Link: Alabama Walmart employee gets punched in the face, then fired

[Bama Reb]

From the "No good deed goes unpunished" department:

PRATTVILLE, Ala. — Don Watson apprehended a shoplifter last month during his shift as overnight manager at a Walmart in Prattville. He thought he was just doing his job, but now he’s been terminated and is never allowed to work for Walmart or Sam’s Club again.
....

http://yellowhammernews.com/busines...ployee+gets+punched+in+the+face_2C+then+fired

So he captures a known shoplifter and manages to save the store from additional losses of over $1100, and they fire hm? Are you kidding?

 

[Bamabuzzard]

My former neighbor is a store manager for Brookshires in Homer, LA. There had been a guy coming in and shoplifting them to death. But they could never catch him. They caught him in the act and the guy took off running out of the store. Store manager chased him down, tackled him, got the stuff back and held him til the sheriff deputies got there. The next day he was reprimanded and written up. He was told if he was a "regular employee" he would have been terminated.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

From the article:

Though Walmart does have a set of policies regarding how associates deal with shoplifting, Watson also says they are incentivized to keep shoplifting to a minimum—more shoplifting means less in bonuses.

Sooo, you encourage your employees to "keep shoplifting to a mininum" then when they do you fire them. Gotcha!!!

 

[uafanataum]

My former neighbor is a store manager for Brookshires in Homer, LA. There had been a guy coming in and shoplifting them to death. But they could never catch him. They caught him in the act and the guy took off running out of the store. Store manager chased him down, tackled him, got the stuff back and held him til the sheriff deputies got there. The next day he was reprimanded and written up. He was told if he was a "regular employee" he would have been terminated.

Tackling someone and holding them down soinds like a lawsuit waiting to happe. That is what these stores are worried about.

 

[ValuJet]

Reason No. 99658 to stay the hell out of Wal-mart.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Tackling someone and holding them down soinds like a lawsuit waiting to happe. That is what these stores are worried about.

I get your train of thought but if I'm the store I don't officially reprimand the guy (by putting something in his file) for trying to protect the store.

 

[Tide1986]

I get your train of thought but if I'm the store I don't officially reprimand the guy (by putting something in his file) for trying to protect the store.

Not following company policy is not protecting the store. If an employee doesn't follow one rule of employment, what other rules will he deem to be flexible in the future?

 

[ValuJet]

So what's Wal-mart's policy on shoplifting now? Just let them go?

I'd like one of those Vizio 50" Smart TV's myself.

 

[jthomas666]

Tackling someone and holding them down soinds like a lawsuit waiting to happe. That is what these stores are worried about.

Bingo. Other retail stores have similar policies. Back when I worked at SunCoast Video, right before Black Friday we had to watch a loss prevention video, and one of the things they stressed was under no circumstances were we to try to physically restrain anybody.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Not following company policy is not protecting the store. If an employee doesn't follow one rule of employment, what other rules will he deem to be flexible in the future?

No doubt. Next thing you know he would have been doing a cashier on the conveyor belt after hours while drinking a bottle of wine he stole from the shelf. :rolleye2:

 

[RTR91]

No doubt. Next thing you know he would have been doing a cashier on the conveyor belt after hours while drinking a bottle of wine he stole from the shelf. :rolleye2:

As a Prattville citizen and a "only when I have to" shopper at Wal-Mart, the selection is very slim.

 

[AUDub]

I used to work retail. You're not allowed to touch them, end of story.

Keep an eye on them, ask if they need anything, particularly if they look like they're up to no good (you can generally tell) and notify asset protection.

 

[TheAccountant]

Not following company policy is not protecting the store. If an employee doesn't follow one rule of employment, what other rules will he deem to be flexible in the future?

As if more reasoning was needed for why Walmart sucks, here's more. Pretty evident why Walmart employees are lazy as hell and show a severe lack of concern for customer satisfaction.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I used to work retail. You're not allowed to touch them, end of story.

Keep an eye on them, ask if they need anything, particularly if they look like they're up to no good (you can generally tell) and notify asset protection.

Basically these stores have decided they're not going to do anything about shoplifting. They have a "procedure" in place but they don't do any good. It doesn't stop someone from shoplifting nor does it apprehend them.

 

[TheAccountant]

I used to work retail. You're not allowed to touch them, end of story.

Keep an eye on them, ask if they need anything, particularly if they look like they're up to no good (you can generally tell) and notify asset protection.

So he was suppose to just let the guy beat him?

From the article:
“When I caught up to the individual he turned and grabbed me, struck me in the face and dragged me to the ground,” Watson said. “I got loose and was holding him down” when security personnel from an apartment complex across the street came to help until police arrived.”

 

[AUDub]

So he was suppose to just let the guy beat him?

From the article:
“When I caught up to the individual he turned and grabbed me, struck me in the face and dragged me to the ground,” Watson said. “I got loose and was holding him down” when security personnel from an apartment complex across the street came to help until police arrived.”

You're not to pursue them for that very reason. Leave that to asset protection.

 

[TheAccountant]

You're not to pursue them for that very reason. Leave that to asset protection.

From the al.com article:
Watson said loss prevention officers set their own schedules, and he couldn't convince one to work the overnight shift.

Cool that Walmart holds the stores accountable for shrinkage but doesn't really do anything to thwart it.

 

[gman4tide]

So what's Wal-mart's policy on shoplifting now? Just let them go?

I'd like one of those Vizio 50" Smart TV's myself.

All you gots to do is make it out the door...go for it.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

From the al.com article:
Watson said loss prevention officers set their own schedules, and he couldn't convince one to work the overnight shift.

Cool that Walmart holds the stores accountable for shrinkage but doesn't really do anything to thwart it.

Not sure about other stores. But Brookshires (as does Wal Mart) charges stolen items back to the store location which impacts bonuses. Think about that for a second. What a convenient way to curb bonuses.

 

[AUDub]

From the al.com article:
Watson said loss prevention officers set their own schedules, and he couldn't convince one to work the overnight shift.

Cool that Walmart holds the stores accountable for shrinkage but doesn't really do anything to thwart it.

It's not a fair policy, but them's the breaks.