Wrongfully Accused of Stealing

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SavvyAnna

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I suppose I'll just start fromt he beginning.

I went into work one day to find that my employee sign in card had been removed, my boss quickly came stomping up behind me and told me to wait in the break room, she had a confrence call with me. I was only a cashier of three months, so this had never happened before, I thought I was getting promoted. After an hour of waiting(an hour I was supposed to be working and earning money), she called me into her office, and man said hello to me, via speaker phone. He asked me about myself, about my last job being a manager, al sorts of random questions. He then asks me if I know our employee discount store policy, I reply with a "only myself and immediate family can use it." He corrects me very rudely and says,"No, only immediate family who LIVE with you may use it." So, I instantly know what this is about, I thought. I had used my discount on a couple(and I do mean a couple,TWO) purchases made by my roomate. I didn't mention this yet though.

He then starts asking me about some random purchases I had made, he asked my boss to hand me the copied reciepts of a few purchases, I remembered one, which included dishes, food, towels. He then asks me to tell him how these items were paid for, I look on the recepit to find they were paid for with a gift card. I tell him, and he becomes very smug and rude, and then badgers me to tell him where I got this gift card. I have to take a moment to think, because I have recieved two giftcards for my birthday in March. He then abruptlt exclaims that a "miss jane johnson" ( my roomate) had recently returned some items. I do not initially recall what items he's reffering to because she returned many things she didn't like. He then drills me about my friends, asks ALL sorts of questions about her, and then tells me that "These items she returned had not been sold in Tucson, this year."

I know where he's going with this now. I ask him what 'these items' are, he says one is a "God Statue", one is a "wine opener". And that they were stolen from the store I worked at, and returned to another location. He then accuses me of stealing these items, making my friend return them, and then using the gift card with my employee discount. And that if I don't confess by the end of the day, they'll have to press charges or keep my paycheck to cover the lost money.I start sobbing by this point, in disbelief. I know I hadn't stolen anything, but I was beginning to believe my friend had, because shortly after the last blow, he tells me that they spoke with my friend, and she already gave them a statement, and then he continues to badger me about confessing. I tell then I can't confess to anything, but I'll speak to my friend and call them back.

I meet with my friend that evening and tell her everything, she's infuriated. She says she's been in work all day, and no one has called her, ever. She says that in fact, the phone number she put on the return slip, was her last phone number(she recently got a new cell) so that there was NO WAY they could have called her. She also explains the items. The wine opener was part of a house warming basket she recieved when she moved into her apartment, and the 'God Statue' was a wall plaque I had givin her on Yule for her Alter! over a year ago! She said she returned it because we were so desperate for food a the time.

There's the story. What should I do? If anything? I did not steal these items, I have atleast a dozen people who has seen the plaque in my house well before I ever worked at this store. Can they withhold my paycheck? I realise they had ground to fire me because I willingly admitted to letting a friend use my discount(even though she did LIVE with me, and the items were for both of us), but I don't want my work history tarnished.

Was this whole situation(the way they handled the situation) illegal or, wrong?
 
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