Grocery store punishes clerk who chased robber away

Associated Press ^

[Sir Gawain]

EUGENE — A supermarket clerk who foiled a robbery was suspended for at least three days because he violated a company policy by chasing the man out of the store.

David Wilton, 19, pursued the robber — who was armed with a BB gun — outside an Albertson's store Tuesday.

Wilton recovered most of the stolen money and the weapon when the man tripped and dropped them. Wilton gave a statement to police and thought the incident was over.

He returned to work the next night, worked his entire shift and was preparing to go home when a store manager told him he had been suspended, Wilton said.

"I thought I was doing the right thing, but I wasn't," he said. "I just made a mistake."

An Albertson's spokeswoman said she couldn't comment on the company's policy or Wilton's suspension.

Wilton told police a man in a wool cap and a green military-style jacket had walked into the store, pulled out a silver BB gun with a black handle and demanded money from the customer-service counter.

"Then he reached over the counter, grabbed the till and started to run out the doors," Wilton said.

Wilton said he recognized that the man had a BB gun, not a more dangerous weapon.

After dropping the gun and money, the man jumped into the bed of a waiting pickup truck, which sped away.

"I recovered the pistol, I recovered the fingerprints and I recovered most of the money, and I don't think it's fair," Wilton said of his suspension.

[Sir Gawain]

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[Bella_Bru]

Albertsons sucks anyway. Just another reason to dislike the store.

[ambrose]

If the clerk was hurt/killed while chasing the robber, guess who would be liable?

[Bella_Bru]

I know, the store.

[Jarhead_22]

Albertsons also supports the Million Mom March bliss ninnies. I have not shopped at Albertsons since I counterprotested a MMM event in Dallas last year and saw their name on the list of sponsors prominently displayed for the cameras. My letter to Albertsons corporate office in Boise went unanswered and the store manager was unaware and surprised to hear that his company was involved with a group like the MMM.

[Reeses]

The robber should be liable, but lawyers will sue the store, being that the store has money the lawyers can take. It doesn't matter if the store followed all laws and did nothing wrong. America has too many lawyers, and because of them too few heros and good samaritans.

[gundog]

If it's the store on Hilyard, and it's still managed by the same guy it was last time I was there, this kid's better off working elsewhere. What an ugly MF'er that guy was.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I never go there. Their prices are 10-25% higher than Super Walmart. It appears that they are in bed with the anti-self defense group. Even more reason to not spend my money there.

[bluetoad]

An Albertson's spokeswoman said she couldn't comment on the company's policy or Wilton's suspension.

Of course she couldn’t comment on such an Idiotic Company's Policy, no sane person could. It is this type of mismanagement that has forced Albertson's to close many of its less profitable store recently. Instead of looking at the real world problems they face, they hide behind policies and procedures. A sure fire formula for failure…

That kid should be promoted to Albertson's Poster Boy “Employee of the Month” at least…

[Mr. Lucky]

Actually, as a matter of law the store would not be liable. The clerk's remedies from his employer are limited to his Worker's Compensation payments.

This particular employer has just put the lives of all of its employees at risk by advertising that its stores are safe havens for robberies.

[ThinkLikeWaterAndReeds]

Looks like Albertson is carrying the "customer is always right" slogan a bit too far

[TC Rider]

He may not have been so quick to give chase if he had heard the latest from the esteemed Consumer Products Safety Commission. Those BB guns are deadly, could have put an eye out.

< /sarcasm >

[Space Wrangler]

Bye-bye Albertsons. I never really liked the stores that much anyway, but it was the one that was closest to my house. I will not darken the doors of it again though.

[avenir]

Ditto. They are ugly, stodgy and cramped.

Super Target and Super WalMart rock!

[Dallas]

Me too,...I'll drive the extra milage from now on....(I'm sure gonna miss their produce dept...sigh)

[2nd_Ammendment_Defender]

I think alot of the Albertson's stores out west here merged with Lucky's and are now called Ralph's. I did not know Albertson's supported the Million Mom March. Guess where I will not be shopping anymore?

[William Tell]

Three days suspension is pretty light.

If someone were to come up with a way to do it, I would donate $10 to help make sure this hero suffers no monetary damage.

If the criminal is not caught, he may try a liquor store next, the owner may fire at him, and due to over-penetration a bystander could get injured.

That scenario has been considerably lessened by this brave man.

[ICU812]

I worked for Kroger right after high school and they definitely had a different philosophy. We aggressively went after shoplifters. When you work at a crap job taking a few minutes out of the day to play cat and mouse games with a shoplifter can be a pleasant break in the monotony. Never got robbed though, although I was once in a Food Lion as it was being robbed(I was working as a bread vendor).

In fact our Co-Manager used to show security tapes of shoplifters getting caught at the Christmas party. Some of them could end up on FOX's "wildest video" series, they were pretty wild.