Fired Over a $2 Snack: Why a 300 Million KRW Engineer Lost His Job

Kiosk Payment Errors at Ford Plant Spark Controversy
Workers Wrongfully Fired After Being Accused of Theft

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Controversy has erupted after multiple cases of workers being fired over allegations of ‘snack theft’ due to self-checkout kiosk errors at Ford’s U.S. automobile factories. There are growing criticisms that the company’s excessively harsh measures—immediately firing employees for payment errors involving snacks worth just a few dollars and treating them as intentional theft—have delivered a significant blow to Ford’s corporate credibility and organizational culture.

An 11-Year, "300 Million Won-Salary" Engineer Fired Over a 3,000 Won Payment Error

According to reports on July 21 (local time) from the New York Post and other foreign media outlets, Curt Krom (age 60), who had worked for 11 years as a robotics and automation maintenance electrician at the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky, recently received a dismissal notice for a baffling reason.

The incident occurred at about 3:30 a.m. on May 9, while Krom was working a 12-hour night shift and experienced acute hypoglycemia due to diabetes. He swiped his card at a self-checkout kiosk in the factory’s unmanned convenience store to buy a package of two Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies priced at $1.95 (approx. KRW 2,890).

However, a red error message appeared on the terminal display, and although the screen flashed upon retrying, the green check mark indicating final approval did not show up. Still, since his card had not been rejected and the transaction screen moved forward, Krom assumed the payment was completed successfully and ate the cookies.

Self-checkout kiosks inside Ford factory. Photo by New York Post

Approximately one week later, the company summarily fired Krom for allegedly stealing the snacks. Krom, escorted off the premises by security without even being allowed to collect his personal belongings, expressed his frustration, saying, "Last year, I worked an average of 60 hours per week, earning over $200,000 (approx. KRW 296.4 million) including overtime. I have spent $1,200 (approx. KRW 1,778,400) at the convenience store alone. I had absolutely no reason to steal cookies costing less than $2."

Afterwards, Krom checked the kiosk price list through a colleague and reviewed his bank statement, confirming that the $1.95 (approx. KRW 2,890) was properly charged and approved. He submitted this proof of payment to Ford and representatives of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. The store operator, Aramark, also verified the payment as of June 12. Ford offered to pay Krom $33,000 (approx. KRW 4,890,600) in back wages and reinstate him, but Krom flatly refused, saying he could not return to a company that labeled him a criminal without even a chance to explain himself.

Currently, Krom has hired a lawyer and begun legal proceedings against both Ford and Aramark. His attorney stated, "Evidence proving his innocence was in the company’s hands from the start, yet they falsely accused and dismissed an employee who dedicated 11 years of service." The lawyer pledged to hold the company strictly liable for defamation and unlawful termination.

Wave of Unfair Firings... Full Investigation Launched

This is not the first case of workers at Ford plants being fired due to payment errors at unmanned kiosks. Nick Nabozny (age 38), who worked at a Ford assembly plant in Michigan for about 9 years, was also recently abruptly dismissed over allegations that he did not pay for two bags of snacks. Nabozny, who earned $40 per hour (approx. KRW 59,280) and brought in more than $125,000 (approx. KRW 185.25 million) last year to support his family, protested, "When I tapped my card on the reader, there was a beep and the screen flashed, so I thought the transaction was complete."

In addition to Nabozny, at least three other workers at the Michigan plant were also fired for similar alleged theft, only to be reinstated later after internal investigation and verification of their payment records cleared them of wrongdoing.

Workers on site have attested that Aramark-operated kiosk terminals inside the unmanned convenience stores have long suffered from frequent issues: failed payments, duplicate charges, system breakdowns, and receipt print failures were all cited as routine occurrences. Victoria Thomas, an electrician with 34 years at Ford, testified, "Receipts often don’t print at all, so I avoid using the store. I’ve seen several coworkers fired over $2 drinks."

With criticism mounting that the company has been too quick to assume intentional “theft” and hand out disciplinary actions based on system defects in the machines, Ford officially responded, "We acknowledge shortcomings in how these incidents were handled, and we have started a comprehensive review and investigation of the Aramark unmanned payment system at all Ford plants in the U.S." Aramark also stated, "We are committed to operating with integrity and responsibility to the utmost of our ability."

Debate Over Disciplinary Standards: “Rigid Response Led to These Outcomes”

Experts analyze that the phenomenon of skilled workers being fired and tangled in costly legal disputes over minor payment errors involving just a few dollars stems from the company’s excessively rigid response. They warn that handing out severe disciplinary measures solely based on circumstantial evidence, without sophisticated verification procedures, can lead to a dramatic loss of internal trust and morale among frontline staff—causing significant fallout. There is growing demand for the company to establish rapid, transparent post-incident management and rigorous, objective fact-finding processes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.