Just need to vent
20 year career with a major retailer. Had solid career momentum. Living decently well. Never have any issues at the job. I believe I was a good manager who treated people fairly and always went to bat for them when they deserved more. Also, just had my best year, performance wise, ever.
Back in December, as I was getting a receipt validated by security for a drink I purchased, he noticed someone possibly about to walk out with product without paying. I start moving to the side of the exit to make myself visible and just convince the guy to not bother. Not here to be a hero or get someone arrested. Just trying to deter. Have my drink in my hand.
The shoplifter, quite unexpectedly, charges at me. I’m able to turn around quickly enough and brace myself before finally separating. Security grabs the guy and I, in a moment of instinct, grab the security wrap on the item. The shoplifter pushes into me again and punches me in the face. I don’t let go of the product but I just keep saying “just drop it and leave” hoping to end the chaos. Shoplifter lets go, runs back into the store, grabs more product and tries to run out with it. I just get on the phone with 911 as security struggles with the guy. He leaves without product while I’m still on phone.
Today, I get fired because “as a leader” I “acted recklessly”. I got charged, punched in the face and fired. I’m in at At Will state, so my career is gone and now I need to find something else quickly so I can continue to pay the mortgage and rest of the bills a normal family has.
I know people say corporations don’t care about their employees, but I’m just incredibly devastated. I was a damn good employee and it’s all gone because some jerkoff charged at me and corporate refuses to see any nuance in the event.
Man, when I worked retail in the 90s, we were TOLD to follow known shoplifters and would-be shoplifters, deter them, and even stop them before leaving.
Times have really changed! 😂
Yeah shit happened like a guy lifting liquor got tackled and got bottle glass pushed into his torso and employees got hurt and or killed in other incidents, shoppers got harassed and confined, all these people sued and now if you want to arrest some guy, get trained for it and do it properly.
It’s honestly never worth it to stop petty thieves. The company still makes profit, the police will end up dealing with unruly individuals eventually even if you don’t report them. The only reason to try is to satisfy humanity’s violent tendencies, which perpetuates a cycle of harm.
I had a good friend who worked LP for wal-mart back in the '90’s. He loved that shit. He’d burn CD copies of the surveillance videos of his latest escapades fighting with and tackling shoplifters and bring them home for us to see. He was a master of “redirecting” someone running away from him into whatever nearby solid object he had available. I know those big red bollards that keep cars from driving thru the front doors claimed more than a couple of victims at his, um… urging. Entertaining stuff for sure.
Yeah but did you work in a country that has sensible gun laws? It sounds like the person you reply to is from the US, and I sure as hell would not try to stop a thief if I have to assume they might as well have a shotgun in their trousers’ leg or an assault rifle in their car.
In the US I’d probably help them carry the product out anyways, fuck labor “laws” in the US.
It’s been a good while, but as I recall working the late 90s at a Target in the Midwest, I believe we were told to follow them as far as the parking lot and get the license plates if they went to a vehicle.
For good reasons.
Yeah… there was a security guard at a Costco near my hometown that was shot and killed by a shoplifter.
Indeed. we would straight-up chase shoplifters right out the front door and further, if they didn’t give up what they stole. Myself and another employee ran after a guy who stole some meat and what-not. He ran across the street and into a sketchy apartment building. My coworker went to the door to open it and enter the building and it’s only then that common-sense clicked in. I called him off telling him we had no idea what was waiting for us in there…