(This blog was originally written on Myspace)
I live in a small town in the rolling hills and valleys of mid-Wales. It’s a quiet little place, not a lot happens. When compared to the rest of the country, crime is practically non-existent. The worst we suffer from is mindless vandalism from bored teenagers and drunken yobs.
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago i returned to work after a few days off to find a security camera had been installed. Now, I wouldn’t have minded if it were surveying the whole shop. But no, it was pointed directly at me, at the till.
There had been rumours amongst the other staff that money had been going missing, but I gave it no heed. I’m not one for gossip, and when it come to work (well, this job at least), i don’t give a damn. I just want to come in, do what has to be done, and leave with the minimum of fuss.
So, I stood there, under the gaze of the cold glass eye, and I noticed my behaviour had changed. I was definitely more self-conscious (I’m self-conscious at the best of times), making sure everything was in plain view of the camera, appearing as if I were working hard (i took it upon myself to do as little as possible around the shop after a disagreement with the boss. I leave it to the rest of the staff, they like their kiss-ass brownie points anyway). I have absolutely no idea why I was doing this as my conscience is clear. I’ve had nothing out of that till. It makes you think…
It’s two weeks on, my behaviour has returned to normal. I sit around listening to my iPod as often as I can, even getting slightly miffed if a customer dare disturb me. The money? It’s still missing, as far as I know. No staff members have disappeared, so I assume nobody has been caught red-handed. Lets hope the dirty tea-leaf has been sensible enough to end their evil ways.
