different story and say it's strange that all the staff involved with the winning lottery ticket sale were replaced.
Creamer, who worked there for about nine months, said she and the others never missed a day. The cashier job was her second job, which was necessary for her to supplement her income after her husband passed away.
"I think everybody was treated unfairly — it all stems from greed," Creamer said.
Like Creamer, former cashier Donn'ye Watkins of Waukegan showed up for work last weekend and was told he wasn't needed any more. "I asked if all this was about the lottery (and) was told not to worry and that we have someone to replace you," Watkins said.
Elvumkll was taken aback at the inventory charge. He poured his own money into stocking the store when he took over its management, Watkins and Creamer said.
They added that they all ran the store and that the owner was rarely around.
"(The owner) is talking like that because he wants to fire everybody because he doesn't want to share the money," Elvumkll said.
Nasty business: four employees allege they were fired because the owner of this Wadsworth Mobil station didn't want to share his lottery bonus.
Thanks to ThatScaryChick for the tip.
The loyalty of owners ....never ceases to amaze me.....nor the absolute GREED !!!
This news story really makes me mad. There was no need to fire their employees. None. If they didn't want to give any employees any of the money they should have just said no. They didn't have to fire them. I hope the store owners lose a lot of business. I don't believe for one second that all of the employees were doing such a bad job that they all needed to be fired at the same time. If they were all horrible employees why weren't they fired earlier? It all boils down to the owners being greedy.
Some clerks think they are more than just an employee getting paid a wage, they see themselves as partners in the business and are entitled to a share of its profits too. I'm surprised they hadn't tracked down the winning ticket owner to claim their share of his winning too.
Once they make it known that they thought they had been cheated out of money they thought they were entitled to, the store owner probably didn't trust them to run his business any longer and fired them.
Lottery retailers should make it clear to their employees from the get go that they are not entitled to any of the profit made selling lottery tickets or to any of the winnings won by their customers.
The other day I was buying some lottery tickets and a nosy customers ask me "what would be the first thing you would do if you won the jackpot?". Since I didn't know him I was tempted to say "It's none of your business" but to be friendly I said "I hadn't thought about it" and the clerk said "the first thing he's going to do is give me my share for running these tickets for him". I didn't say anything more, paid for my tickets and left. I really felt that clerk jinxed me and customers shouldn't have to put up with that type of none sense when they buy lottery tickets.
Thats messed up!
I know that this is not right, I wish no ill will towards the owner of the store but he should have done right by his employees. He could have offered 10,000.00 to each employee and still have over 200,000.00 to put back into the bussiness. I know that the lottery doesn't require that a employer share in the prize of selling a winning ticket but to me it's a no brainer. If I was the person who brought the winning ticket at the store and knew about the situation, I would offer something to the employees as a gesture of good will. Maybe Blagojevich can do something about this, Oh I forgot he is being impeached!
"WE MAKE A LIVING BY WHAT WE GET, WE MAKE A LIFE BY WHAT WE GIVE! "
Sir Winston Churchill
That's just wrong. When a promiss is made those whom made it has to honor it. If the owner have any intelligence, he would share the commissioned as promissed, renovate the gas station with some of the money, and bring in more customers since the station already have some very happy workers. Now, words will spreads and that place will lose a lot of business. Gas stations think they have the only gas in town, or sell the only product, but really they don't. So if the customers don't like anything about the place, from product to the worker or the environment it self, they will go some where else. Now karma really going to get the owner.
I will, on occasion, give a clerk a few bucks but that's only because I like that person and want to give them a tip. But, I feel no obligation to share my lottery winnings with them. At the gas station where I go, the guy said to me, "have you cashed your ticket yet", and I said NO. I had a winning ticket for $500 but that didn't mean he was entitled to any of it when I did cash it. I give because I want to, not because you think I owe you.
Why do people feel this way,..."and the clerk said "the first thing he's going to do is give me my share for running these tickets for him"....they are paid to be there to do a job, and if that includes running the lottery, then so be it.
I'm sorry that these people lost their job but why should they get a share of the commission. Do they pay any of the bills associated with running that gas station? If they do, then yes they should get a piece of the pie, but if not then it's like working anywhere else...you get paid for the job you do.
I don't think the employees necessarily deserved any of the winnings. I do believe it's the winners/owners choice to decide if they want to give them anything. What I think is wrong is to fire everyone. If the owners didn't want to give them money, they should have just told them no. The employees shouldn't have been fired over it.
