August 29, 2007
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The Home Depot
Dustin Chester stopped a thief from running away from The Home Depot with stolen money.
The Home Depot rewarded him by firing him. Dustin confronted a man who was standing by a soda machine with a crowbar and money. When he confronted the man, he started to run. So Dustin caught the thief and restrained him until the police arrived.
Dustin didn’t know it was against company policy to catch or detain thieves. Here is the link: Link
Do you think Dustin should be fired for catching the thief?
Comments (126)
No
No, that’s stupid. Wow.
You’ll be happy to know I worked for Home Depot last summer. This is one of the rules that they literally grind into your head – you’d have to be completely oblivious to not hear this rule. They value the lives of their workers over their merchandise, 100% of the time.
I agree with the company.
-David
nope
No! If that’s the company policy and they needed to conduct some sort of discipline they should have just suspended him for a few days. They should be thankful he caught a thief!
Well… it is a rule. And they have the rule for obvious reasons (see direshark’s comment). When I worked at a grocery store we had similar rules…
But, come on! Make an exception for this guy!
ryc: thank you
No.
Remind me to rob, I mean shop at, the Home Depot soon.
He’s kind of a hero.
oh, come on… how stupid.
Well, you know, maybe he should’ve just shot the thief. Perhaps that wouldn’t be against company policy.
of course, i didn’t read the link first. the rule does have a valid point to it but still, can’t exceptions be made?
I forgot to mention, the reason they have this rule in place is that in case a robbery happens and an employee gets injured or killed trying to save the merchandise or money or whatever, there will be lawsuits abound against the company – I can imagine if he claimed he was pressured into it by superiors he’d get quite a bit of money out of it. With the rule in place, this idea is cleared, and they won’t be flushed into bankruptcy.
-David
Heck no! What the hell? I should think that would be ANYONE’s natural instinct. It’s kind of ridiculous to just stand there and wave as the theif runs away, when it’s completely in your power to stop them. =/
Now I know where to go the next time I’m in need of cash.
It’s not nice but if it’s against company policy then it is the only way. He can campaign for them to change it, they may, and everyone will be okay.
that is, in a word, absurd
Poor kid.
So Dan, aren’t you breaking the law by using a copyrighted picture? Do I get banned from you site for exposing you??
^dan could have taken that picture.. you never know..
No, that’s ridiculous! What kind of company would prohibit its employees from stopping shoplifters?
Of course not. That’s ridiculous….well, atleast he knows he can work as a cop with those mad skills.
Regarding what Direshark said above, I’m glad that Home Depot cares about its employees more than its merchandise, but it should not have a company policy that prohibits people from stopping shoplifters. If employees want to risk their own lives it is their choice to do so. Company policy shouldn’t dictate that.
No but
The first rule of working for any large business. Whatever you do, do not care about the company (but act like you do). No matter what they say, they do not care about you. If someone is stealing from them, it is none of your business. Shoplifting, robbery, or embellishment, stay out of it. See nothing, do nothing, do not care.
I work for a medium sized business that does care to an extent. To a degree they care about me, and to that same degree i care about them. It all depends on were you work.
Hell NO !
The theif broke into the soda machine with a crowbar?
Even tho the rule seems stupid, it is there for a reason (see Direshark’s comments). If the employee knew about the rule, then he should have followed it. If someone comes into my facility in the middle of the night looking for drugs, i’m gonna give them the keys to every med cart and let them have what they want. i won’t put myself or others in danger in order to save the company a few dollars. *That* is stupid.
I worked the night shift at Denny’s for five years. I was a supervisor and star trainer, but one night when I was minding my own business, one patron stabbed another one with a switchblade. I chased the perp out of the denny’s and hollared to have someone call the police. I followed the guy who got stabbed and pressed a large clout of napkins to the wound in his gut. The manager of the store came outside and said if I didnt get inside and leave the guy there alone, bleeding, that I would lose my job.
And I did.
I stayed with him until the ambulance showed up, and then walked away from my job and never looked back.
Direshark
It is funny that you believe that bs. They don’t care about their employees, that rule is in place because of lawsuits, and that is the only reason.
Naw, but maybe he should have known the company policy.
