The Unofficial Thread of People Getting Fired for Stopping Criminals

Why would anyone put themselves at risk to protect the merchandise of a company that doesn't even give you health benefits anyways? I know a lot of people don't understand it, but if you start fighting crime on your shift you become a liability to the company.

ETA: Sorry for the annoyance, but working as a manager in retail you'd be amazed the risk people are willing to take with their safety on company time.

I used to work in retail management. The priority was to ALWAYS ensure employee AND other customer safety, so doing anything beyond a simple confrontation with a shoplifter was to be avoided. Companies would rather lose a few items via shoplifting (even blatant shoplifting) than risk injuries, lawsuits, workman's comp, etc... The price is just too high.

Personally, I'd want to smack down a shoplifter (and I've confronted many in my career), but I can also understand the big picture. We're a lawsuit crazy culture, and it's better to just let it go than to expose yourself to greater risk.

Wow. Sounds like some bullshit.

Though the other day at a local Wal-mart a woman who works in the in-store vision center chased two shoplifting females into the parking lot, where they backed over her foot with their vehicle, trying to escape. They were both caught, but I don't know what happened with the lady.

I suppose Wal-mart is trying to protect themselves from lawsuits, but I don't really understand it - won't the shoplifters be charged with assault on the woman and be held responsible for any medical bills?

(When I arrived the shoplifters had been arrested and taken away and the woman was being interviewed by the police with her foot on ice, so obviously it wasn't too huge of an injury).

If it's not the guy's job description to chase knife-wielding shoplifters, he shouldn't have done it.

And since I'm not a judge, jury, or lawyer, I'm okay with admitting that from the looks of that guy, I'd bet anything the only reason he took that job was to confront people/"catch bad guys", and the store was probably looking for a reason to cut his ass loose.

I get what you're saying, but if I see someone wielding a knife in public and attempt to prevent him from hurting someone (seeing as he just tried to cut my own face) I don't think I should be punished for it.

This isn't a case of, "Should I let my company lose $40 or risk my life?" The wisest choice there is to let him go. The important question isn't whether or not he should stop the guy, but whether or not he should be punished for trying to stop the guy.

I used to work at K-Mart and loved chasing down shoplifters. Mostly because it was pretty fun. I once tackled one in the store parking lot. As far as being a liability to the chain, what did I care?

Personal injury lawyers don't tend to win a lot of "pain and suffering" settlements from shoplifting felons. You go after whoever has the biggets checkbook and could still be held liable; in this case, that'd be Wal-Mart.

From the company's point of view, they'd much rather that you call in the police or mall security to handle a violent situation. The RISK is then put on someone else that is trained and insured for the situation, removing the store from any kind of liability.

I'm not saying that it's right or wrong, I'm just saying that it makes sense from a business and liability perspective.

You're free to do whatever you want, but people shouldn't be shocked when they are fired for it either.

Summer of '89, I worked loss prevention at Jamesway (same kind of store as K-Mart, except the Jamesway chain is now out of business), and chasing shoplifters was the highlight of my summer. I was involved in a parking lot tackle as well (I didn't do the actual tackle, but I was with the girl who did - she was training me at the time it happened). The kid managed to wriggle out of her grasp and got away anyhow, but she didn't get fired for it.

Looking back, yeah, if the kid had a weapon, she or I could have been killed. Someone's life is never ever worth any amount of merchandise, so in that respect, we were wrong to physically tackle him. But I also don't see the point in Walmart firing the guy either - to do what, to make a point? Put him on some kind of probation so he understands not to ever do that again (fair point, the guy had a knife - he *could* have been hurt or killed), but firing him is a bit harsh.

Whoah, Lisa! I worked at Jamesway summer of '90!

And come on, that guy's a total Ronnie Barnhardt. Total liability.

Jamesway?

Oh, absolutely. And had they done so, I probably would have laughed, given them the finger and strolled out.

And, Lis, Jamesway!!! As a wee tyke, I bought all of my GI Joe toys (Water Moccasin, represent!) at a Jamesway in Flemington, NJ... maybe it was in Raritan. Hmmmm.

Also, the thought probably gives you sex dreams. All that big hair and acid-washed jeans.

... I'm just sayin', is all.

Jamesway in the Pleasantville shopping center, Pleasantville, NJ! HOLLA!

JamesWAY, James MAY.

You're right to be terrified.
Which was exactly why I was unsuccessful. The shoplifters would see my giant mall hair coming a mile away. To say nothing of the blinding acid-washed jeans and pure white Keds.

Terrifying... but if socially lubricated enough?

Paging Dr. Daniels... Dr. Jack Daniels!

