A woman has accused cashiers at an Island store chain of taking money from child bag packers by demanding a `commission' from their earnings.

Marguerite White claimed that cashiers at a MarketPlace store told her friend's 13-year-old son that they would charge a ten percent levy to change his coins to bills.

Mrs. White said that on November 3, she witnessed a cashier make a go for the 13-year-old's "hard-earned money" at the Heron Bay MarketPlace and "blew" her top.

She was picking up her friend's son and told the boy to change his coins and small notes into larger bills, but when the boy returned, he told her that the cashier wanted ten percent to change the money.

"Well, what happened next you will not believe," she said.

She said she told a store manager, who denied the incident and then spoke to another store manager, who also denied the incident took place.

But when she and boy approached a different cashier to pay for her groceries, she told him to change the money. But the cashier said he also wanted ten percent, she said.

"I couldn't believe what I had just heard for myself," she said.

After a brief rage, Mrs. White took the boy's change and gave him larger bills.

Mrs. White also said that as she was leaving, she asked the next cashier, a girl, if she took ten percent from the packers. The female cashier said she "would never do that".

Mrs. White wrote to The Royal Gazette warning parents to tell their children bring home their earnings and not attempt to change the money with the cashiers.

Marketplace executives said the money exchange was not meant to inflame parents but "encourage" the packers to take their money home.

Training officer Albertha Waite said she would not tolerate cashiers taking the packers earnings but admited making the decision to encourage the packers to become familiar with handling their own money - be it to count, deposit or generally be responsible.

Ms Waite emphasised that any cashier or other employee who abused the packers would be terminated and assured The Royal Gazette that such behaviour would never be tolerated.

Marketplace vice-president Scott Carswell immediately launched an investigation into the matter, with Ms Waite beginning at Heron Bay MarketPlace late yesterday afternoon.

Mrs. White spoke with Mr. Carswell who said her information would help "direct" the investigation.

However, another MarketPlace executive, who did not want to be identified, said managers at the Heron Bay store began an informal investigation into the matter and found out a cashier was trying to discourage the packers from turning in their change.

The executive said the cashiers had no intention of taking the money and said "nothing like that happens to my knowledge", telling The Royal Gazette he would move to terminate anyone who did.