Yeah, I tossed in another comment two minutes after the original. I’m not naive enough to think it’s compassion that speaks around here.
-David
Yes. Then he can turn around and file a lawsuit. He’ll win millions and not have to work anymore.
If it was company policy and as former employees of Home Depot have commented here that those policies are ingrained into the employees of Home Depot, then yes this man should have been fired from Home Depot’s point of view. However, morally, I don’t think he should have been fired. He did his community a favor.
The guy endangered his own life by doing so. If he got hurt in any way, it would’ve been the company’s problem. So on a legal standpoint, it was right to fire him. On a moral standpoint, probably not.
He shouldn’t be FIRED for it! Written up maybe, since it was against the company policy, but it was the RIGHT thing to do.
NOTICE TO ALL THEIVES: Hit Home Depot, they won’t do anything to stop you. Back up your pickup and start loading; they may even help you load up the loot. Service with a smile, and have a good day!
Yes. Read the handbook why don’t ya?
I think he did the responsible thing, but I also understand the Corporation’s concern. Bye Bye dude
“NOTICE TO ALL THEIVES: Hit Home Depot, they won’t do anything to stop you. Back up your pickup and start loading; they may even help you load up the loot. Service with a smile, and have a good day!”
You’d be surprised how many retailers are actually like this. I also worked for Best Buy. The loss prevention people at Best Buy are actually not even legally able to lay a hand on any thief, but will call law enforcement faster (and if they’re located in a mall like how mine was, they’ll have security there in a split second). On the other hand, at Home Depot they’ll try to identify you and will get your physical description as well as attempt to get your license plate number, so it’s not like it’s a looting show in the store.
-David
What’s their motto? You can do it. We can help?
Anyway, no. It would be somewhat understandable for the safety of the employees. If he was injured or something, maybe he could sue so companies could discourage it, but then again, he ended up perfectly fine.
Here are some questions for you: Why is this called the Theologian’s cafe when none of the questions are even remotely theological? Is theological some kind of new buzz word to let us know that something is deep even when it doesn’t appear to be? Has the term ‘Theology’ completely lost its literal meaning: the study of God?
Apparently Home Depot likes losing inventory.
wtf? no. he was just trying to help.
That’s really backwards, isn’t it.
Tough call. Home Depot has the right to make that policy and enforce it, and the policy makes some sense.
Around here, we’ve had several people end up dead because they pursued a thief who turned out to be armed with a gun. Forcing a confrontation in public puts customers in danger. Money is more easily replaced than customers.
no, he shouldn’t be fired
this is old – and no
Daniel (doubledb)
that’s so retarded
No… although legally you can’t detain customers during hours. So I dont know. Mixed feelings on this one.
it sucks, but he should have known that was a rule. at jewel they tell us that if someone asks for the money from our cash drawer then we are just supposed to give it to them in case the person is armed.
I suppose if he had stood by and watched the thief take off with the money, they would have fired him for that, too.
Should he have been fired? No. Something tells me there’s more to the story than what is being reported. They were probably looking for an excuse to fire him for some time, for some other reason, then seized on this.
no…that’s stupid. i wouldn’t want to work for a company where it was illegal to catch theives!
Did anyone tell him about this rule prior to the incident?
The ignorant good Samaritan. We don’t need those around.
no..
Not if he hasn’t been told it’s against Company Policy.
Oh good grief.
RYC: Was it that obvious?
No.
no, i do not think he should have gotten fired.
mary had a little lamb.
Wow, that sucks. That’s a stupid rule.
Of course not! He did a good thing. It’s really screwed up that they would fire him for stopping a thief.
On the other hand, it’ll make a great story at job interviews.
America is probably the only place where the employees catching the thieves are not rewarded but fired.
RYC: They’re pretty awesome. Techno/electronica/dance is what they’d be classified under, I think. Their lyrics are pretty deep and meaningful, to me, at least.
Most places now-a-days don’t want you to catch a theif due to the company’s own liability reasons. He should have known this.
After reading Direshark’s comments I’d say yes unless that particular Home Depot didn’t go over the rules.
That’s stupid. Gah, I hate people.
I know it’s weird and stupid, but it is part of the policy. I know because I used to work in a job that had that same policy. On rare occasions people would sneak out with merchandise and you can’t touch them.
ahh the old adage that no good need goes unpunished has once again been proven.
