It’s awful when your boss doesn’t pay you. If it’s a small business, there is usually little you can do about it.

One woman’s boss fired her and kept making excuses to avoid paying her, so the fired employee let her husband handle the situation in a very creative and effective way.

See how the story plays out.

Don’t pay my wages? I hope you understand how theft works?

I was working for a coffee shop which was located over an antiques shop until 5pm every day and we were usually empty from 4:30, which allowed time for a clean down.

On the occasions that this wasn’t possible, we did as much of the cleaning down around the customers and then finished off when they left.

I did not get paid after 5pm.

It didn’t seem like this would be a problem.

One Friday I had done the usual clean down when customers walked in at 4:45 asking for coffee and cake.

I explained that we were only open until 5 as I actually had plans for the weekend and needed to go promptly.

They said fine and ate and drank quickly and left.

I washed up the couple of plates and cups, left them in the drainer to dry and wiped the table down. I locked up and left at 5:05.

The owner was not happy.

I received a call on Saturday and the owner said that I was fired and would sort my wages soon.

Apparently there were a couple of crumbs on the floor under the table that had last been used and from this, she had concluded that I hadn’t swept and mopped at all.

I tried to explain what had happened, but to no avail.

I returned from my weekend away and went to collect my wages, she said to until Friday, which was odd as I always been paid on Monday.

I returned on Friday, still no money. This went on for a couple of weeks.

Then came a creative solution.

Eventually, I decided to give her one last chance and had come into town with my husband.

He came into the shop with me and looked around.

Again she refused to pay.

He looked at a large oil painting on display in the window and picked it up. The price tag was £500 (over double what my outstanding wages were).

He then left the shop with the painting and shouted very clearly that she “could have it back when the wages were paid.”

He explained the situation to the police.

She immediately called 999 and asked for the police. She told them that someone had walked in and taken a painting.

My husband, having stowed the painting in our car boot around the corner, returned while she was on the phone to the police. Obviously she told them that he had returned.

He simply shouted again, loud enough to be heard by the policeman on the phone who asked to speak to my husband directly.

The officer asked my husband the situation and he calmly explained what he’d had done, why and most importantly why he had said as he left. In British law, the crime of theft only occurs if you intend to permanently deprive the owner of the item, so by saying that he was only taking it until her debt was paid, it as not theft.

Finally!

The officer asked to be put back to the owner and explained that there was nothing that could be done. If she wanted her painting back, she could either pay the debt or make a claim to the small claims court.

She decided that she was going to pay and tried giving me a check.

I said I’d accept it, but only return the painting once it cleared.

She ended up paying cash and the painting was returned.

That was some clever thinking on her husband’s part!

Here is what people are saying on Reddit.

Maybe it works out as long as everyone has tea at 4?

He must know the law!

Maybe it could if the USA changes their gun laws.

Yay!

I hope you weren’t there long.

Let’s normalize not assuming small businesses are kinder.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.