Home Depot employees fired for catching shoplifters

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.

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

HD STOCK HAS BEEN GOOD FOR ME IN THE PAST ,I NOW HAVE 3,000 SHARES , IF THIS IS HD POLICY , I NEED TO SELL AND PUT MY MONEY SOME WHERE ELSE. IF THE BANKS ADOPT THIS POLICY , THEN WHAT ??? JUST DRIVE THE BRINKS TRUCK HOME ?

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!

I do feel bad for the employees who are loyal to Home Depot and feel they are doing a good thing in detaining shoplifters. BUT I worked for about 10 years in Loss Prevention and know shoplifting is only a tiny part of a store's Losses. I was fortunate in my career to have never made a bad stop. BUT I can assure you 1 bad stop will cost a store more than a years worth of apprehensions! In truth, the Loss Prevention guys are more likely watching the employees, rather than the shoplifters. Employees are a huge source of losses, thru theft, "work-realted" injury claims, and the etc. I'm curious... is the "Have a Nice Day" approach applied to employees... I doubt it.

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.'

Stop making excuses for Home Depot and the morons that are shop lifting. That's what's wrong with this country now. Too many excuses as to why not to fix a probelm. Home Depot isn't the least bit worried about the safety of the employee; they are worried about the bottom line that a lawsuit may affect. All the liberal weenies need to wake up and smell the coffee. 22 years in the USMC will give you a different perspective.

its the same way at lowes . When you are hired they tell you the rules on this. This isnt a union so they can do as they like (company)

This is good to know. I'll remember the Home depot policy when I need a new lawn tiller.

What people fail to realize is that this is an industry wide standard. No company wants to have an employeed injured or killed trying to save a $75 blower. And yes people have been killed trying to stop a shoplifter.

It just amazes me that you think that Home Depot dosent protect itself agaist shoplifting. It simply discourages the sales associate from engaging shoplifters for their own safety. As a 14 year associate I see shoplifters taken out in handcuffs on a regular basis. We had one arrested at our store tonight. So dont think for a seconed just because the average sales associate cant engage them that there are not people in the store watching.

Hmmm...To help or not to help..... Seems like any entity would be grateful of any employee who tries to be helpful. Especially at times of any illegal crime being committed! But firing them is unjust even if it was "policy". I feel that the "goodness" within one's soul could be forever lost because of certain "policies". Another unfortunate reality of "BIG BUSINESS"!! I applaud the employees for their attempt. For if no attempt is made to thwart crime....crime just grows and becomes more of an expense/suffering to society. So, I think we should impose a hefty tax against any business who has such policy as Home Depot. It's simple, they allow crime to happen so they should pay for it!!!!!!!!!

CONGRADULATION HOME DEPOT!!!
YOU SAVED ANOTHER LIFE FOR A STOLEN 99 CENT ITEM.
KEEP IT UP.

This sounds similair to what happened to me three weeks ago when I was fired from Famous Footwear. I had a shoplifter that wore the shoes out of the store on his feet. I attempted to stop him on the way out of the door and he refuesed to stop. I followed the policy to allow the shoplifter to exit the store before trying to make an apprehension. As he was leaving I called the police on my cellphone and cooperated with the officer on the line to keep an eye on the shoplifter. Eventually he charged at me taking me to the ground but I had him held down while waiting for the police to arrive. Three weeks after this occured I had the dreaded 4PM Friday meeting, where I was informed I was being let go for stepping outside the building to apprehend the shoplifter. I tried to question this but my District Manager had no answers for me and HR has not contacted me. My only question was if the "Five Elements" to making an apprehension includes step 5 which is to "Allow the customer to EXIT the store before making the apprehension (this means the shoplifter is located immedeately outside the point of entry/exit of your store). I guess next time I don't cooperate with the police, face getting arrested for that, and I would still be at the same job I held for 12 years.