She was ordered to pay reparation of $50 a week for three years.
The summary of facts said Hikawai, a product services and checkout supervisor, created a fictitious customer named Thomas Green on February 16, 2011.
She used barcodes to create a record of purchases worth $107.98.
She created an eftpos refund, which was transferred into her own account, and printed a refund receipt signed in the name of T. Green.
From that original fraud transaction until February 22, 2012, Hikawai made another 184 "refund" transactions using different customer names, along with three cash refunds, to obtain $47,688.
Her offending was discovered after a stock-take revealed a loss of $30,000 in the home furnishings department.
She admitted her offending when questioned by police.
Hikawai said she used the money on extra groceries and video games for her children.
Counsel Doug Rishworth submitted that Hikawai was suitable for a sentence of home detention because of significant mitigating factors.
Imprisonment would create further victims in her husband and children, while a jail term would not be in the public interest or in the interests of the victim.
Mitigating factors included an early guilty plea, lack of previous criminal convictions and a reparation repayment, already made, of $2000.
Hikawai offered to pay $50 to $100 a week in further reparation up to $16,000, which was a significant and meaningful amount, given her domestic responsibilities.
Full repayment was not realistic, Mr Rishworth said.
She was at low risk of re-offending, given her level of remorse.
She had not been motivated by greed.
Her offending started opportunistically to supplement groceries and other family costs before she "succumbed".
Judge Phil Gittos said Hikawai was highly regarded and trusted by her employer and fellow employees.
Her offending affected company morale and created a significant emotional distraction for staff.
The judge established a starting point for sentencing of two years imprisonment, which he reduced to 18 months for her early guilty plea, before commuting it to nine months' home detention.
But Judge Gittos said the guilty plea came only after Hikawai was given a sentencing indication and where the Crown had a strong case.
The judge said he would order reparation at the lower offer of $50 a week for three years, the usual maximum period set by the court.
Reparation had to be set at an affordable level and The Warehouse could take civil proceedings if it so decided.
