Supermarket bagger jailed over P60 chocolate bars

Was it worth it?

For allegedly stealing two chocolate bars worth P60, a grocery “bagger” was arrested and charged with qualified theft in a Manila regional trial court.

Assistant City Prosecutor Romeo Poso on Friday recommended the filing of charges against Goldee Canja, 23, a bagger at SM Supermarket in SM City Manila.

The complaint filed by the supermarket chain said Canja “acted with unfaithfulness and grave abuse of confidence.”

According to Roniel Jorvina, a security guard at the supermarket, he followed Canja to the exit after he saw him slip two chocolate bars in his pants pocket before noon on Tuesday.

The guard brought Canja to the security office and alerted the management after the bagger failed to produce a receipt for the chocolates.

Canja is now  detained at the Manila Police District Ermita station.

Last December, another bagger  employed by the SM chain was caught in the same bind after he allegedly stole a  bag of potato chips worth P26.50 and ate its contents while on duty.

SM Savemore’s Sampaloc branch charged Erwin Pallan  with qualified theft, and the suspect spent Christmas Day in jail.

Pallan’s coworkers told the Inquirer  that  his parents had appealed to the supermarket’s management to let their son go since it was the Christmas season.

Management, however, seemed reluctant to do so.

“Eating on the job, even it is just a piece of candy, is a ground for termination,” one of Pallan’s coworkers said.

“Employees were repeatedly informed during the orientation that eating is not allowed, even if it’s only a piece of  candy, when on duty. We were told that it was  a ground for termination,” she added.

After the incident, the supermart’s employees were again required to attend  a whole-day orientation on company policies to remind them of their duties and responsibilities.