Nice post, I agree!
Any owner that does not share a little bit with their employess is completely wasting all the good will that comes with a big jackpot sale like that.
Instead of getting all the employees fired up about it, and instead of having good, free advertising for his gas station, the guy has brought about:
Nice job!
Would you trust four minimum wage employees to run your business after they've convinced themselves that you have taken a quarter of a million dollars that they were entitled to? I wouldn't. Most of these type of businesses suffer a little lost even when employees don't complain, a few pops here, a six pack and a carton of cigarettes there, it adds up.
When Kroger sold that MegaMillions winning ticket in Ohio a few weeks ago, they never had any thoughts of sharing it with the workers, management claimed they gave it all to local charities.
I think she was only saying that firing the employees was not good. Employees get upset about things lots of times, but you can't go firing them just for being upset -- it's a human emotion.
It's the guy's choice what to do with his money, but if he had thrown them some bucks quickly (like another recent new story showed a store owner doing), he would probably have happy, productive employees, and a better reputation ... and a lot of money.
Thank you Todd that is what I was saying. I don't see how firing the employees at this time was a good thing.
I don't know the employees, so I can't say whether I would trust them or not. But if they were so bad to begin with, they should have been fired earlier. It just stinks to fire them after the owners came into some money. It makes me wonder if the employees have a case for wrongful termination. Again, I am not saying the employees deserved any of the money, but it sure doesn't seem like they deserved to lose their jobs.
It's a shame. Money sure can complicate things, but it's nothing that reasoned minds can't overcome.
Chalk it up to life experience. What goes around, comes around.
I think the employees were out of line for asking for the owner to share the money. He is under no obligation to them. Having said that i agree with whomever said he handled the situation terribly and it is probably going to affect his business.
I think the owner could have given them "something" They would have probably been happy with 500.00 a piece. As far as firing them, he was way off base. If he did something right in all of this he will prosper but if he did something wrong he will go under. Plain and simple. Word has a way of getting around and most folks may not appreciate what he did. He was plain greedy and that is my take on it. Apparently he did trust them to run his station because he was never around. Maybe he will get lucky and the next group he hires will steal him blind because loyalty is not generally bought and sold like a good. It is trust between management and their workers. That trust says that each will do the right thing in the absence of the other. Most lottery retailers do give their workers something..kind of like a gift or bonus for doing a good job.
This guy is obviously a low life, he could have said no to the employees instead of showing gratitude for their hard work. What the hell is 2000 dollars out of 255,000 that he didnt earn? As for his excuses on why he fired them, i say Santa Claus is more real then his story. This low life deserves the karma he puts out. I hope with any luck he will be on the headlines again...but not for winning the lottery...but the for the bad luck he gets!!!!!
Taking my cue from this article, I decided to nip any future misunderstanding in the bid. I call my staff into the kitchen and told them straight out that should this corporation recieve any windfall from Powerball that they would not (and I emphasized NOT) recieve any benefit.
My kids wondered what a Powerball was and my wife promptly dumped my supper into the garbage disposal.
Should I fire them?
Keep the kids. The wife? Well, no comment.
Yeah go ahead and grease the wheels of the big corporations and forget about the people who work for them. Because if it wasn't for us workers working for them, they wouldn't be where they are today! I remember one person saying something like that along those lines on the Kroger story!
Now that's a funny way of looking at things! You don't work at some job somewhere you don't earn a living and if you don't earn a living, you don't have a roof over your head, no food in your belly, no car to drive! So for those who have the mentality of if it wasn't for me working for you, you wouldn't be the company you are today, better get off of that way of thinking altogether. Because there are plenty of other people out there that did that job way before you came along and there will be plenty more to do it after you're dead and gone! "There is no one at any company that's not expendable, NO ONE!" Always remember that and do your job to the best of your ability and don't ask for things you have absolutely no right to be asking for and you'll have that job! And if not, you'll end up on the unemployment line! "Explain that one to your wife or husband and kids as to why you're now unemployed."
LOL
"God gave me the gift to cover the loss to pay back a credit card," Mathew said.
Yes, I'm sure God thought so much of this guy that he touched that lottery ticket and made someone a winner, so that Mathew can go on gou-- *cough* umm... selling petroleum products, making the CEOs even more filthy rich than they already are. At the same time those lowly employees couldn't have been good people in God's eyes or else they would own their own gas stations where they could look down on their own slave wage employees.
