Store owner allegedly sold winning lottery ticket, fired staff to avoid sharing commission
WADSWORTH, Ill. — Selling the winning lottery ticket turned out to be unlucky for four employees at the gas station that sold the $25.5 million ticket Jan. 3.
The employees, a former manager and three cashiers, allege that they were fired because the Wadsworth Mobil owner did not want to share the one percent commission he received for the winning ticket.
"I'm kind of sorry we sold the winning ticket only because it cost everybody their job," said former cashier Sandy Creamer.
Former manager Sabu Elvumkll of Park Ridge met with the owners on behalf of the cashiers to ask that some of the $255,000 commission be shared with the other employees.
Shortly after this meeting, Elvumkll and the other employees were let go.
The commission is paid to the gas station owner six to eight weeks after the winning ticket was sold, said Illinois Lottery spokeswoman Laura Lehmann.
"Whoever is the owner of that store would receive that one percent. Whatever they decide to do with that money is up to them," Lehmann said. "Most do put it into revitalizing their retail location."
She added that while many also share with their employees, they are under no obligation to do so.
Wadsworth Mobil owner Jose Mathew of Elmhurst said he lost about $200,000 from the land's high rent.
"God gave me the gift to cover the loss to pay back a credit card," Mathew said.
He added that he felt no obligation to share the commission with any of the employees.
Mathews said he fired Elvumkll because he was short of inventory, and said he fired the cashiers for failing to show up to work with a new manager.
The former employees all tell a different story and say it's strange that all the staff involved with the winning lottery ticket sale were replaced.
Creamer, who worked there for about nine months, said she and the others never missed a day. The cashier job was her second job, which was necessary for her to supplement her income after her husband passed away.
"I think everybody was treated unfairly — it all stems from greed," Creamer said.
Like Creamer, former cashier Donn'ye Watkins of Waukegan showed up for work last weekend and was told he wasn't needed any more. "I asked if all this was about the lottery (and) was told not to worry and that we have someone to replace you," Watkins said.
Elvumkll was taken aback at the inventory charge. He poured his own money into stocking the store when he took over its management, Watkins and Creamer said.
They added that they all ran the store and that the owner was rarely around.
"(The owner) is talking like that because he wants to fire everybody because he doesn't want to share the money," Elvumkll said.
Nasty business: four employees allege they were fired because the owner of this Wadsworth Mobil station didn't want to share his lottery bonus.
Thanks to ThatScaryChick for the tip.
The loyalty of owners ....never ceases to amaze me.....nor the absolute GREED !!!
This news story really makes me mad. There was no need to fire their employees. None. If they didn't want to give any employees any of the money they should have just said no. They didn't have to fire them. I hope the store owners lose a lot of business. I don't believe for one second that all of the employees were doing such a bad job that they all needed to be fired at the same time. If they were all horrible employees why weren't they fired earlier? It all boils down to the owners being greedy.
Some clerks think they are more than just an employee getting paid a wage, they see themselves as partners in the business and are entitled to a share of its profits too. I'm surprised they hadn't tracked down the winning ticket owner to claim their share of his winning too.
Once they make it known that they thought they had been cheated out of money they thought they were entitled to, the store owner probably didn't trust them to run his business any longer and fired them.
Lottery retailers should make it clear to their employees from the get go that they are not entitled to any of the profit made selling lottery tickets or to any of the winnings won by their customers.
The other day I was buying some lottery tickets and a nosy customers ask me "what would be the first thing you would do if you won the jackpot?". Since I didn't know him I was tempted to say "It's none of your business" but to be friendly I said "I hadn't thought about it" and the clerk said "the first thing he's going to do is give me my share for running these tickets for him". I didn't say anything more, paid for my tickets and left. I really felt that clerk jinxed me and customers shouldn't have to put up with that type of none sense when they buy lottery tickets.
Thats messed up!
I know that this is not right, I wish no ill will towards the owner of the store but he should have done right by his employees. He could have offered 10,000.00 to each employee and still have over 200,000.00 to put back into the bussiness. I know that the lottery doesn't require that a employer share in the prize of selling a winning ticket but to me it's a no brainer. If I was the person who brought the winning ticket at the store and knew about the situation, I would offer something to the employees as a gesture of good will. Maybe Blagojevich can do something about this, Oh I forgot he is being impeached!