I still have my one pair of acid washed jeans from the 80s. More importantly, I can STILL get into them (I tried em on for the hell of it 2-3 years ago).

What you call terrifying, I called Tuesday nights in Jackson, NJ. Ahhh, the '80s (sniff).

Jamesway? Used to frequent the one in Lakewood, NJ quite a bit. Last time I was there before it went tits up, I almost got the shit kicked out of me by a couple of gang members from town (apparently, they don't like it if you pick up something they accidentally dropped when they were putting it back on the shelves).

If you're willing to take a blade for Wal-Mart you deserve whatever happens to you. Honestly if I worked there and a shoplifter pulled a weapon on me I'd probably help him carry whatever he wanted out of the store. I once was working graveyard shift at a gas n' sip to make ends meet when a guy came in and pulled a gun on me robbing the place. I said to him point-of-fact, "put that goddamned gun away. I'll give you what ever you want, just don't point that thing at me." He just looked confused that I talked to him like that while I opend the till and gave him everything in it.

Probably the smartest thing you could have done, Mundt. Don't screw with the Thunderstick.

As a personal injury (defense!) lawyer, This is QFT. Observe & report, people!

And I, too would have had sex dreams about being gang tackled by big haired 80's Jersey girls had I seen the incident Lisa describes. Maybe I should have taken up shoplifting in the 80's?

We didn't have any Jamesways in or near where I grew up in Jersey City that I was aware of, but I do recall driving past a few and seeing their TV commercials. Here in JC, before they opened the K-mart, Two Guys and Valley Fair were the go to retailers. Lisa. . . Tim. . . back me up on the greatness that was Two Guys!

I bought my first KISS record (Destroyer) and most of my Mego figures at Two Guys in Middletown.

I worked at the Jamesway in Aberdeen (or Matawan; always mixed those towns up).

About a month ago a kid stole some stuff from the grocery store i work at. I'd been tailing him up and down the aisles but he kept losing me. I made a grab for him at the front door and he took off. I chased him across a busy (by ND standards) street and across a dealership parking lot before giving up. My managers just laughed and told me not to do it again. Evidentally not every business has a no-chase policy.

The kid actually came with his mom and returned the stuff and personally apologized to me for making me chase him. I said, with a big grin on my face, "just don't do it again sport". He looked fucking pissed.

Holy shit! Two Guys! Like Phil, most of my Mego figures came from the Two Guys in Brick! Also got my first Star Wars figures, and my Big Jim Kung-Fu Studio there, too.

Ah, Iggy... thank you, THANK YOU, for reminding me of the awesomeness. The rest of ya, if you've never been to Two Guys, you never fucking LIVED!

TWO GUYS!!! Do you know what our beloved Two Guys in Atlantic City has been turned into? A commuter parking lot for casino employees! Aaah, most of my Bay City Rollers albums, my Batman and my Snow White Pez dispensers (both complete with plastic capes!), and our first artificial Christmas tree!

I, too bought the overhwlming majority of my Mego action figures at the Two Guys on Rt 440 in Jersey City, and a goodly number of my Star Wars figures (thru Empire, at least) in their toy dept. My dad also bought a lot of HO scale model train stuff there. We used to do our food shopping there every week, and I always looked forward to getting a hot dog from the push cart by the Ladies' wear dept. I remember my dad turning me on to the wonders of mustard & sauerkraut one Sunday (I've never eaten one with ketchup since). And I remember when blue laws were still in effect in Hudson County in the 70's, the clothing department being roped off (with clothesline) while the food and a few others remained open. Got lost there once at age 5, and recall tearily rebuffing a guy dressed as spider man handing out the cards you used to get on the backs of the Mego boxes with pictures of superheroes on them, an event that otherwise would have thrilled me. And the sense of sadness when they closed down in the early 80's, the store getting whacked up into a Shop Rite and 3 or 4 other stores (it was that big). The Toys R Us that opened a little ways down 440, by the Hudson Mall's outskirts a short time later provided the remainder of my Star Wars fix, but there'll never be toy department memory quite as nice as Two Guys.

I did Loss Prevention for Vons/Safeway a few years back and chasing punks was definitely the highlight of the job. Regional managers frowned on chasing and fighting, but the actual store managers would get upset if we let someone get away.

I actually got into a knife fight with a guy who was trying to steal $400 worth of champagne. Looking back, yeah, completely insane, but when you are 20 and nigh-invincible, it was a fuckin' knife fight.

I do see where Walmart is coming from by letting that guy go. By taking the chase into the parking lot, you run the risk of causing a car accident or a frail old lady walking to her vehicle to get knocked over. My LP parter got in trouble for dragging a thief over the hood of a driver that stopped to rubberneck. Scratched his hood all up and the company had to eat the body shop bill.