And he's buying a stairway to heaven, where the streets are obviously paved in high interest plastic.
Could it have been that the former manager demanded equal slpits between the owner and employees? Even if that had happened the owner could say no and negotiated to $5000 a piece for each employee. That would have shown appreciation from the owner toward his employees. Poor thing! It did not happen. I guess his employee turnover cost is minimal being compared to sharing lottery bonus.
While the store may not be required to share the commission, it would be morally right if they did share some of it. If stores had a policy of sharing any commission, it would encourage staff and boost morale.
$10,000
$5,000
$2,000
Are you guys crazy? Why would some gas station, anywhere, give employees that much of a bonus?
Maybe the equivalent of one week's wages, but not thousands of dollars. They are not entitled to it anymore than if the gas station showed a profit of $255,000 in the normal course of business. And they had the guts to ask if the owners would share? Huh? IF I want to share, it will be offered, you don't ask.
Quote: (Former manager Sabu Elvumkll of Park Ridge met with the owners on behalf of the cashiers to ask that some of the $255,000 commission be shared with the other employees.)
I think his business is already being affected by the allegation that his station had a problem with water in the fuel.
I agree with all those who are irked anytime a clerk asks for a tip or a share from lottery ticket buying customers, and that employees are not entitled to any bonus the store earned (I am pretty sure the bonus check is made payable to the owner of the store and does not list the names of all employees as would be the case in a lottery pool).
I don't think this store owner is going to have a problem replacing those fired employees...people are losing their jobs left and right, so I am sure the pool of available minimum wagers is brimming full up around Wadsworth.
On another note, that makes this the second IL lotto win in a 2 yr timespan for a store along Route 41 (the other store was a Marathon about 2 miles further north)...does this qualify this stretch of highway lucky like they write about that stretch of road up in Fond du lac Wisconsin where the 100 Sargento Cheese workers hit a $200M annuitized jackpot Powerball and someone else also bought a winning ticket for a different Powerball drawing from a store along that stretch? They say people go out of their way to purchase powerball tickets there. My thought is...it's the numbers stupid...not the place...and I also think...
Maybe he should have told them no and explained to them that he needed to save his business so they could all keep thier jobs. If that was the truth behind his decision not too share his commission, but too fire them just plain old stinks!!!! I don't even understand the people who feel that this guy was even remotely right or smart for the way he handled this whole situation. I personally think some of you have no compassion if it happened to you we would see a whole different point of view. I don't feel he had to share his commision or even explain himself but sometimes we have to do things were not used to doing just because it's right and will save ourselves and others a whole lot of heartache and regret. I wish those ex-employees well and hope they find more loyal employers, some actually do care about their workers. That will probably take a while since they will likely have to explaine why they were fired from their last job.
I believe we would not have the economic crisis in this country if more employers valued their employees. No business can be successul without the dedication and loyalty of its employees. Personally when it comes to playing the lottery, I prefer to go to stores where the cashiers are courteous and have a winning attitude. Just imagine the positive energy that could have surrounded that store if the owner would have shared just a little of the winnings. GREED is one of the 7 deadly sins.
And I guess those ex-employees didn't show any GREED huh? Yes they sure did and they got their just reward!
As the lottery says they give the bonus check to the stores owner who sold the winning ticket! And if the owners wish to share some small part of it with the employees, that is their "CHOICE" to do so if they wish too! But most owners use the win fall to upgrade their stores!
No we would not have the economic crisis in this country if the mortgage companies hadn't dreamed up those interest only, option ARM (pick a payment) type loans; obviously, the profit motive (WAMU, Countrywide stood to make hundreds of billions had this scheme actually worked) overrode common sense...that people buy homes to pay them off, not to "rent" their own home.
No we would not have the economic crisis in this country if the mortgage brokers had done the right thing and put people who actually qualified for prime loans into prime loans instead of pulling a fast one and placing them in subprime loans.
No we would not have the economic crisis in this country if the people who bought homes or refinanced their existing mortgage actually read their mortgage documents BEFORE signing them...and if they knew they couldn't understand the jargon, had hired their own real estate lawyer to review the documents and translate the pertinent sections into laymans terms...i.e. this is a subprime loan with an adjustable interest rate that will reset in such and such a time, and when it resets at the specified interest rate increases, your monthly payment could go from X dollars to XXXX dollars or this option arm loan will add to your principal balance if you do not make at least the interest payment.
