Marine Fired for Apprehending a Shop-Lifter

[OLE SARG]

Man Fired For Stopping Shoplifter

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Man Fired For Stopping Shoplifter

John Schultz had just gone on break at Whole Foods Market in Ann Arbor when he heard some commotion at the front of the store.
A manager and another employee had cornered a man trying to steal some groceries. All three chased him outside and that's where Schultz, a former Marine, took him down and declared he was making a citizen's arrest. But the store manager ordered Schultz to let him go. He did and the suspect got away, but about $300 in groceries was saved.
You might think an "Employee of the Month" award at the very least would be in Schultz's future. Not so much.
"Christmas Eve they called me into the team leader's office," said Schultz, "and explained to me that, in apprehending a criminal or a suspect in a crime of retail fraud, that I was immediately suspended from work."
In fact, Schultz was fired for violating the store's "no touching" policy regarding customers.
The store says that's not both sides of the story, but would not elaborate.
"Realistically, not all the relevant facts have been shared," said David Lewis.
Ann Arbor police say Schultz did not commit a crime and Schultz said he would do the same thing again.

What kind of idiot is running this store?????????? I sent my regards to this poor excuse for a business!!!!!!!!! This PC crap is going too ****ing far!!!!!!

SEMPER FI,

[Big Jim]

Man Fired For Stopping Shoplifter

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Man Fired For Stopping Shoplifter

John Schultz had just gone on break at Whole Foods Market in Ann Arbor when he heard some commotion at the front of the store.
A manager and another employee had cornered a man trying to steal some groceries. All three chased him outside and that's where Schultz, a former Marine, took him down and declared he was making a citizen's arrest. But the store manager ordered Schultz to let him go. He did and the suspect got away, but about $300 in groceries was saved.
You might think an "Employee of the Month" award at the very least would be in Schultz's future. Not so much.
"Christmas Eve they called me into the team leader's office," said Schultz, "and explained to me that, in apprehending a criminal or a suspect in a crime of retail fraud, that I was immediately suspended from work."
In fact, Schultz was fired for violating the store's "no touching" policy regarding customers.
The store says that's not both sides of the story, but would not elaborate.
"Realistically, not all the relevant facts have been shared," said David Lewis.
Ann Arbor police say Schultz did not commit a crime and Schultz said he would do the same thing again.

What kind of idiot is running this store?????????? I sent my regards to this poor excuse for a business!!!!!!!!! This PC crap is going too ****ing far!!!!!!

SEMPER FI,

IN MY OPINION, THAT DAM PLACE WASN'T WORTH HAVING A JOB THEN!!! AND IF THAT MANAGER FIRES SOMEONE FOR DEFENDING WHAT IS ONLY NATURALLY RIGHT BY STOPPING SOMEONE FROM RUNNING WHEN THEY'RE STEALING FROM YOUR ESTABLISHMENT, THAT EMPLOYEE IS TO BE COMMENDED, NOT FIRED!!! WHAT KIND OF FRIKKEN QUEERS ARE THESE STORE OWNERS?!?! THAT MARINE DESERVES A BETTER JOB AND A BETTER BOSS AND THANKS FOR DOING A GOOD JOB!!!!

:devious:

[LeonardLawrence]

Sorry to hear it. Most stores have policies in place to prevent issues like this... Marine or not.

I worked several years in loss prevention and there is nothing scarier than associate that "wants to help" dad fix the car when it comes to shoplifting apprehensions. Watching out for yourself, your partner, some dude cracked up out of his mind and his get away driver is enough...add in the unknown associate, without training....whew!

Hopefully it works out for him, but I would be suprised if the store wasn't covered by policy.

[Isrowei]

Strange. I hope the Marine gets a better job.

[LeonardLawrence]

Ssgt Nelson posted this one in another thread with more detail.

Looks like he breached their "no touch" policy of customers. Definitely could be a liability to the store from their point of view.