"WE MAKE A LIVING BY WHAT WE GET, WE MAKE A LIFE BY WHAT WE GIVE! "
Sir Winston Churchill
That's just wrong. When a promiss is made those whom made it has to honor it. If the owner have any intelligence, he would share the commissioned as promissed, renovate the gas station with some of the money, and bring in more customers since the station already have some very happy workers. Now, words will spreads and that place will lose a lot of business. Gas stations think they have the only gas in town, or sell the only product, but really they don't. So if the customers don't like anything about the place, from product to the worker or the environment it self, they will go some where else. Now karma really going to get the owner.
I will, on occasion, give a clerk a few bucks but that's only because I like that person and want to give them a tip. But, I feel no obligation to share my lottery winnings with them. At the gas station where I go, the guy said to me, "have you cashed your ticket yet", and I said NO. I had a winning ticket for $500 but that didn't mean he was entitled to any of it when I did cash it. I give because I want to, not because you think I owe you.
Why do people feel this way,..."and the clerk said "the first thing he's going to do is give me my share for running these tickets for him"....they are paid to be there to do a job, and if that includes running the lottery, then so be it.
I'm sorry that these people lost their job but why should they get a share of the commission. Do they pay any of the bills associated with running that gas station? If they do, then yes they should get a piece of the pie, but if not then it's like working anywhere else...you get paid for the job you do.
I don't think the employees necessarily deserved any of the winnings. I do believe it's the winners/owners choice to decide if they want to give them anything. What I think is wrong is to fire everyone. If the owners didn't want to give them money, they should have just told them no. The employees shouldn't have been fired over it.
Nice post, I agree!
Any owner that does not share a little bit with their employess is completely wasting all the good will that comes with a big jackpot sale like that.
Instead of getting all the employees fired up about it, and instead of having good, free advertising for his gas station, the guy has brought about:
Nice job!
Would you trust four minimum wage employees to run your business after they've convinced themselves that you have taken a quarter of a million dollars that they were entitled to? I wouldn't. Most of these type of businesses suffer a little lost even when employees don't complain, a few pops here, a six pack and a carton of cigarettes there, it adds up.
When Kroger sold that MegaMillions winning ticket in Ohio a few weeks ago, they never had any thoughts of sharing it with the workers, management claimed they gave it all to local charities.
I think she was only saying that firing the employees was not good. Employees get upset about things lots of times, but you can't go firing them just for being upset -- it's a human emotion.
It's the guy's choice what to do with his money, but if he had thrown them some bucks quickly (like another recent new story showed a store owner doing), he would probably have happy, productive employees, and a better reputation ... and a lot of money.
Thank you Todd that is what I was saying. I don't see how firing the employees at this time was a good thing.
I don't know the employees, so I can't say whether I would trust them or not. But if they were so bad to begin with, they should have been fired earlier. It just stinks to fire them after the owners came into some money. It makes me wonder if the employees have a case for wrongful termination. Again, I am not saying the employees deserved any of the money, but it sure doesn't seem like they deserved to lose their jobs.
It's a shame. Money sure can complicate things, but it's nothing that reasoned minds can't overcome.
Chalk it up to life experience. What goes around, comes around.
I think the employees were out of line for asking for the owner to share the money. He is under no obligation to them. Having said that i agree with whomever said he handled the situation terribly and it is probably going to affect his business.
I think the owner could have given them "something" They would have probably been happy with 500.00 a piece. As far as firing them, he was way off base. If he did something right in all of this he will prosper but if he did something wrong he will go under. Plain and simple. Word has a way of getting around and most folks may not appreciate what he did. He was plain greedy and that is my take on it. Apparently he did trust them to run his station because he was never around. Maybe he will get lucky and the next group he hires will steal him blind because loyalty is not generally bought and sold like a good. It is trust between management and their workers. That trust says that each will do the right thing in the absence of the other. Most lottery retailers do give their workers something..kind of like a gift or bonus for doing a good job.
This guy is obviously a low life, he could have said no to the employees instead of showing gratitude for their hard work. What the hell is 2000 dollars out of 255,000 that he didnt earn? As for his excuses on why he fired them, i say Santa Claus is more real then his story. This low life deserves the karma he puts out. I hope with any luck he will be on the headlines again...but not for winning the lottery...but the for the bad luck he gets!!!!!