Everything else you said is true, but remember that all businesses exist to cater to the customer...not the other way around (that is businesses do not exist to cater to the employee). Obviously there have to be some tangible benefits for the employee. However, because the ultimate risk of the business' success or failure rests with the owner, the owner has to be the greatest beneficiary of the business.
Don't take this personal, but your post makes absolutely no sense at all! You say one thing and then the next statement contradicts what you previously said.
First you start off by saying "Maybe he should have told them no and explained...." Then a few sentences later, you say, "I don't even understand the people who feel that this guy was even remotely right...." Then here's the kicker...a few sentences after that, you say, "I don't feel he had to share his commission or even explain himself...psychobabble...psychobabble."
Perhaps the former manager and the other ex-employees should have THOUGHT first before having that former manager speak on their behalf...if they would have understood their roles and thought about it first, they would have just kept their wishes to themselves and did their jobs.
Just like I don't get Wall St. financial services companies doling out bonus when the companies weren't profitable last year, I also don't see how sharing in any commission would encourage staff nor boost morale.
The clerks get paid to do specified job tasks. People of their own volition come in purchase lottery tickets and other products. The only time I have ever heard a clerk "selling" the lottery is whenever the Powerball or Megamillions jackpot amounts had gotten HUGE. But I would say that whether a person chose to buy a ticket or not had little to do with that suggestion, but more so with the fact the jackpot was huge and that person did not have any moral hangups or financial constraints in buying a lottery ticket.
The only way a clerk could even remotely hope to get a tip from me is if I was filling out a lottery playslip and couldn't decide on a 6th number, and the clerk says such and such a number is my lucky number...I bet on it when I played russian roulette in Atlantic City/Vegas/whereever the casino is located and won XXXX dollars...and I happened to play it and all six numbers match for that drawing. Now obviously, that clerk would have no legal right to any of my winnings, so don't even think to suggest that I should tip the clerk 1/6th of my winnings. No I would give the clerk a commisserate tip reflecting my gratitude...like maybe a Benjamin or two. Nothing over the top.
A week's wages would have been more than generous. In response to Scary's comments, I do agree that firing them for asking would have been unethical. However, I doubt if that's what really happened. If they were disgruntled and he felt they would steal from him or cause harm to his business, he probably had no choice.
This is no different from a clerk expecting to share your lottery jackpot. There's nothing wrong with giving a tip if you so choose, but would you give a clerk $10,000 if you won $255,000? Anyway, he has to pay tax on the commission, so it's not really $255,000. The cable company didn't give me a free month because it made a huge profit and I've been a loyal Comcast customer for over 12 years. Unless these people invested money in the business, they don't have any "rights" to the money. That's simply ridiculous.
This story really makes me disgusted. Typical Greed. And people wonder why we are in a resession.
Play the lottery and scratch off's when you can afford to or have some spare change laying around.
DO NOT WASTE you money, You should be saving it. The ammount you spend to the returns you get
are not equal. Inless you win millions of dolalrs.
HAVE common sense!
Good luck with your number and tickets
Your post is unclear...typical greed on whose part? I would assume the workers but it is not clear from what you posted.
Ah, the entitlement society.
Maybe the ex-employees can put their pennies together and win their own jackpot, then everyone can be happy.
Fire them right now so they can't make any claim to your winnings!!! Just kidding! But you might want to keep an eye out on your wife...if you happened to win, does she have the looks and potentially the desire to strike out as a free agent and try to join another team (if you know what I mean)? If she is the happy homebody type, I wouldn't worry too much; but if she is a looker and likes to have "girls nights out" type, all I can say is watch out...because you know what happens when a bunch of women get together and start gabbing!
Anyway, my corporation is only between myself and my brother...my wife will never know that I won and if she did get a clue about it, I could easily just say my brother won and I am just a beneficiary in helping him with his business and investment pursuits...be happy with that brand new Mercedez I bought you and quit questioning where the cash flow is coming from! I would also become a legal pimp...Nevada here I come!!!
This is typical of the american economic setup lowpaid workers manning the front lines for wealthy corporations with a high expectation of loyalty for the company without proper compensation. And the general publics perception is that they are unworthy of any bonuses. Yet wall street pokes america in the butt and still receives thier bonuses.
