By Tom Ryan
An employee for Whole Foods Markets in Ann Arbor, Michigan claims he lost his job after stopping a shoplifter. The retailer says he violated a policy that prohibits employees from physically touching a customer - even in cases of theft.
John Schultz told The Ann Arbor News that he had just gone on break at 7 p.m. last Sunday when he heard his store manager yelling for help in stopping a shoplifter. Mr. Schultz, the manager and another employee cornered the shoplifter between two cars in the parking lot, and Mr. Schultz told the shoplifter he was making a citizens arrest and to wait for the police to arrive. After the shoplifter broke away, Mr. Schultz caught up with him at a nearby intersection, grabbed the man's jacket, and put his leg behind the man's legs. But the manager told him to release the shoplifter after arriving at the intersection, Mr. Schultz complied, and the shoplifter got away.
Kate Klotz, a Whole Foods spokesperson, told the newspaper that the retailer's policy is clear and listed in a booklet that all employees have to acknowledge that they received before they can start work.
"The fact that he touched him, period, is means for termination," said Ms. Klotz.
Mr. Schultz, who had been working at the store for five years, most recently as a fishmonger, claims he acted as a private citizen on property that isn't owned by Whole Foods.
"The fact that I worked at the store at (the time of the robbery) is coincidental," he said. "If I had went over to the book store on my break and they were being ripped off, I would have helped them."
But Ms. Klotz stressed, "He is still considered an employee of Whole Foods Market regardless of where he was and what was happening."
Discussion Question: Do you think Whole Foods was right to fire an employee for physically stopping a shoplifter? What other policies are important for employees regarding shoplifting?