Eating on job proves costly for grocery ‘bagger’

It seemed like a stiff price to pay for a minor indiscretion, but rules are rules.

For eating a bag of potato chips worth P26.50 he allegedly stole while on duty, an 18-year-old “bagger” of a popular supermarket chain in Sampaloc, Manila, spent Christmas Day in jail.

He is still under detention.

A report signed by Superintendent James Afalla, Sampaloc station commander, said Erwin Pallan had been charged by SM Savemore for qualified theft for stealing a bag of potato chips.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer tried to talk to Pallan in his detention cell Wednesday afternoon but was reportedly barred from doing so by Afalla, according to Senior Inspector Antonio Naag.

“The chief (Afalla) said he could not be interviewed because he had already been subjected to an inquest,” Naag said.

Naag also could not produce any document to show why Pallan was still in jail three days after he was caught eating the chips.

According to Pallan’s coworkers who visited him in jail Wednesday, his parents had appealed to the supermarket’s management to forgive their son, especially since it was Christmas.

“Management won’t really agree to this because eating on the job, even it is just a piece of candy, is a ground for termination,” a coworker of Pallan, who declined to be identified, told the Inquirer.

She said that based on Pallan’s statement to the security guards “he was tempted and was not able to resist the chips.”

After Pallan was caught, all the supermart’s employees were again required to attend  a whole day orientation on company policies, she added.

“Employees were repeatedly informed during the orientation that eating is not allowed, even candy, when on duty. Doing so is a ground for termination, we were told.”

Based on the police report, Pallan was caught by a security guard eating the chips at around 5:42 p.m. on Dec. 24.

After a report of the incident was relayed to the management, Pallan was immediately arrested and brought to the police station.