I stole hundreds of dollars from the store I worked at because my manager wouldn’t give me a raise.

When I was 16, I worked at a grocery store in what amounts to their deli counter.<br><br>I did not like this job very much. It was grueling and difficult, and I was on my feet the entire time. I didn’t make much money either. Barely enough to cover gas for my commute, but I got tons of free food out if it. I didn’t even spend a dollar for lunch my entire junior year. The store paid for it all. <br><br>But every once in a while, my manager would call me over to the register at lunch and then give me a twenty from the till. <br><br>I never really thought about how I was stealing before. I guess in my dumb teenage brain, I didn’t feel like I was breaking the law because my manager was the one handing me the twenty. But one day, she got a strict new manager and the freebies started drying up. <br><br>My manager pulled me aside and told me that she could no longer give me lunch money because of her new boss. I was surprised when I felt angry at the revelation I was breaking the law. I had never really thought about it before because my manager was telling me to take the money, but when she wasn’t giving me money anymore, I felt like I was being ripped off. <br><br>So I started stealing. I think over the course of a few months I stole hundreds of dollars. I would hide my twenties in deli meat tubs and then at the end of my shift, I’d take them home. <br><br>But one day I got caught. A coworker caught me hiding a twenty and she went and told my manager. The same manager that was giving me twenties. And she fired me. <br><br>She was livid with me. I felt so ashamed that I never told anyone about getting fired. When people asked me why I quit I just said I got a better job. <br><br>When I look back on that, I should have taken the opportunity to tell her how I felt. How it was fucked up that she was giving me money before and when she stopped, I thought she was ripping me off. <br><br>The whole situation was fucked up and I’m ashamed of it.<br><br>Edit:<br><br>Wow didn’t expect this to blow up. <br><br>To answer a few questions:<br><br>1. Yes I was minimum wage. $8.50 an hour in 2010 doesn’t go very far, especially with a commute. <br><br>2. Yes I was stealing. There’s no denying that. And I didn’t deserve that money. But I felt like I did at the time. And I was only 16. I still think the manager involved me in her scheme, which is fucked up as hell. <br><br>3. Yes I should have taken the opportunity to explain why I did what I did. Like I said in my original post, I was ashamed. I didn’t want to get arrested. <br><br>4. It doesn’t matter if I stole $20 or $100. Stealing is wrong. I fully admit that I stole. I don’t condone stealing. <br><br>5. I know a lot of people have their hand in the till in retail. I didn’t know that at the time. It doesn’t matter how common it is. It’s wrong.