[OLE SARG]

As stated in my original post, this PC **** HAS GONE TOO ****ING FAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEMPER FI,

[Scottyva]

As stated in my original post, this PC **** HAS GONE TOO ****ING FAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEMPER FI,

I know we cant let kids play dodgeball etc... This is what Happens when Marines hit the real world
:evilgrin:

[CarryingMarine]

Thats the LIBERAL state of Michigan for ya.

[Apache]

I wish I had a whole civillian buisness full of take charge Marines. <br />
Damm the P.C.

[DOC WEB]

thats just how america is changing to be nowadays....a bunch of pu$$ies.

like the law in north dakota stating that you have to cover you kill after the hunt in the back of your truck, thats is f***ing stupid.

you look back when my dad was going through school; no one gave a crap if you had some beef with a kid in class and you took him out back and whooped his a$$. and if you were acting stupid in school the teacher would spank the crap out of you then call your parents and you would get another a$$ whoopin when you got home.

i just see todays generation getting more strict about stupid sh*t and i hate.

here is a great example, so im driving the other day on I-10 in california from 29 palms to ontario to the boot barn. driving at least the speed limit if not less, im not in a hurry. im driving in the right lanes of the freeway and letting the faster traffic pass on the left.
this harda$$ in his little rice burning civic comes up behind me tail gaiting me, so i let off the acclerator, and he cant get around bc of the heavy traffic, so he stays right on my bumper for about 1/2 mile goin about 40mph. i can tell he is ****ed. so he finally gets around me and flips me the bird as he drives by. i let it go.
about 15mi. down the road i see him at a gas station, and he wants to run his lip so i tell him lets take it out back and ill give him a good whoopin. he responds with "if you hit me ill take you to court" then i say "....well i better break your f***ing back then bc im going to court either way" and he promptly turns around and gets in his car and speeds off.

where was he in such a hurry to get to is my question. and why was he gonna take me to court instead of man up and knock around fists.

ill tell you why bc he is a pu$$y; and the only thing he knows is to be a pu$$y; and he will breed other pu$$ys.


I SAY THAT MARINE WAS TOTALLY RIGHT IN KNOCKING THAT SHOPLIFTER TO THE DECK.

[Whitey]

When I did Loss Prevention for Best Buy before joining we weren't allowed to chase, touch or accuse known theives for fear of invading their precious waste of privacy. On top of that if they are a known theft we had to have someone see him in person take the item and i'm not talking just putting it in their pocket cause they're still "legal" if they do it but open the package, put it in their pocket and attempt to leave. thats the only way we could get them. stores fear too much, if im making billions of dollars a year whats there to worry about?

i guess thats why you don't hear about marines owning franchises and mega million dollar companies....

that and a sign outside saying "steal if you want, i have Marines on loss prevention" would probably offend some poor crack head trying to steal for his next fix.

i remember being at a party one time and a guy swung on my friend, i came to his support and took the guy out. he threatened to sue me afterwards. pussification of america much? the guy easily outweighed me and his arms were the size of my thigh but he had to fall back on legal trash.

[LeonardLawrence]

My LAWYER is bigger than your LAWYER!;)

[OLE SARG]

****ing lawyers HAVE CREATED this problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEMPER FI,

[Manymoonsago]

****ing lawyers HAVE CREATED this problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEMPER FI,

Nope, pussy business owners who won't stand up for their employees created this problem. They are more worried about the almighty dollar and their insurance premiums than they are about anything else. Us lawyers don't go to court without clients.

[sscjoe]

Got out of Loss Prevention for that very reason. We went from retrieving the companies property using what ever force was neccessary to basically helping the perp carry the stolen merch. to his car. Companies have realized that losses from shoplifting are far less than those from the pansy ass courts rewarding low lifes for stealing because you violated his space or defended yourself and kicked his butt. LP is now a bean counter profession. I hope that brother Marine finds a career that rewards for honesty and integrety
:flag:

[yellowwing]

Fired Whole Foods employee gets job offers
Posted by Dave Gershman | Press News Service January 04, 2008 15:39PM (http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/01/fired_whole_foods_employee_get.html)

ANN ARBOR -- John Schultz, the Whole Foods Market employee who was fired after he tried to stop a shoplifter, said he has received several job offers and lots of support from the public after publicity over the incident.
"It makes me feel great," said Schultz, who is weighing a job offer from an organic market set to open in Ann Arbor in February.

