When a suspected shoplifter is heading out the door, what are employees to do? In some retail chains, there are "loss prevention" employees trained in handling these types of situations, but in others, all the employees are sometimes left to the task (intentionally or not). Employees of a Home Depot (NYSE: HD) in Midwest City, Oklahoma perfomed admirably in their volunteer loss prevention role in May, when four of them apparently assisted police in catching suspected shoplifters -- and then were fired from their jobs.

The would-be shoplifters attempted to run from the store with some lawn equipment, and four Home Depot employees worked with police to stop and apprehend the individuals as they tried to escape. The problem with those employee actions is stated in a Home Depot memo that reads, "associates cannot accuse, detain, chase or call the police on any customer for shoplifting."

While there was a "loss prevention" employee stationed at the Home Depot location in question, one of the fired employees is now stating that the company is selectively enforcing the policy that associates can't assist in apprehensions. One of the fired employees said that he saw the merchandise being taken from the store, even as the loss prevention employee told other employees to just tell the individuals to "have a nice day."

That did not sit well with these four employees, who asked if the shoppers had a receipt for the merchandise in their possession -- and a chase ensued. Although the Midwest City police have stated that part (or all) of the goods would not have been recovered without the help of these employees, Home Depot is sticking by its guns and enforcing what appears to be an inconsistently-followed policye.