Taking my cue from this article, I decided to nip any future misunderstanding in the bid. I call my staff into the kitchen and told them straight out that should this corporation recieve any windfall from Powerball that they would not (and I emphasized NOT) recieve any benefit.
My kids wondered what a Powerball was and my wife promptly dumped my supper into the garbage disposal.
Should I fire them?
Keep the kids. The wife? Well, no comment.
Yeah go ahead and grease the wheels of the big corporations and forget about the people who work for them. Because if it wasn't for us workers working for them, they wouldn't be where they are today! I remember one person saying something like that along those lines on the Kroger story!
Now that's a funny way of looking at things! You don't work at some job somewhere you don't earn a living and if you don't earn a living, you don't have a roof over your head, no food in your belly, no car to drive! So for those who have the mentality of if it wasn't for me working for you, you wouldn't be the company you are today, better get off of that way of thinking altogether. Because there are plenty of other people out there that did that job way before you came along and there will be plenty more to do it after you're dead and gone! "There is no one at any company that's not expendable, NO ONE!" Always remember that and do your job to the best of your ability and don't ask for things you have absolutely no right to be asking for and you'll have that job! And if not, you'll end up on the unemployment line! "Explain that one to your wife or husband and kids as to why you're now unemployed."
LOL
"God gave me the gift to cover the loss to pay back a credit card," Mathew said.
Yes, I'm sure God thought so much of this guy that he touched that lottery ticket and made someone a winner, so that Mathew can go on gou-- *cough* umm... selling petroleum products, making the CEOs even more filthy rich than they already are. At the same time those lowly employees couldn't have been good people in God's eyes or else they would own their own gas stations where they could look down on their own slave wage employees.
And he's buying a stairway to heaven, where the streets are obviously paved in high interest plastic.
Could it have been that the former manager demanded equal slpits between the owner and employees? Even if that had happened the owner could say no and negotiated to $5000 a piece for each employee. That would have shown appreciation from the owner toward his employees. Poor thing! It did not happen. I guess his employee turnover cost is minimal being compared to sharing lottery bonus.
While the store may not be required to share the commission, it would be morally right if they did share some of it. If stores had a policy of sharing any commission, it would encourage staff and boost morale.
$10,000
$5,000
$2,000
Are you guys crazy? Why would some gas station, anywhere, give employees that much of a bonus?
Maybe the equivalent of one week's wages, but not thousands of dollars. They are not entitled to it anymore than if the gas station showed a profit of $255,000 in the normal course of business. And they had the guts to ask if the owners would share? Huh? IF I want to share, it will be offered, you don't ask.
Quote: (Former manager Sabu Elvumkll of Park Ridge met with the owners on behalf of the cashiers to ask that some of the $255,000 commission be shared with the other employees.)
I think his business is already being affected by the allegation that his station had a problem with water in the fuel.
I agree with all those who are irked anytime a clerk asks for a tip or a share from lottery ticket buying customers, and that employees are not entitled to any bonus the store earned (I am pretty sure the bonus check is made payable to the owner of the store and does not list the names of all employees as would be the case in a lottery pool).
I don't think this store owner is going to have a problem replacing those fired employees...people are losing their jobs left and right, so I am sure the pool of available minimum wagers is brimming full up around Wadsworth.
On another note, that makes this the second IL lotto win in a 2 yr timespan for a store along Route 41 (the other store was a Marathon about 2 miles further north)...does this qualify this stretch of highway lucky like they write about that stretch of road up in Fond du lac Wisconsin where the 100 Sargento Cheese workers hit a $200M annuitized jackpot Powerball and someone else also bought a winning ticket for a different Powerball drawing from a store along that stretch? They say people go out of their way to purchase powerball tickets there. My thought is...it's the numbers stupid...not the place...and I also think...
Maybe he should have told them no and explained to them that he needed to save his business so they could all keep thier jobs. If that was the truth behind his decision not too share his commission, but too fire them just plain old stinks!!!! I don't even understand the people who feel that this guy was even remotely right or smart for the way he handled this whole situation. I personally think some of you have no compassion if it happened to you we would see a whole different point of view. I don't feel he had to share his commision or even explain himself but sometimes we have to do things were not used to doing just because it's right and will save ourselves and others a whole lot of heartache and regret. I wish those ex-employees well and hope they find more loyal employers, some actually do care about their workers. That will probably take a while since they will likely have to explaine why they were fired from their last job.
