Comments on: Home Depot fires man for stopping thieves

By: doggod

doggod — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:04:19 +0000

i do not get pop ups from the RSS feed. you must have a spyware RSS reader.

By: SilverStar830

SilverStar830 — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 02:06:40 +0000

Well, I know where I’ll be doing my Christmas shopping this year!

Five Finger Discounts at Home Depot for the win!

By: TheSev

TheSev — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:50:39 +0000

Hmmm. I bought a compressor from them 2 weeks ago. Then the next week it was $10 cheaper. So I took my receipt in and they backed out the original charge and charged it at the cheaper price.

I think I’ll take the receipt back, ask them to back out the 2nd charge and tell them I decided to just shoplift it instead.

There’s a concept.

By: naliaka

naliaka — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 22:11:52 +0000

There’s something really wrong with the legal profession. I can see why a company policy would be that no employee can be compelled to chase and tackle thieves, but why forbid it?
This is the kind of thing that kills people’s spirits, their natural senses of right and wrong. Perverse directives designed to smother initiative and pride in one’s work.
Meanwhile, Virginia is about to enact $1000. civil fines above/in addition to normal court fees and fines, for crimes such as “wrong signals” when driving. Failure to pay will result in revoked license. Purpose of the fines is to “help pay for road improvements” in Virginia. Guess the Democrats have come up with a way to force carpools – there will be so many people without licenses.

By: lostinfrance

lostinfrance — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 20:34:37 +0000

please stop the pop ups!

I’m removing you from my RSS…

Maybe later. After you’ve stopped the opo-ups for drivecleaner or whatever from adfarm…

By: manwithblackhat

manwithblackhat — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 20:12:45 +0000

I rarely have a good experience at Home Depot. Once I had a lot of trouble getting waited on, and it wasn’t a particularly busy day. I stood up on the counter at “customer service” and threatened to do a tap dance. I got help very quickly. Fortunately no one called the police. Probably because I wasn’t trying to stop a shoplifter.

All of this is to say, that I am in no position to defend Home Depot. BUT… the policy of non-engagement with shoplifters is probably a safety measure to avoid employees being injured and the ensuing liability, with security being left to other measures, either security guards, electronic tags, and/or hidden cameras.

I haven’t read the story, but this line of reasoning wouldn’t surprise me.

Then again, maybe they really are just idiots.

By: Hening

Hening — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 19:49:13 +0000

I stopped shopping there when they started with the signs all in Spanish and English. I pay more to go to True Value and deal with people that only speak English and like it that way.

By: 4shoes

4shoes — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 19:44:29 +0000

Letting criminals just get away it when stopping them makes more sense. This reminds me of a burning political issue. I just can’t think of which one at the moment…

How bout, The Flying Imams…? Punishing the employees for doing the right thing. Reminds me of the Imams turning around and suing the passengers on the plane for doing the same. Our laws are being ignored on all levels. Help us!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I just learned where I can get some new tools really cheaply and easily! …… Just kidding, even knowing that fact I could never do that! But I do think I will stop shopping there, the prices are bound to be higher to compensate. Plus the help does suck.

By: Kini

Kini — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 19:37:14 +0000

Selective enforcement of the laws, I’d day.
Too bad they can’t be as equal on gun and immigration laws.

By: shooter

shooter — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 19:27:03 +0000

as our senate debates which laws don’t really matter , and what to write for new laws so they can ignore those as well.

Lawless country in …4….3…..2….

By: Confederate

Confederate — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 19:25:35 +0000

I say have a bunch of people walk in at some idiot Home Despot, and take everything they can carry!

By: SWLiP

SWLiP — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 19:25:21 +0000

So, can somebody please explain why I always have to show my receipt to the half-senile, non-English-speaking old man by the exit?

By: Troy Rasmussen

Troy Rasmussen — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:34:12 +0000

Letting criminals just get away it when stopping them makes more sense. This reminds me of a burning political issue. I just can’t think of which one at the moment…

I can’t put my finger on it either. I has to do with ignoring the laws on the books. . . “Im. . .” something.

By: John from WuzzaDem

John from WuzzaDem — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:20:14 +0000

Hey, at least the shoplifter got an Orange Vested One to actually pay attention to him.

Slublog on June 7, 2007 at 12:46 PM

Me at Home Depot:

“Come on, man – I waited fifteen minutes and now you’re helping the police chase that shoplifter??”

By: rokemronnie

rokemronnie — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:19:55 +0000

I will shop at Home Depot as a last resort or if their prices are significantly lower, but if I actually have to ask a question, I buy my stuff at Durst Lumber, a family owned lumber yard and ACE franchisee in Berkley, Michigan, and if Durst doesn’t have it, Fraentz Hardware in Royal Oak will.

Besides, I do embroidery. I at least have a shot at selling a locally owned business some logo apparel. Home Depot probably sources their logowear from China, like most of their wares. Lowes, on the other hand, exploits the illegal immigrant problem. All the signs in the Lowes are bilingual, and it’s clear from their vendor’s displays that they require it of their suppliers as well.

By: Mazztek

Mazztek — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:17:50 +0000

It’s liability protection gone wrong.

Hurt the robber, get sued. Hurt the employee, worker’s comp claim, possibly sued again for inadequite security, ect…

So, it’s “let it hapen, he’s on camera, turn it over to the police, they’ll get him.”

I see a Judge Dredd society coming some day.

By: AlexB

AlexB — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:15:38 +0000

Lots of stores in Ontario have no-chase policies. The security guards at stores are mostly for deterrence. Actually, they’re ONLY there for deterrence.

The reason is that when chasing a guy you might end up hurting or even killing him accidentally, as has happened before (which put the whole security industry in the spotlight). This causes lawsuits and bad publicity for the store. They figure they’d just treat the theft as just another cost of doing business and raise the prices to recover what they’d lost.

But it is just ridiculous that you can’t even call the cops on a guy that has stolen things and has never left your sight from the moment he put the items in his pocket up until he left the store.

By: JustTruth101

JustTruth101 — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:07:01 +0000

So that explains why Home Depot is more expensive than Lowes…Lowes has more selection anyway, and apparently is not run by the functionally retarded.

By: Tim Burton

Tim Burton — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:54:40 +0000

When I was in college, I was told never to stop them. Sure I did, but my manager for most of the time working there was originally hired as the night shift, so she gave us extremely wide berth for our actions. She’d even “lose” the tape when the cops asked for a copy.

That being said, the company fired all sorts of people for stopping shop lifters.

BBY does physically stop shoplifters.

By: karatecon

karatecon — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:54:38 +0000

One of my best friends was a LP officer for TJ Maxx for several years. They had cameras and observation towers in his store. He would chase shoplifters out the door, tackle them if necessary, cuff them and wait for the police in his office.

Never heard him talk about a single liability problem.

Now excuse me, I’m heading over to HD to peruse the tool dept.

By: infidel4life

infidel4life — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:42:23 +0000

I guess I’ll just bypass the checkstand next time I shop at Home Depot.

By: VTWaldrup

VTWaldrup — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:41:53 +0000

“katrina shoppin”

By: Editor

Editor — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:39:21 +0000

sweet! I just started excavation. this will do wonders for my budget.

By: VTWaldrup

VTWaldrup — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:39:19 +0000

please don’t worry about paying for the merchandise, if you decide not to, the other customers will pay for it for you.

By: heatherrc77

heatherrc77 — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:38:03 +0000

I had a friend that used to work at a Home Depot and she told me that they NEVER prosecute their shoplifters.