Meanwhile, officials of Whole Foods, which has been harshly criticized in blog postings about the incident, have reiterated that their policy is designed with employee safety in mind. And a representative of the Michigan Retailers Association says the policy is not unusual.

On Christmas Eve, Schultz, a 35-year-old former Marine from Ypsilanti Township, was fired from his job of five years at Whole Foods, 3135 Washtenaw Ave., after he tried to help stop a shoplifter the day before. Store management said he went too far and violated a policy against touching customers when he caught up to the man and grabbed his jacket.

Kate Klotz, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods Market, said Thursday in a statement that the safety of employees, customers and the community comes first.

"Please consider the potential consequences if the suspected shoplifter had a gun or knife or if the team member had caused an accident while crossing a five-lane road in pursuit of a shoplifter," she said. "Groceries can be replaced, but human life cannot."

Security systems and trained personnel are in place in stores to handle shoplifters, she said. Company policy, she said, restricts employees from physically confronting others.

When it comes to dealing with shoplifting, there's no single policy favored by retailers, said Tom Scott, a spokesman for the Michigan Retailers Association. Some adopt zero-tolerance policies against shoplifting; others do not seek to prosecute smaller thefts.

Employee safety is the biggest concern of retailers, said Scott. "But another big concern - and there have been cases in the not too distant past - (is that) retailers also have to protect themselves against lawsuits," he said.

What's most important, he said, is that the employer clearly communicates its policies to the employees. "It's a difficult situation because there's the potential for harm no matter what you do," said Scott.

Schultz said he is considering a job offer with Plum Market, which plans to open its second store in Michigan at the former Maple Village Theater site, off Maple Road.

"I've known him for years and I've worked side by side with John," said Jamie Rusling, a former Whole Foods employee who is the assistant store leader at Plum Market in Bloomfield Township and is involved with opening the local store. "He's a great guy. There's no way I'm not going to hire him."

Schultz had just punched out for his break when he heard a manager yell for help, and he dashed outside the store. Schultz, a manager and another employee cornered the shoplifter between cars, but the man broke away and Schultz gave chase, eventually grabbing the suspect's jacket.

When the manager caught up to them down the street at the corner of Washtenaw Avenue and Huron Parkway, the manager told Schultz to let the man go and the shoplifter got away. A bag with $346 in groceries and other items was recovered.

Despite losing his job, would Schultz do it again?

"Absolutely, 100 percent yes," he said, calling it his civic duty.

[lovdog]

Just goes to show you, when one door closes - another opens! Sounds like he's destinied toward a better job!!
The problem nowadays is some (not all fortunately), have forgot the meaning of honor, integrity and courage. Some who don't have these traits hide behind the legal system that encourages this menace to flourish in our society! At least most Marines have honorable traits branded into their brain at a young age and hopefully it carries on toward the rest of their lives.
Schultz lived by this code.

[yellowwing]

I don't know any Marine that would just let this happen. Whether they are 17 or 72, we will step up.

[thewookie]

I can understand why they might do this or have that policy but I don't agree with it. I work at a bank and there are 3 other Marines who work with me and every year when we have our annual bank security classes they make it a point to tell us Marines to not do anything if we are robbed. The money is insured just like the loss of food would be. Whether you agree with it or not the liability is huge for an employee to take matters into their own hands. It's a crying shame that his country has allowed this to happen but it's reality. Now having said that,, if someone ever pulled a gun in my branch while I was there I'd really have to think long and hard about why I wasn't going find a way to rip the gun out of the perps hands and shove it up his azz. But I'd probably be fired. But I think if you have any training in you, as a Marine, then it's real tough to sit back.