I think Americans ARE outraged that the Wall Street thieves are getting bonus's for stealing America blind,but can't figure out how to stop the thievery.Washington is not helping the situation by bailing out the thieves.
As for the gas station owner,its his right to fire anyone that he thinks needs firing.Thinking that they deserved to share in HIS bonus sounds to me to be a good reason to fire them.He paid them to do a certain job,not to help him spend HIS bonus.If they were supposed to get a bonus,the lottery would have sent them a check,too.
"This is typical of the american economic setup lowpaid workers manning the front lines for wealthy corporations with a high expectation of loyalty for the company without proper compensation. And the general publics perception is that they are unworthy of any bonuses. Yet wall street pokes america in the butt and still receives thier bonuses."
Wall Street bonuses, CEO bonuses especially when they are over paid to begin with, is dispicable. But are you suggesting bonuses should be given to follow the despicable path rather than do what we can to stop that reprehensible practice?
Yes he is the one that needs to fired, could not agree more.
aberdeennut..
".....Former manager Sabu Elvumkll of Park Ridge met with the owners on behalf of the cashiers to ask that some of the $255,000 commission be shared with the other employees. .......
My question is whether Elvumkll assumed he was entitled to all or part of the bonus simply because he happened to manage the store.
Don't believe we're hearing all the facts. However, mission accomplished by story author, we're spending time talking about it.
This story really touched my heart. With the way the economy is now and thousands of people are loosing their jobs and is hard to support their families, this is all about greed. The owner could have done whatever with the money received, so I really don't see why people lost their jobs because of this. I am sure that if it happens again, the new employees will be let go as well. I say, have a heart, it would have not hurt to give the workers something for all of their hard work... He will not be blessed because of this, you just don't treat people this way...
$255,000.00 is enough to buy a business wit. I would buy a franshisey.
Cash station employess make up to $12.00 an hour. who cares about $12 bucks when you can buy your own business. hhm?
Hi Todd!
I agree!
I also think that situations like this can expose who you really are.....This owner may have gained money, but he is seriously lacking in the things that matter the most...
Yes its true, he did not have to give them anything. But if he had, I am sure it would have made for some really happy employees..........
It seems like there was enough money for this owner to pay off whatever debt/loss he had on this property ($200K) and STILL give to his employees!
I really hope these people find jobs and fast, and I hope their new employer will be more appreciative of who they are.
First of all it seems this is one of those times where you say "what a jerk" I mean YES I AGREE That the employees are under no entitlement to any of the commission, as whoever sold the ticket did it in the process of doing their job..HOWEVER....
If I was the owner I would have taken them out for a nice dinner or something...you know Like a celebration....I mean it would be a tax writefoff in itself right?? He would have brought a lot more good will upon himself that way..the problem here is that even though the owner may deny and contradict what the former employees are saying, the good will brought to his business and any future business also is now left to the mercy of people's individual opinions. and in this case I thin kthe average Joe would side with the employees, not the OWNER...That is NOT good for business!!!! I don't feel the employees should have gotten checks or anything like that...BUT COME ON...Letting them GO??? These people have FAMILIES TO FEED....WHAT A JERK!!! I wonder if any lawsuits or defamation suits will arise from this???
O.K. the employees find out that the owner of the gas station gets one percent of the jackpot 255K. Then the manager asks the owner if he's gonna share with them, obviously he's under no obligation to do so, then he terminates thier employment. What an ANUS! How painful would it have been to find four envelops and put $1000 in each one and say here ya go. That small gesture would have paid back big dividends.
Headline..........SERVICE STATION OWNER BONUSES EMPLOYEES WITH
WIN!!!!!
Local station owner thrilled with business from general public! Can't keep LOTTERY TICKETS in store............Employees say When You Shop and Work Here that Everybody WINS.................."we just came in to work the next day and there was an envelope with a month's pay" WOW.......there were microphones and television and radio stations wanting to find out if we really were lucky"........I'll say.........It's great to work here".........(Just let a little go......and maybe a lot will come back)...........beaudad..............Would've been nice if it were true..................that owner is a JERK!
