June 06, 2007

Home Depot Fires Men Who Stopped Thieves

I have never been a fan of Home Depot. I generally find their 'associates' to be lazy, unmotivated or stupid, or any combination of the three. Little did I know they are not only taught to be simps by the suits, but they are taught to be poor citizens as well.
MIDWEST CITY, Okla. -- A former Home Depot employee said the company fired him and three other workers because they helped police catch several suspected shoplifters in May.
Midwest City Police said the men helped officers catch suspected shoplifters as they tried to run from a store with lawn equipment.

An internal memo from Home Depot outlines that associates cannot accuse, detain, chase or call the police on any customer for shoplifting. However, one of the fired employees said the company is selective in enforcing that policy.
"The loss-prevention guy at our Shields (Boulevard) store turned around and told me all we need to do is tell the shoplifter to have a good day as they leave the store. I said that just doesn't make sense," former employee Bob Stewart said.
Stewart said what really doesn't make sense is a termination letter Home Depot gave him and three other employees after they helped police catch the shoplifters.

"We saw them with the merchandise. We saw them run out of the store. I never kept my eyes off of them," Stewart said. "Then when we asked them for a receipt, and that's when they dropped the merchandise and they kept running. One guy still had a chainsaw while he was running, and that's when the cops tackled him."

The letter said Stewart and the others were fired because they "pursued and assisted in the apprehension of suspected shoplifters."


I am no authority on Oklahoma law but its hard to fathom that it isn't illegal to fire an employee for reporting a felony. Fuck you Home Depot.

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2 Comments:

Blogger barista grazioso said...

You have GOT to be kidding me.

Well, I'll tell you what. I'm cutting up my credit card there and will find an alternative. That's ridiculous! I'll also write them a letter, and you know how entertaining THOSE are. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Wed Jun 06, 09:30:00 PM  
Blogger Myra Langerhas said...

Yeah, this one made me angry. Good guys - get fired. Bad guys - steal on!! One lawsuit I hope ends up in mega bucks for the aggrieved!!

Fri Jun 08, 01:30:00 AM  

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