Grocery Store Employee Catches Purse Snatcher, Gets Fired

Talk about corporate inflexibility. File this under "And this is the thanks I get?"

A produce manager at a Randalls grocery store in Texas was just back from lunch last week when he heard a female customer screaming at the deli counter. Someone had just grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

The manager immediately followed in hot pursuit, finally catching up to the perp a half-mile away. The purse, and all its contents, was retrieved.

It took one day for the company's "loss prevention unit" to show up and suspend our hero without pay. He was ultimately fired over the incident. His wife and two sons hope he finds work soon.

Randalls is a Houston-based chain, owned by the California giant Safeway. A company flack explained that employees are trained not to pursue suspects in criminal situations. "The policy exists for the safety of our employees, customers and others who may be seriously injured in a chase," she recited with robotic iciness. Rules are rules.

This is Nurse Ratched territory. Sure, it's always better to let cops handle robbers. There is still something to be said, however, for customer service and helping out a fellow human being. This wasn't about stolen merchandise, it was a customer's personal possessions; her keys, credit cards, children's photos, etc.

Instead of losing his job, the 36-year old U.S. Army veteran should be named "Employee of the Month" for selflessness. In addition, the incident provides a "teachable moment" for co-workers. Remind them of the policy. Emphasize the inherent dangers of taking the law into one's own hand.

But don't fire the guy, especially not in this economy. It's mean-spirited.

Comments

[Ed Dallas]

call Randalls headquarters and tell them to cancel your Reward card
1-877-723-3929 ........st­op being cowards and stand up!!

[Ed Dallas]

If this guy was Black or Hispanic would Randalls still fired him???
I THINK NOT.......­........ Please stand up and show your support call Randalls
headquarters and ask why was he really let go??
If this guy was Black, Randalls would had to answer to all the African American
right activist the same if he was Hispanic or Latino.
call 1-877-723-3929

[jdevans]

No good deed goes unpunished.

[saxmaniac]

Shakespeare was correct: "first we kill all the lawyers." That's what this is about -- the lawyers protecting the corporation. Period. Customers only count at the cash register. Sounds like a once-major US political party, doesn' it?

[LeftRight]

I used to work for Safeway, and they had that policy back then too..... I understand, and can generally agree with, that policy. It protects the employees, it protects the customers, and it protects the business.

On the other hand, FIRING a person who violates it in this way?????? COME ON PEOPLE, use the common sense the Flying Spaghetti Monster gave you!!!!!

[Arthur McLean]

This behavior on the part of Randall's is totally despicable. Please join the Facebook group "Randall's Grocery is Unamerican", and let's see if we can put some pressure on Randall's to change their behavior.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=107070879633

[JackTheBearTexas]

This is not an isolated incident. Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy have similar policies. Just check the Internet or ask an employee if they prosecute shoplifters. If you can get out to the parking lot with a $500 power tool at Home Depot, it is YOURS!!!! Don't try it at Wally Mart or Fry's - They still have the guts to stop theft - HD, Lowe's, Best Buy and now Randall's don't seem to mind giving away these gifts. Who is paying the tax on the stolen items??...­..... Had an interesting adventure a couple of days ago - Was in line at the Home Depot checkout, a fellow was in front of me with a couple of sheets of sheet rock on a flatbed hand truck and a Ridged (Home Depot brand) shop vac - $35.00 I remarked to him, I had one of those and it worked well. When he got up to the register and the cashier went to pick up the 8 pound box with the plastic shop vac inside and it appeared he was lifting the back end of a VW. When he turned the box on its side, much metal clanking could be heard. I put two and two together and so did the cashier. Inside the resealed box (using Home Depot's tape) was a $359 Dewalt cordless drill - but wait, that's not all!

[Jackson Williams - Huffpost Blogger]

Actually, the policy of employees not pursuing shoplifters out of a store seems reasonable to me. After all, there is insurance and an expectation that some items will be stolen, break, or spoil.

The Randalls grocery store case is different to me because we're not dealing with store items lifted, but rather a customer's personal possessions. A woman's purse, which presumably held her driver's license, keys, wallet, children's photos, etc.

This makes the action by the produce manager on her behalf most admirable, and the action by the company in response callow and uncaring, not only to its employee but also to the customer he helped in a time of need.

[janie@atthelake]

This is all we have been talking about here in Austin. Its horrible, considering that Mike Vick, a felon got his job back, and a man helps a women get back her stolen purse...AN­D loses his job.
Sad day.....ve­ry sad.

[JohnFromCensornati]

These corporate robots are the people that *own* our government.

[Brian Shields]

Come on Jackson. The next thing you're going to expect police officers to think when confronted with an African-American man inside his own home with proof of his residence instead of simply hauling that person off to jail. You're going to expect teachers and school administrators to think before strip searching a young girl suspected of harboring Tylenol on campus. It's a slippery slope my friend. Eventually people will come to expect the use of reason in all sorts of circumstances instead of adhering to strict rules that require no cognitive function at all... and imagine the consequences of that!

[HeevenSteven]

One more store for me to boycott.