I don’t know if you have ever employed a housekeeper and or a housekeeper who steals from you but there must be a “how to steal guide” somewhere because they all do it the same. This is how I image the guide looks.
How to steal and make your employer think they are crazy.
1. Take something they wear or use all the time and return it weeks later. A favorite shirt, work out pants, a cool belt. When you return it put it back in a different spot than where it belongs. It will make them think they just got careless or are unorganized.
2. Take something they could never imagine you would want to steal and never return it. i.e. make-up, underwear, an old waste paper basket from the garage, or their favorite spatula from William Sonoma.
3. If they still haven’t caught on you can now elevate to another level of stealing. Take something more expensive which they hardly ever use and see if they notice. For example a designer purse they keep stored in containers at the top of their closet or piece of jewelry they never wear.
4. If they notice and confront you deny it to the end. After you deny it repeatedly, just bring it back the next week, hide it in the back of the closet and pretend you found it for them while cleaning. You will be their hero and they will feel horribly guilty for accusing you. Now you are positioned to start taking lots of stuff from them because they are racked with guilt and won’t accuse you until it is beyond obvious.
Good Luck and remember to always deny everything.
Sadly the best housekeeper I have ever had recently started stealing from us and as a result is longer employed in our home. She isn’t the first, nor I imagine the last who will steal from us. I still can’t believe it because she seemed so sweet, trustworthy and was by far the best cleaner ever. I doubt I will ever find someone who cleans like her. I am really bummed about this. I am usually a good judge of character and I never once suspected anything amiss. Actually as I sit here writing this I will take that statement back because there was one incidence in the 2 years she worked for us that I got a funny feeling.
I walked in on her cleaning Tabitha’s room and she acted weird when she looked over at me. It struck me as odd, and I contemplated why she would act that way and couldn’t come up with any answers I was willing to accept, so I went on with my day.
It all started when Tabitha noticed her favorite Lululemon pants were missing (rule 1). This happened while I was away in the hospital with Tiara so she thought someone else had mixed up the laundry while I was gone. When I got back from the hospital she told me they were missing and I helped her look every where but we couldn’t find them.
She then mentioned it to someone in our family who also employed the same housekeeper as us. Her response ” I have also been missing 2 pairs of work out pants and I thought I had gone crazy because I can’t find them anywhere.” After comparing notes we discovered Mac lipsticks(what a gross thing to steal), teeth whiteners, a fake Hermes belt, and my new favorite underwear (even grosser than the lipsticks) were missing along with a few other items. I couldn’t believe she would steal such lame stuff and risk losing $400 cash a month, but she did. I mentioned the lost pants to her in hopes she would return them the next week as suggested in rule 1, but she clearly isn’t a rule follower and did not secretly stash them some where the next week. I had to fire her after she cleaned my house one last time.
I fired her via text message, super pathetic I know, but I didn’t want the stress of a scene or a denial. She must have known I caught her because her response was “No problem, thanks.” I then fired her husband who does our gardening and he too didn’t seem to mind losing his monthly fee. Oh well, maybe the next group will be better and charge less. One can always hope.
Hope you have a great day!
xoxo tiffani
My sponsor and biggest supporter
That truly sucks and can’t even imagine why anyone would think that stealing from someone that employs them is Ok. So sorry you had to go through this and just glad you fired them. Hope your next cleaning person and gardner don’t steal from you!! 🙂 xoxo!
Sadly I think the stealing is more common than having an honest person employed in your family. happy day! xoxo
She didnt deserve anything more than being fired via text. And losing your home as her place of employment, not to mention anyone she used to work for that you know, whom you should consider warning about your experience with her… just my opinion.
The only other person I know who uses her is my family member and she has already fired her so I think I’m in the clear. I think it is only right to warn people.
Tiff: I have gone through 4 housekeepers in 4 months after having the same one for 12 years; she received her AA and wanted to work in the field she was educated in. But the 4 housekeepers were all nightmares, a lot for the same reasons you listed. I’ve told them all I was not only looking for a housekeeper, but someone who could grow with our family and would not watch the clock. As of now, I am doing the work.
As for landscapers, we are a full service landscape company; maybe could save you $$. We are local and can be there any time if something goes wrong. Email me if this interests you. In the meantime, good luck with seeking that special person you can trust with your house. Hard times brings out weird things in people.
I guess you understand my pain. I cleaned myself today and my shoulder is so sore I can’t lift my arm. Ugh!