That said, it would seem silly to risk your life for Home Depot, or most any company for that matter.
That is,
no good DEED goes unpunished
I would like to see him work at an orphanage that was owned by Home Depot. One day, the building caught on fire. The Man, the decision. The Kids? The Job?
^^^^ What would you choose?
No I don’t think he should be fired but that is most retail store policies, it is security’s job to detain and employees are instructed in order not to make the customer feel accused to refrain from stopping anyone. It is the employees job to notify management and/or security.
Its a bad policy but that is what it is…
I think they have that policy in order to protect themselves from being sued in case someone wasn’t stealing or in case someone got hurt. I don’t think he should be fired.
He seems to have a Kenney Chesney thing going for him, too. Cute.
Wow, thats really dumb,they need to hire him back…plus..he’s really hot.
LOL Mrs Branch, i have to agree and Kenny Chesney is the only man i would cheat on my husband with.
Is the soda machine actually Home Depot’s property?
Yeah, it might be against the rules, but damn…so is stealing!
Well, he was just being a good citizen. Bet that Home Depot gets emptier and emptier (Is emptier even a word?!) as more people here of this, but at least they value lives more than merchandise *Cough cough*
– Kare
Legally it was the right thing to do. Because the Criminal could’ve been injured after robbing the store he could sue the company for his injuries and whatever harm came emotionally. With a good lawyer he could go scot-free.
In reality, it’s hogwash. Yes, property is less important then the well-being of employees. But the American paradigm is that of tolerance, indifference, and lack of integrity. That is why we’re being overrun with loopholes, technicalities and things swept under the rug. It’s the question of outlook: If I let the criminal get away, that would mean I’m either weak, scared of him, ignorant, apathetic, or self-righteous. Those are none of the things I want to be.
When I worked at Victorias Secret they showed us a video about shoplifting, and how you NEVER accuse someone of stealing anything unless you’re 150% sure that you saw them take something and then walk out of the store. If you accuse someone and it turns out to be false, they can sue the store. MY guess is Home Depot has that policy for a reason. It should have been made clear at some point during his job training.
should he be wronged for doing right? no
however, this is where bunk legalities come into play
its a twisted world with many-a-black area
It’s kind of ironic that the Home Depot sales’ motto is, “Doing the right thing instead of just doing things right”
it is a risk management thing..and a financial thing… they could be sued for loss of life for way more than some one could steal
so much for being a HERO
you know, im inclined to think, if i knew i was going to get fired anyway, i would work out some MAJOR aggression on the thief.
Um, probably not. The company is just scared shitless of the legalities of everything – if the theif was injured in pursuit, Home Depot would be liable for damages regardless if the guy was attempting to steal something or not – because there is no physical evidence that he actually did. Kind of sucks.
I think they should have given the hero a reprimand, made him re-read the rules and let him go back to work. Sounds to me like they lost a loyal employee. Sad
of course not.
That’s about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of. And I’ve listened to Hilary Clinton.
Yea….you cannot detain a thief. There are many reasons. One could be safety. What if the employee got punched in the face and broke his nose or his eye popped out of his eye socket bc of the impact of the crowbar? He could then sue the company since it happened on their grounds. I understand where the company is coming from.
However, I dont think he should have gotten fired. Maybe a suspension?
with what the thief could sue the company for it would well exceed what could have been recovered. The safety of the customers and employees needs to have come first. So yes, unfortunately he should have been fired…
“…it was against company policy to catch or detain thieves”???????? Holy Home Depot! I’ll forever worship them now, knowing that I’m safe and sound when I decide to mug the store. Oh yeah. And you think corporate America is unkind to its citizens. That is a good and ridiculous example there. At least Home Depot is fulfilling their philanthropic inclinations even if the recipients of that ‘effort’ are criminals. Wonderful.
It’s always against policy to chase customers. It’s a HUGE liability if employees make it a habit to “play” security guard. This is something you should be taught in your job training.
That is the most stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of in my life. That is so ridiculous!
