Archived Four Home Depot employees in shock after their attempt to stop shoplifter gets them fired (nydailynews.com)
submitted ago by Some_Guy_from_RI
Posted by: Some_Guy_from_RI
Posting time: 4 years ago on
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Archived on: 3/19/2017 10:00:00 AM
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23 upvotes, 1 downvotes (96% upvoted it)
Archived Four Home Depot employees in shock after their attempt to stop shoplifter gets them fired (nydailynews.com)
submitted ago by Some_Guy_from_RI
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[–] [deleted] 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago
[–] nuworldblue 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
So, you got away with it?
[–] Codewow 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago
Well, the sad reality is that their contracts likely specifically tell them they are not authorized to stop any shoplifters. It's more so a safety thing like reported in the article. They just don't want to pay out if you get injured or killed in an altercation. That's why they hire security firms that pay for their employees insurance.
[–] Tsilent_Tsunami 2 points -1 points 1 point (+1|-2) ago
I can see the companies point, but telling employees they have to just stand there and watch people rip off their employer is a good way to literally alienate them. At that point, basic fairness would dictate that they get to steal from their employer too. There must be some middle ground in there somewhere.
[–] Codewow 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
The middle ground is that you're able to report the person to your security team so they can review and take care of it. I do know that some stores are not allowed to apprehend anyone unless they physically see the person stuffing items.
(Even CCTV footage isn't enough)
Which is why some stores have plain clothes security that will stalk those they have a pretty good idea on who is stealing.
[–] PeacefulAssassin 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
I understand legal, but also the workers spyglass be screw either way. Worked at a restaurant where they wrote a person up when someone walked out on the bill, then when they tried to stop the next person who tried to walk out, they got written up for inconveniencing a customer. Lose-lose situation.
[–] AmaleksHairyAss 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago (edited ago)
Either the manager was total shit or the employee was. (and the manager was looking for ways to get rid of him) No way to tell
[–] [deleted] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
[–] nuworldblue 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Don't call them idiots. We need more people with backbone in this country. Its unfortunate that they lost their jobs over this, but their character is intact at least. I can see the corporate liability argument and it makes sense, but the hidden issue here is that policies like that also encourage and protect criminals who know they won't face resistance from the employees. It makes them bolder and more likely to succeed.
[–] littul_kitton 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
And that's where you are wrong, and why these people were fired. You are taking about deterrence. Most Americans are either fully deterred from stealing, or drugged, or crazy. There are very, very few people who are going to keep stealing until an untrained clerk grabs their shopping cart. These people are pretty much the unicorns of retail crime.
What does exist are drugged and/or crazy people who if provoked will go on a rampage that hurts bystanders, gets the store's name in the news for months, and cost $10M in lawsuits.
The store has run the numbers and has decided to take a tiny loss of deterrence in exchange for a big decrease in fiascos.
As far as emboldening thieves goes, it is not so important. Good policing works by steadily chipping away at the problem. If you diligently keep trying to catch a career criminal, you will eventually succeed. Frontal attacks on sneak thieves are mostly a thing of cop TV shows.
[–] derram 1 point 1 point 2 points (+2|-1) ago
https://archive.is/TPKnw :
'Four Florida Home Depot employees were fired last week after they attempted to stop a shoplifter. '
'No amount of merchandise is worth risking the safety of others.”The employees spoke out after they were fired from the company last week. '
'Ga. dad charged in tot's hot car death is fired from Home Depot"They said I should not have touched the cart, but I wasn't told that I wasn't supposed to touch carts. '
'I saw a guy crashing a cart into one of the cashiers and I was responding to her aid. '
'I was always told you are supposed to ask a customer for a receipt,” she said. '
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