Two women employees in the US have claimed they were fired by their employers after they called the police to report a robbery at the store, New York Post reported. The incident happened at a Lululemon store in Atlanta, where masked robbers were captured on camera, taking merchandise from displays near the front of the store.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Ferguson and Rachel Rogers, the two employees in question, were seen yelling at and chasing masked robbers out of their store before calling the police. They reported the robbery to the Gwinnett Police Department, who later tracked down the thieves and charged them with felony robbery charges.
However, instead of appreciating them for their bravery, Lululemon fired them for "breaking the company policy" of not interfering with a robbery. The employees claimed that they were questioned by a regional manager on their decision to call the police before they were fired from the store. The women also claimed they were denied severance for the rule-breaking.
''It wasn't very clear. They didn't give specific reasoning besides just saying they have a ''no-tolerance policy,'' Ms. Rogers said.
''We are not supposed to get in the way. You kind of clear path for whatever they're going to do. And then, after it's over, you scan a QR code. And that's that. We've been told not to put it in any notes, because that might scare other people. We're not supposed to call the police, not really supposed to talk about it,'' Ms. Ferguson, who was the assistant manager at the time, told 11Alive.
Talking to The Post, a spokesperson for the company confirmed that the Lululemon handbook does have a zero-tolerance policy on chasing or physically engaging with a thief.
''Safety is our number one priority, and no amount of merchandise in the store is worth putting yourself at risk for. Lululemon has a zero-tolerance policy on chasing or physically engaging with a guest when a theft or suspected theft has occurred. This also includes leaving the store to pursue a guest or gather additional information about the suspected or observed theft,'' an excerpt states.
The incident comes as several US states have been facing the menace of increased store robberies.