I believe we would not have the economic crisis in this country if more employers valued their employees. No business can be successul without the dedication and loyalty of its employees. Personally when it comes to playing the lottery, I prefer to go to stores where the cashiers are courteous and have a winning attitude. Just imagine the positive energy that could have surrounded that store if the owner would have shared just a little of the winnings. GREED is one of the 7 deadly sins.
And I guess those ex-employees didn't show any GREED huh? Yes they sure did and they got their just reward!
As the lottery says they give the bonus check to the stores owner who sold the winning ticket! And if the owners wish to share some small part of it with the employees, that is their "CHOICE" to do so if they wish too! But most owners use the win fall to upgrade their stores!
No we would not have the economic crisis in this country if the mortgage companies hadn't dreamed up those interest only, option ARM (pick a payment) type loans; obviously, the profit motive (WAMU, Countrywide stood to make hundreds of billions had this scheme actually worked) overrode common sense...that people buy homes to pay them off, not to "rent" their own home.
No we would not have the economic crisis in this country if the mortgage brokers had done the right thing and put people who actually qualified for prime loans into prime loans instead of pulling a fast one and placing them in subprime loans.
No we would not have the economic crisis in this country if the people who bought homes or refinanced their existing mortgage actually read their mortgage documents BEFORE signing them...and if they knew they couldn't understand the jargon, had hired their own real estate lawyer to review the documents and translate the pertinent sections into laymans terms...i.e. this is a subprime loan with an adjustable interest rate that will reset in such and such a time, and when it resets at the specified interest rate increases, your monthly payment could go from X dollars to XXXX dollars or this option arm loan will add to your principal balance if you do not make at least the interest payment.
Everything else you said is true, but remember that all businesses exist to cater to the customer...not the other way around (that is businesses do not exist to cater to the employee). Obviously there have to be some tangible benefits for the employee. However, because the ultimate risk of the business' success or failure rests with the owner, the owner has to be the greatest beneficiary of the business.
Don't take this personal, but your post makes absolutely no sense at all! You say one thing and then the next statement contradicts what you previously said.
First you start off by saying "Maybe he should have told them no and explained...." Then a few sentences later, you say, "I don't even understand the people who feel that this guy was even remotely right...." Then here's the kicker...a few sentences after that, you say, "I don't feel he had to share his commission or even explain himself...psychobabble...psychobabble."
Perhaps the former manager and the other ex-employees should have THOUGHT first before having that former manager speak on their behalf...if they would have understood their roles and thought about it first, they would have just kept their wishes to themselves and did their jobs.
Just like I don't get Wall St. financial services companies doling out bonus when the companies weren't profitable last year, I also don't see how sharing in any commission would encourage staff nor boost morale.
The clerks get paid to do specified job tasks. People of their own volition come in purchase lottery tickets and other products. The only time I have ever heard a clerk "selling" the lottery is whenever the Powerball or Megamillions jackpot amounts had gotten HUGE. But I would say that whether a person chose to buy a ticket or not had little to do with that suggestion, but more so with the fact the jackpot was huge and that person did not have any moral hangups or financial constraints in buying a lottery ticket.
The only way a clerk could even remotely hope to get a tip from me is if I was filling out a lottery playslip and couldn't decide on a 6th number, and the clerk says such and such a number is my lucky number...I bet on it when I played russian roulette in Atlantic City/Vegas/whereever the casino is located and won XXXX dollars...and I happened to play it and all six numbers match for that drawing. Now obviously, that clerk would have no legal right to any of my winnings, so don't even think to suggest that I should tip the clerk 1/6th of my winnings. No I would give the clerk a commisserate tip reflecting my gratitude...like maybe a Benjamin or two. Nothing over the top.
A week's wages would have been more than generous. In response to Scary's comments, I do agree that firing them for asking would have been unethical. However, I doubt if that's what really happened. If they were disgruntled and he felt they would steal from him or cause harm to his business, he probably had no choice.
