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Boycott! VERY long, little ranty

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  • Boycott! VERY long, little ranty

    I first heard about this last Friday. I was going to post about it, but I’ve had the last 3 days off and have been out of town. Today I came back to work, and it’s turned completely insane.

    This is what I heard on Friday: Sometime during the week, one of our customers was at the deli counter being helped when a teenage boy ran by, grabbed the customer’s purse out of her cart, and ran out the doors. The lady starts yelling, and (from one version) several people ran after him. One of those running was the produce manager. The manager apparently chased the boy down, tackled him, and restrained him until the police arrived. Customer happily gets her purse back.

    The customer may have been happy, but management was not. There is a very strict corporate policy: DO NOT go after shoplifters. Do not chase them, do not confront them in any way unless you have been trained and certified to do so. Produce guy gets fired. A lot of people feel bad for him, but the rule is in place for a reason.

    A few days go by, and then last night there’s a live news broadcast in the parking lot of my store, with a taped interview with the customer and worker. My manager texts the ASD to say they are on TV; and immediately the phone rings. And rings. And rings.

    And it continued today. Customers have been asking employees about what happened. People have been calling, absolutely belligerent, and screaming at the SD and ASD. Customers are planning to boycott. Maybe even protest. It was on all the local radio stations this morning. It was on the front page of the local paper. Right now I’m looking at the paper online, and there are twice as many comments on this story than on any other.

    And now I’m pissed. People just don’t seem to understand that the policy is there for a reason; and most stores have a similar policy. But instead, they’re demonizing my store and the people who work there. One poster said “If they can't even "try" to keep their customers safe, what's the point of being their customers?” What if this kid had had a gun or knife? I’m not risking my life for someone’s wallet. Screw that. And do they really think that boycotting is going to change the policy? It won’t, but it would sure mess with the store’s profits. And who is going to suffer from that? Us, the people at the bottom of the food chain. I’m already getting my hours cut, and if our customers actually leave, I’ll lose more hours. This whole thing just sucks.

    Sorry this is long, but this has been giving me a headache today.
    Voodoo is a very interesting religion for the whole family, even those members of it who are dead. - Good Omens

  • #2
    The people protesting can do all their shopping online then.

    This was an example of doing the wrong thing for the right reason. All retail stores of all shapes and sizes and types will have the same policy in place. It's all about making sure the company doesn't lose everything in a lawsuit--and any reasonably competent personal injury lawyer would get his client big bucks if the client was injured while being chased by somebody who wasn't trained to chase and capture suspects.
    Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil.

    "I never said I wasn't a horrible person."--Me, almost daily

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    • #3
      About a year ago there was a thing in the paper about a worker at *sister store to big box retail* who chased after a shoplifter. This person ran out into the parking lot, only to be ran into by the car. Apparently the worker managed to hang onto the hood of the car for a few blocks before managing to jump off. He was all right, just bruised and banged up a bit.

      Suddenly all cashiers were made to read and sign a list of "what not to do" if we suspect/see shoplifting. This includes accusing the thief, chasing, etc etc. There also appeared a sign saying *sister store* was looking for someone to fill an LP position. I took that to mean the worker was fired.
      A lion however, will only devour your corpse, whereas an SC is not sated until they have destroyed your soul. (Quote per infinitemonkies)

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      • #4
        Right around the time I started working at blockbuster, an employee at a nearby store chased down a shoplifter in the parking lot, tackled him, and held him down until police arrived.

        The employee was fired, and charged with assault & battery, and unlawful restraint.
        That last charge was later dismissed on appeal, The assault & battery charge stuck.

        No charges were filed against the shoplifter, since the store could not prove absolutely that the games he had on his person were stolen.
        Aliterate : A person who is capable of reading but unwilling to do so.

        "A man who does not read has no advantage over a man who cannot" - Mark Twain

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        • #5
          So the lady is not minding her purse (I don't let mine off my shoulder/out of my hand while shopping because of the idiots that DO steal purses out of carts), so it becomes SOMEONE ELSE'S responsibility to watch her property. That someone does and then loses his job for acting on HER negligence, and its the store's fault. Sorry if that sounds harsh....

          I know an LP guy who chased a shoplifter (oil filter) from a Canadian Tire. He chased they guy a couple of blocks. The 'alleged" shoplifter had a heart attack and died and the LP guy got charged with some form of manslaughter . Not worth it.

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          • #6
            People, this is a purse snatching, not a shoplifting incident. Personally, I'd be giving the store a piece of my mind too. The management staff should be ashamed for firing that fellow.

            If they want to let the store's property go, that's fine. The customer did not consent to just let the thief run off with her purse though. I understand why the store cannot encourage such acts of bravery, but to actively punish it when purely voluntary is idiotic. This kind of structured cowardice disgusts me, and I hope they keep getting outraged calls.
            The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
            "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
            Hoc spatio locantur.

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            • #7
              Give the employee an "official reprimand" (and hide it in his file); that'll satisfy the problems with lawsuits. Don't fire the guy.

