I think the rule at home depot is stupid and if thats the case everybody should go ther and steal.

the one that did the fireing should be fired

As a Home Depot stock holder I cannot believe there is a policy that prevents employees from preventing losses at the store -- loss prevention employees on staff not withstanding. Home Depot just can't seem to get it right -- time for me to put my money to better use elsewhere. Someplace that does not mind employees "watching the store"

This policy went into effect last year after employees disregarded everyone safety to catch shop lifter, every HOME Depot Employee has been told numerous time during the 5 am monthly meeting.health and safety are not worth what one can carry with them , this aside it make the entire company liable fo physical abuse and this can be far most costly than anything else.

Home Depot's policy does not make sense. As a Home Depot stock shareholder, I suggest they change the policy - join the real world.

Home Depot are total morons why have any security at all "have a nice day" only works in Dirty Harry movies.As a large stock holder may be now I can understand why their stock is so bad.Maybe its time to move on to a company with a real policy on security.

Unbelievable. I should consider free shopping at Home Depot in the future. Just the publicity from this one incident will significantly increase theft at their stores.

After serving his country in the Marine Corps for four years, my son was honorably discharged and attained a job at Home Depot, while taking night classes at Indian River Community College to finish his AS degree. He had been a stellar employee at Home Depot for over a year, when, frightfully similar to the other story in Oklahoma about the four Home Depot employees being fired for helping the police apprehend shoplifters, the same exact thing happened in Port Saint Lucie, Florida about a year ago. My son was in the parking lot eating his lunch in his car when 3 female cashiers/associates came running out of the store screaming at a shoplifter to stop. My son immediately intercepted the shoplifter and took him down, holding him for the police, the shoplifter was immediately arrested when the police arrived.

My son and the 3 other employees were immediately fired!! My son, Raymond Hull, and the 3 other employees just thought they were looking out for the interest of their screwed-up employer. He was so disgusted over the insult and injustice, that he caved in and rejoined the Marine Corps, where he was promptly promoted to a Corporal.

He was asked to change his MOS to Intelligence because of his high scores, and spent four months in training where he finished in the top 3 in his class, earning another commendation. He commented that he couldn't understand the logic in punishing loyal, honest employees of Home Depot, and was so upset that he didn't trust life outside the military. I personally think all of these fired employees ought to get together and file a class action lawsuit against Home Depot.

My son is now serving in Iraq, and is about to be promoted to a sergeant. He plans on finishing his BS degree to get a commission as an officer. He commented to me that Home Depot was afraid they would be sued by this scumbag criminal, and probably paid him off to avoid a lawsuit. He also said to me, "...if this is how it works in civilian life, being rewarded for being a criminal, and getting fired and having your family threatoned financially for being honorable and hard-working, I don't want anything to do with civilian life".

My son re-enlisted 3 days before his separation time would have expired and would have lost all previous time and rank. He first enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was 18, and is now married with two children and is currently 26 years old. He hopes to be a 2nd Lt. before he turns 30. If any of the other employees of Home Depot who were fired under similar circumstances want to contact me, my email is hull2963@bellsouth.net.

I think Home Depot should be held accountable for destroying the lives of their honest hard-working employees while protecting and rewarding criminal scum as in the almost identical scenarios in Midwest, Oklahoma and Port Saint Lucie, Florida; especially given the fact that the firing of the Home Depot employees was conveniently kept out of the local newspapers here in Florida.

I work at a Home Depot. Not long ago an associate tried to stop a shoplifter in a store near mine. The crook left the store, got an axe from his car and returned swinging. The associate who tried to stop the criminal escalated the situation and put many other associates and customers in harms way. The amount of money stolen from Home Depot by shoplifters is so small compared to the cost of one injured person.

This is what's wrong with this society: encouraging people to steal. And for those of you who think the policy is a good one for fear of lawsuit: why don't they hire security guards then? That is plain stupid and I will never shop at a Home Depot as long as I live for fear of being surrounded with criminals who may want to steal and put MY life in danger because the store does't enforce THE LAW.

Wow I know all the shop lifters are doing to be doing business with Home Depot from now on...Its like taking candy from a baby. Hey maybe they could help them load it in their car so no one has to run
On eht other hand they are so scared of lawsuites of a mistaken acusation of a legitimate shopper they figure its better to let it go than to rely on employee evaluation of the situation.
Victoria Secret is the same way.

As a former HD manager from CA; HD covered their asses by writing this "memo/policy" but encouraged employees on a store and district level to get involved with this type of incidents and reminded us that bonus and raises would suffer if shop lifters were not stopped. So you tell me what an hourly employee making $8 an hour is going to do when it's implied that he/she will not get a raise come review time. What happens in the stores and what you read in the papers are two different companies. A store manager would sell his/her soul to the devil if he/she would benefit from it from their division or corporate levels. They need to bring back both Bernie and Arthur back to the helm where they belong.

well i dont think i will be buying any stock with a company that lets people steal from them and fire the people that tried to help a company from losing poperty these people must have enough money

thats what we get for careing for our jobs.!!!! please don't let this discorage other workers.

As a former bank employee, former Sears employee, and former insurance employee, we were always told do not resist, do not try to stop or apprehend a shoplifter or thief, cooperate and get them out of the store as quickly as possible. Try to remember their physical description and relay that info to security or the police. The companies stressed the importance of customer and employee safety above all else. The Home Depot employees deserve to be fired because they deliberately violated company policy and could have endangered my life and their own. Even store security is probably not armed and only chase the shoplifter in narrow cases. I do fault businesses that neglect to invest in high quality and multiple cameras in and outside the store. With a high quality color picture the person can be identified and arrested in a place that the cops choose.

This rule should be enforced because these same employees would be the first to file a work comp case if they were assaulted while tring to stop a shoplifter.Rules are put in place for a reason so if employees don't want to follow them then they deserve to be fired.But for the gentleman who has a son that worked there and was fired for the same reason maybe that was the best thing that happen because if it didn't happen he might not have went back into the military to do what sounds like he loves.and we thankyou for your son and families sacirfice

Why don't they just add a "five finger discount" checkout line and save the thieves the embarrassment of having to sneak out!

I worked for Home Depot for 6 years as a Returns Desk Associate and my husband is currently employed with Home Depot. This is nothing new. Day in a day out while I was an employee of The Home Depot, theft occurred in front of me. Thiefs would walk in steal and a manager would refund there money everytime. Finally, I had enough of it. Home Depot wake up. No I don't agree with people taking risks with there life, but this multi-million dollar company need to take up for the associates who have helped make them rich.

Wow, I can certainly understand people being upset by Home Depot's policy, but at the same time I cant believe in your outrages that no one takes into consideration what previous posters have posted as to SAFETY and why Home Depot has may havethis policy in force!
Yes, I do believe it is wrong to fire an employee for apprehending a shoplifter, but I can also certainly agree that the amount of goods a person may take, is just not worth what could happen to a person trying to apprehend them. Merchandise and money can be replaced. But if that shoplifter decides to pull out a knife, its becomes a physical altercation, its just not worth the human life at stake!

That's the same policy that a few other retailers have. It has nothing to do with the associates being injured. The policy is set in place so that the company doesnt get sued. The company would rather take the loss in merchandise than risk being sued by an 'apprehended thief.'