Store worker fired for grabbing shoplifter

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 12/29/07 | Dave Gershman

[panthermom]

Because there are some people that still believe in right and wrong. There are some people that will still stand up for those values. There are some people who will take action instead of being apathethic.

[PISANO]

"The fact that he touched him, period, is means for termination," said Klotz.

This bozo should be in the "Tailoring" business. I wonder how long it would take him standing in the unemployment line to realize he is an idiot!

[panthermom]

I was at Walmart recently when 5 minutes before I checked out someone just walked right out the door with a big flat screen t.v., no big deal. The greeter told me it happens all the time.

[pnh102]

There are some people that will still stand up for those values.

I empathize with what you say, but I am not going to put my life on the line for a minimum wage job.

[DarkWaters]

The grocery store I worked for during high school and college had several stores in city area. One of them was robbed at gunpoint and 2 people died for no reason, no one was resisting or trying to prevent it even the security guard. Criminals are criminals. They will do what ever they want regardless of the obstacles thrown in their way even if there are none. A society of week fools who argue that it’s not worth it, condone the behavior. The more its condoned, the worse it will get and eventual grows out of control. All you have to do is look at the major cities in our country to see that and its spreading out into the suburbs and rural areas as well. It’s even prominent in our legal system now. We have become a nation of condoners (wimps, whiners, cowards) of crime; this story and some posters accounts simply reinforce my viewpoint.

[Grizzled Bear]

I favor a policy where store employees carry the shoplifters items out of the store for them so the shoplifters don’t over exert themselves.

[GeneralisimoFranciscoFranco]

I’ve sent Ms Klotz an email stating that I won’t shop at whole foods again. I won’t post the email addy here, but I will say it’s very easy to find, if anybody cares to let them know what you think.

Just send one. Probably a bit less cordial than yours.

[PhilDragoo]

The employee signed the policy booklet.

The corporation put the policy in the booklet to indemnify against lawsuits.

The practice is wide-spread.

The matter needing to be addressed is tort reform.

If lawsuits were made less profitable, more difficult, and a deathwish if deemed frivolous, the tide would be reversed.

[toddlintown]

Where’s the Whole Foods beer aisle?

[BJungNan]

The company policy is there for a reason. If the employee wants to change it, he should approach his boss. If his boss says no, he must follow policy as long as it is legal to do so.

[goldstategop]

No good deed goes unpunished... Oh well, he's better off not working for an employer that gives shoplifters a pass and gives honest workers the boot.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Zack Nguyen]

They do it more out of fear of lawsuits than for any other reason.

We have entirely too many lawyers, as you mentioned. It is turning the ethical universe on its head. A store would rather lose merchandise to thievery than use force to try and stop it.

[Zack Nguyen]

I worked 5 yrs in a somewhat rough neighborhood. One manager spent a week at home rehabing after an encounter that occured outside the store. An assistant manager got his face slashed, the blade was meant for his neck but he dodged just in the nick of time. Another got hit it the head with a 6-pack of beer bottles.

Good grief Gertie! Were they filming a professional wrestling show at your store?

[goldstategop]

I still think its wrong, lawsuit or no. Why should people stick their neck out to help their boss when they might get terminated? Better not rock the boat and let the boss get the short end of the stick.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Zack Nguyen]

I favor a policy where store employees carry the shoplifters items out of the store for them so the shoplifters don’t over exert themselves.

LOL!

[Star Traveler]

You said — “Yes, anyone who shops at Whole Foods must be a liberal.”

Well, you ought to know that such blanket statements about who shops at what store is totally wrong.

I’ve already seen someone else post that they shop there. I’ve been in there when I had one nearby. One in Portland and one in Dallas. I haven’t noticed any around Tulsa, though.

They’ve got good cheese. Of course, any store could sell the same types of cheeses, but I don’t see that they do. They’ve also got a great little salad bar that I filled up on. They had some selections of things there that you wouldn’t normally find elsewhere.

I never did “all” my shopping there, but only a select few items — those things that I wanted to get there and weren’t at other places.

As you can see, from some of the comments here, you’re totally wrong...

Regards,
Star Traveler

[My hearts in London - Everett]

Next to the cheese and close to the wine section.

[2harddrive]

They want Cowardice in the Face of Duty! Boycott A-Hole Foods!

[Caramelgal]

Laws vary by states. As I understand some states don’t consider it stolen until taken out of the store

That is true in many states. When I worked in retail, we were advised and trained that shoplifting did not legally occur until the person physically left the store without paying for the goods and we should never physically confront a shoplifter.

One evening I was the on duty night manager for a grocery store, when one of the stock clerks altered me to a customer who was acting suspiciously.

It was an adult male and female with two small kids. They had lined their shopping cart with paper products like big packages of paper towels and in the inside of the cart, had filled it with packages of very expensive prime beef.

I was wise to this sort of scam, often used by drug addicts. The adults put the expensive meat products in the middle of the cart and shielded from view with the paper products and then pretend that one of the kids has to use the bathroom and then attempt to hide the meat under the kid’s clothes out of view. They then will sell the meat for cash and use the cash to buy drugs.

I sent one employee upstairs where the store had placed surveillance peep wholes and asked him to observe them.

I asked another male stock clerk, the most biggest and burly one, to follow them. I told him not to confront them, but to keep in constant eye contact with them and let them know they were being “watched”. When the “dad” took his son into the public restroom, I instructed another employee to follow them both in and out and had the other waiting outside of the rest room waiting for them, keeping in constant eye contact and while not confronting them, letting them know they were being watched.

In the meantime I went to each and every cashier with a description of the family and strict instructions to alert me when they came to the checkout and sent another outside to observe.

When the thieves got to the checkout and attempted to pay with an out of state check with no ID, the cashier gave me the signal and I denied acceptance of their check and they left the groceries in the cart and left the store.

I had already called the police to report the suspicious activity but was told they would not respond until a crime had actually been committed.

I followed them outside and I and the other employee observed their car and got their license plate number.

When the police finally came, I and the other employees were able to give a description but since we were not able to clearly observe they had stolen anything, nothing was done.

I doubt they left my store with any merchandise and they would probably not come back to my store, given what we did to keep an eye on them. But in the end, it wouldn’t have been worth the life of one of my teenage employees to stop a possibly armed and potentially dangerous drug addict over a hundred dollars worth of meat.

[millerph]

Yes, and if you had paid attention to my post you would have realized that I said catch them, but use better tools.