              Comment


              • #8
                Quoth Geek King View Post
                People, this is a purse snatching, not a shoplifting incident.
                That's a good point, and something to consider. I'm not sure that it would make a legal difference, however. After all, you're still considered a representative of the company while in uniform, so it's still exposing the company.
                Ba'al: I'm a god. Gods are all-knowing.

                http://unrelatedcaptions.com/45147

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                • #9
                  Quoth Broomjockey View Post
                  That's a good point, and something to consider. I'm not sure that it would make a legal difference, however. After all, you're still considered a representative of the company while in uniform, so it's still exposing the company.
                  When I worked at Staples we had one guy who wouldn't wear the polo shirts we all had but he had a Staples jacket. If something like this happened, that jacket came off as he chansed the shoplifter.

                  Out of uniform = not representing the company.
                  Out of uniform & out of the store = on break.

                  It happened a few times and he never got in trouble.

                  I'll also agree with theshadow - he should have gotten a reprimand (unless he was on a long list of corrective action) which would have satisfied the no-chasing policy.

                  Many stores have strange policies. In my company you are not allowed to use the alarm (panic) buttons if the store is being held up - wait until they leave then use it (then why not call 911 for a faster response?). This supposedly prevents hostage situations.

                  My college library had a nice system - if the alarm went off when you walked though the sensors, the doors locked (temporarily) so you couldn't just push them open to leave (but it was moot if someone else was holding the door open).
                  Last edited by draggar; 07-29-2009, 06:13 PM.
                  Quote Dalesys:
                  ... as in "Ifn thet dawg comes at me, Ima gonna shutz ma panz!"

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                  • #10
                    There was a story on Consumerist about this yesterday:
                    http://consumerist.com/5324345/groce...g-stolen-purse

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth draggar View Post
                      When I worked at Staples we had one guy who wouldn't wear the polo shirts we all had but he had a Staples jacket. If something like this happened, that jacket came off as he chansed the shoplifter.

                      Out of uniform = not representing the company.
                      Out of uniform & out of the store = on break.

                      It happened a few times and he never got in trouble.
                      Yeah, that's kinda what I was going for. If you wanna do something like that, despite company rules and possible legalities, then you should do something like doff your uniform. I think the site of a half-naked dude chasing you down might make a shoplifter run faster though.
                      Ba'al: I'm a god. Gods are all-knowing.

                      http://unrelatedcaptions.com/45147

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                      • #12
                        Ugh, how often do I see women leaving their purses in their carts while they walk a dozen feet away for an item? Easy pickings.

                        It's a shame that policy is in place, but you're right, it's for legal reasons otherwise you'd get the pants sued off you. Shame about the guy being fired.

                        There IS always 'citizen's arrest'; especially if the police are on-scene and 'invite' you to help.

                        My last job we were always getting calls that involved a young girl/young guy/middle-aged woman being assulted outside one of the stores. We always knew what we were going to find; the store's LP apprehending someone who was throwing a fit. Always looked like the dude was attacking someone because they were plainclothes and pulled-out their badges as they approached. One girl actually swung at the LP guy, then bit him, so he had her on the ground
                        Last edited by LillFilly; 07-30-2009, 02:30 AM.
                        "If anyone wants this old box containing the broken bits of my former faith in humanity, I'll take your best offer now. You may be able to salvage a few of em' for parts..... " - Quote by Argabarga

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                        • #13
                          I can see why they might have this policy in place, and that is fine.

                          However, this guy chose to not allow a bad thing to happen in front of him. He did the right thing. Just because it's store policy does not mean it's right. IThe policy is to remove as much risk as possible from employees. Well, the guy chose to take the risk anyways. That's his business. He chose to protect a customer, and to thwart a crime.

                          Firing him was poor form and rightly makes them look terrible. They should be ashamed.

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                          • #14
                            I live in the area this happened. I agree the best course of action would be a reprimand. The store chain involved is already dying, and this may send it into that final resting place. The employee in question said he could not in good conscience let it happen. So - do you do what's right or follow store policy? What's right, according to this guy. I too would have a hard time just letting it go. I understand both points of view, but the store is getting VERY bad publicity over this, and they may have no choice but to rethink their response and their policy.
                            Life's too short to drink cheap beer

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                            • #15
                              Quoth TheSHAD0W View Post
                              Give the employee an "official reprimand" (and hide it in his file); that'll satisfy the problems with lawsuits. Don't fire the guy.
                              I also agree. IMO, a write up should be called for; firing should not.
                              Quoth seigus View Post
                              I live in the area this happened. I agree the best course of action would be a reprimand. The store chain involved is already dying, and this may send it into that final resting place. The store is getting VERY bad publicity over this, and they may have no choice but to rethink their response and their policy.
                              I'd hate to lose another grocery chain; we lost Albertson's not too long ago. Pretty soon, HEB and WalMart will be the only ones left, and there is already very little competition between them. Produce and meat comes almost exclusively from HEB, and bread and dairy from WM.

                              DH was saying that it would be great publicity if one of the other chains hired the Produce Manager that was fired.
                              Last edited by Primer; 07-31-2009, 11:23 PM. Reason: thought better of something I said
                              Everything will be ok in the end. If it's not ok, it's not the end.

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