This is no different from a clerk expecting to share your lottery jackpot. There's nothing wrong with giving a tip if you so choose, but would you give a clerk $10,000 if you won $255,000? Anyway, he has to pay tax on the commission, so it's not really $255,000. The cable company didn't give me a free month because it made a huge profit and I've been a loyal Comcast customer for over 12 years. Unless these people invested money in the business, they don't have any "rights" to the money. That's simply ridiculous.
This story really makes me disgusted. Typical Greed. And people wonder why we are in a resession.
Play the lottery and scratch off's when you can afford to or have some spare change laying around.
DO NOT WASTE you money, You should be saving it. The ammount you spend to the returns you get
are not equal. Inless you win millions of dolalrs.
HAVE common sense!
Good luck with your number and tickets
Your post is unclear...typical greed on whose part? I would assume the workers but it is not clear from what you posted.
Ah, the entitlement society.
Maybe the ex-employees can put their pennies together and win their own jackpot, then everyone can be happy.
Fire them right now so they can't make any claim to your winnings!!! Just kidding! But you might want to keep an eye out on your wife...if you happened to win, does she have the looks and potentially the desire to strike out as a free agent and try to join another team (if you know what I mean)? If she is the happy homebody type, I wouldn't worry too much; but if she is a looker and likes to have "girls nights out" type, all I can say is watch out...because you know what happens when a bunch of women get together and start gabbing!
Anyway, my corporation is only between myself and my brother...my wife will never know that I won and if she did get a clue about it, I could easily just say my brother won and I am just a beneficiary in helping him with his business and investment pursuits...be happy with that brand new Mercedez I bought you and quit questioning where the cash flow is coming from! I would also become a legal pimp...Nevada here I come!!!
This is typical of the american economic setup lowpaid workers manning the front lines for wealthy corporations with a high expectation of loyalty for the company without proper compensation. And the general publics perception is that they are unworthy of any bonuses. Yet wall street pokes america in the butt and still receives thier bonuses.
I think Americans ARE outraged that the Wall Street thieves are getting bonus's for stealing America blind,but can't figure out how to stop the thievery.Washington is not helping the situation by bailing out the thieves.
As for the gas station owner,its his right to fire anyone that he thinks needs firing.Thinking that they deserved to share in HIS bonus sounds to me to be a good reason to fire them.He paid them to do a certain job,not to help him spend HIS bonus.If they were supposed to get a bonus,the lottery would have sent them a check,too.
"This is typical of the american economic setup lowpaid workers manning the front lines for wealthy corporations with a high expectation of loyalty for the company without proper compensation. And the general publics perception is that they are unworthy of any bonuses. Yet wall street pokes america in the butt and still receives thier bonuses."
Wall Street bonuses, CEO bonuses especially when they are over paid to begin with, is dispicable. But are you suggesting bonuses should be given to follow the despicable path rather than do what we can to stop that reprehensible practice?
Yes he is the one that needs to fired, could not agree more.
aberdeennut..
".....Former manager Sabu Elvumkll of Park Ridge met with the owners on behalf of the cashiers to ask that some of the $255,000 commission be shared with the other employees. .......
My question is whether Elvumkll assumed he was entitled to all or part of the bonus simply because he happened to manage the store.
Don't believe we're hearing all the facts. However, mission accomplished by story author, we're spending time talking about it.
This story really touched my heart. With the way the economy is now and thousands of people are loosing their jobs and is hard to support their families, this is all about greed. The owner could have done whatever with the money received, so I really don't see why people lost their jobs because of this. I am sure that if it happens again, the new employees will be let go as well. I say, have a heart, it would have not hurt to give the workers something for all of their hard work... He will not be blessed because of this, you just don't treat people this way...
$255,000.00 is enough to buy a business wit. I would buy a franshisey.
Cash station employess make up to $12.00 an hour. who cares about $12 bucks when you can buy your own business. hhm?
Hi Todd!
I agree!
I also think that situations like this can expose who you really are.....This owner may have gained money, but he is seriously lacking in the things that matter the most...
Yes its true, he did not have to give them anything. But if he had, I am sure it would have made for some really happy employees..........
It seems like there was enough money for this owner to pay off whatever debt/loss he had on this property ($200K) and STILL give to his employees!
I really hope these people find jobs and fast, and I hope their new employer will be more appreciative of who they are.