I don’t care if it’s against company policy. They have repaid an employee who saved them money by firing him. Talk about sending the wrong message to other employees, not to mention thieves. And, IMO, it’s stupid to say “That was against company policy! You’re fired!” after the fact, and the feared consequences failed to materialize.
-(—-
He’s a cutie. They should keep him around. (Just Kidding). Maybe they could just give him a warning….???
no, but they should use the opportunity to reinforce their policy to their employees
I am not sure why Home Depot is afraid of detaining shoplifters, as it is completely within the boundaries of the law. There is a privilege that is given to businesses called the “shopkeeper’s rule” that states that merchants can reasonably detain customers if there is probable cause to think that they have stolen something. So not only could Dustin have stopped him but he could have locked him in the safe. This rule is so solid that even if the alleged shoplifter is innocent, the merchant still would not have committed a tort offense.
Home Depot should be punished. I think I am needing a new electric drill….
No.
Now he should find a good lawyer and sue Home Depot for lost wages even if it was written into their policy.
I work for an extremely small ma ‘n’ pop shop. If someone is stealing anything, we all swoop down like flies on shit. LOL We can’t afford to lose money because we’re barely making it as it is. We all want job security.
That is what you get for being loyal to your employer, I guess.
I used to work at a gas station and the owner of the store told me to not go after thieves or try to stop them if they ever robbed the store.
Like I was going to risk my LIFE for the stupid store.
I’ll be damned…
They might warn him that yea, they want safety first, but firing? That’s ridiculous.
I had to lmao when I read this post… My husband was driving home and saw a homemade sign tacked to a pole. It read, “[name] from ‘The Boy Next Door’ (it’s a lawncare service) uses a pressure washer stolen from Home Depot!”. I don’t know ya’ll are acting so shocked – it’s Home Depot company policy NOT to stop shoplifters! Several large corporations have turned that way. We’ve joked about it suddenly becoming much cheaper to remodel our house. lol
No, but now her ought to get a lawyer and sue the company and then right a book about it.
That poor man! I have a family member who works for Home Depot and given the shoddy manner in which they treat ALL their employees (and this family member has been loyal to them for the last 7 years) – it’s not surprising that HD fired this guy. Shame on them. I can understand a reprimand or written warning – but an outright firing? Where is their decency?
Home Depot does not want to expose themselves to liability by the “alleged theif” being harmed somehow by the employee.
But Home Depot also likes to steal stuff.. backdating scandal, anyone?
Home Depot does not want to expose themselves to liability by the “alleged theif” being harmed somehow by the employee.
But Home Depot also likes to steal stuff.. backdating scandal, anyone?
not only am I a bad speller, i also hit enter too many times.
If it’s company policy, it makes sense for them to fire him. They can fire him for whatever they want as far as I’m concerned.
I think it’s stupid to do so, but I’m not Home Depot. And it is chafing to see a guy get fired for being brave.
No.
Yes, if that’s the company policy. I worked for one that had the same.
But they should have made that clear from the begininning…
Um, he had a crowbar. Do what you have to.
uh yeah i am gonna assume he signed off on a company handbook stating this rule plus if the thief woulda been injured im sure he would have sued home depot for some enormous amount of money
No! That is silly. He did a good thing.
I used to work in a clothing store and they told us if we saw someone stealing something that there was nothing we could do about it. Good for him though
Good Lord! People don’t get involved enough as it is…..I hope someone gives that man a better job!
Whhhhaaa???
Idiots.
Guy wanted to b a hero. And it backfired on him. Yea all it takes 4 evil to flourish n such n such, but a rule is a rule. N how stupid was dat guy robbin d machine when there r more valuable items there?
of course he shouldn’t be fired for catching the thief!!
But trnthepaige‘s comment bout keeping out of what’s not your business (esp in a large work) makes sense… even if it means helping out. “What is the world coming to”, lol.
Yes, he should have been fired. My dad used to manage a Lowe’s Home Improvement and he said that the ”don’t try to be a hero” rule is, like someone else said, drilled into your head at the time of employment and continuously throughout. Dustin should have known what was going to happen.
Guess it can be the right thing to do and also not the right thing to do…stinks.
No, and it’s ridiculous that they fired him.
It could have been a huge law suit against the co if he had gotten hurt, but he didn’t…..then again, others could.