I think the manager was a greedy a hole for taking the entire bonus for himself. He would have gotta alot farther giving the employee's a small portion of the money. The workers might not have "deserved" the money for just working in the store and punching a button to print a ticket, but he would have gotten off cheaper given them a little than what they thought they deserved. The owner could have probably given them each 500 bucks and they would have been happy, but when they didn't even get offered anything they probably convinced each other they were owed half the money! However it really does anger me when I go in a gas station and buy lottery tickets and the clerk will ask it I will split the jackpot with them. WHAT??? Your punching a button! You aren't giving me any money for tickets.......I don't owe you Anything! I recently stopped going to a store because a clerk kept asking everyone buying tickets if they would SPLIT the money with them...not give them a piece..SPLIT! I told them to buy their own tickets and quit going to that store! END OF RANT....LOL
Maybe if those clerks had given the type of service that Jorma Hogbacka (the Canadian 649 winner) of St. Catherines got from the waitresses at Tim Horton, the winner of the $25.5M jackpot would be looking them up to give them a check for $30K too.
Yesterday, Hogbacka gave Melissa Grivich, 24, of Welland and Sithorn Chuon, 24, of St. Catharines their tip, a cheque in the amount of $30,000, scribbled with the words "Have a nice day" on them. http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/266200
Obviously given from the heart.
But you have to note, the waitresses were not actually employed by Hogbacka.
A gas station here (MI) seldom has employees that stay long term or are very hard working or loyal. Afterall they are minimum wage (or slightly over) unless they themselves become management. They are not mechanics (few gas stations have mechanics - most are self-serve gas), they only punch a few buttons, handle the stock, sell lottery tickets and make sure the all the cash is there at the end of their shift. That is a lot of responsibility but about on par with a fast-food job. Nothing wrong with either. Been there, done that. If anyone knows of a gas station that gives bonuses of $1,000 or more, kindly let me know, I think I could be good employee worthy of that kind of bonus.
It's ashame that such greed has risen on both sides. By law the owner dosn't have to share the profit he has made. The employees should have not attempted to ask for any of the winnings as well.
The owner should be glad that he has employees that feel greatful to take charge and run the business (take care of) as if it was their very own. This shows pride, and thankfulness that they have a job.
The owner should have given some sort of gift to them to show his gratitude. If they were such bad employees, they should have been let go earlier.
The employees can bring suite! Not on behalf of the winnings, but on behalf of the time they are let go (I.E. after the winnings). The stipulation must include the fact that they should have received some sort of rating on how well they had been performing their jobs prior to the release, and or their mistakes ( Ex. being late). This all should have been in writing. (If it's not in writing, then it wasn't done!) This fact runs true for both parties!!!!! If the owner didn't put it in writing, how can he suddenly fire them???
If the employees were evaluated (good or poor) how were they released "especially all at one time" ????? There must be warnings and or some sort of discipline applied prior to the release.
I'm more than certain a good judge and or jury can and would see clearly of these facts. If what I think is true, someone had better do some fast rehiring......................
Beaudad....
That would have been a great headline and story!
Any act of kindness is good for the soul (esp. with times being the way they are).
I agree $500 each wouldn't have killed him and probably been more than they make in a week.
Anyway of course whatever you put out there comes back so I would hate to be the owner.
In this economy I hate that anyone would lose their jobs especially over something as silly as this.
That's sad to hear that the same folks that kept that place going are the same folks having to find other work. Although the owner wasn't obligated to give them anything, it would have been nice to give them all at least a thousand dollars. Well what goes around comes around. He better hope the new employees don't rob him blind! Karma, Karma
You're probably right, $500 each wouldn't have killed him but it might have been insulting to them if they felt they were entitled to a lot more and the outcome might have been the same.
When Jack Whittaker won the largest PowerBall jackpot ever, he bought the waitress at a local café who served him coffee every morning an $80-$90K home which he thought was an upgrade from the trailer she lived in. When asked later what she thought about his gift to her, she said she thought with the money he won he could have afforded a nicer home for her with $1M or so to help with the future upkeep and taxes. As it was, she felt with her waitress job and the house he gave her she was worst off because she couldn't afford the maintenance cost and real estate taxes.
Any business in a state that provides a bonus to the retailer that sells a jackpot winning ticket needs to have a clear policy on where that money goes. Heck, they need to be clear on to whom belongs the dime found on the selling floor and who still owns what goes into the dumpster.
The real question is whether the owner ever told the employees they would be in for a share (and what kind of share) if their store sold a jackpot winning ticket.
BobP
During my brief stay in Florida many years back I worked at a gas station/party store that was part of a fairly large chain in Florida and elsewhere, someone at another location in the area won whatever the main FL jackpot game was, I think it was around 40M at the time but I'm probably wrong, well the place that sold the winning ticket did share either the full or a portion of the commission with the employees.
That is exactly why she probably is still working as a waitress and has probably lost the house due to unpaid property taxes because of that stanking entitlement attitude a lot of Americans have today! This lady was a total ingrate! I bet she talks bad about the customers that even leave 15 percent tips...probably mutters that they could at least give her 20 or 30 percent just for saying, "How you doing there" just after you had just put a fork full of meat in your gullet or "Here's your bill" while you are still eating (that by the way is rude IMHO; restaurants overseas realize that the patron is in control...so if the patron wants to take his/her time enjoying the food, atmosphere, and company/conversation of others, so be it; I prefer to have to ask for the bill rather than it being thrust on the table while I am still eating...when that happens, even if I was on the fence about ordering dessert, I don't even consider it at that point as the placement of the bill on the table signals that that waitresses service to you is over...good luck if you need anything else.).
But really American people can be so ungrateful for things like this. JW didn't have to give her an additional dime! And she was upset he didn't give her 10 times what he did give to her? What a @ss she was/is! If someone I knew had just won or come into some big money and gave me just say a Benjamin Franklin out of their thousand or million dollar haul, I would still be thankful for that because in my view, that is $100 more than I had before that person so gratiously gave it to me. Seriously! That is why I don't give street beggars any change because for one, it can set you up to be robbed or worse.
I don't think this owner has anything to worry about concerning fall out from firing those employees...if anything, it would have more to do with the petroleum products he sells.
Also, by and large, convenience store employees are unloyal...sure most convenience stores have security cameras to thwart or catch any robbers and thieves...but they also install those cameras to catch employee theft as well. Let's give this thread a break...on the lottery playslip rules, it says a bonus will be paid to the store that sold the winning ticket. Whoever OWNS the store receives that bonus, otherwise the statement would say something like, "The store and all associated employees will receive a percentage bonus of the winning sold ticket...last time I checked, NO playslip says anything like that. Just like I don't believe any convenience store owner shares the stores profits with said employees, I don't think most would even consider sharing a lottery bonus.
A store owner giving the employees a part of the bonus is certainly up to the owner. It really wouldn't have hurt the guy to give the employees "something out the win...a few hundred and he would probably have gotten good appreciative workers...now what? I doubt if anyone he hires will have any loyality to him...because they will know he only cares about himself.
It never ceases to amaze me how so many people think that they are entitled to someone elses money.Most of you would really scream if someone demanded that you give them part of YOUR lottery winnings,yet you think that it is wrong for the gas station owner not to share HIS bonus with his employees.Put yourself in his position and tell me that you would share your bonus with ANYONE.I'm guessing that most of you would change your tune in a heartbeat if you suddenly came into $250,000.
The most telling line in the story is "They added that they all ran the store and that the owner was rarely around."
Do these people not understand that the benefit of being the owner is you do not have to be around? That is why you hire people.
I think that clearly shows that the employees probably had a strong sense of entitlement, and this shows in the manager actually having a meeting with the owner about the cash.
We don't really know what happened here, but I bet they wanted a big cut.
At that point, you cannot make anyone happy, and how can you trust someone with a register full of cash, if they think you owe them money?
If I were passing this gas station I would pull in and next to the pump, and tell the attendant to tell the manager that I am boycotting his station and telling others to do so, and then pull away. I would say it loudly enough for others to hear.
If I were the 25M winner I would buy a station close to his and charge 99c a gallon (whatever I could get away with) or maybe slip some free scratch-offs to customers heheheheh..
I would not relent until he rehired all of the employees.
I agree he doesn't have to share one penny with them but his reaction to them is excessive.
Attendant?
Where have you been living for the last 30+ years?Its been pretty much a self service industry since the 70's.
"I would not relent until he rehired all of the employees."
So you admit you would not hire his ex employees either?
Hmm, 99 cent gas and free scratch-offs.... Would that be classified as gifts or business expense?
Original Post by MaddMike51
Attendant? Where have you been living for the last 30+ years?Its been pretty much a self service industry since the 70's.
Hmm, well there was one or two gas stations with a "full service" option (which they charged a little extra for) in my area up until around eight years ago..