Two now-former employees said they were fired from a Lululemon store in Georgia after calling police on masked crooks caught on video swiping items from the store.
What are the details?
“All of a sudden we see some gentlemen run into the store in masks and hoodies,” Jennifer Ferguson — assistant manager at the time of the Peachtree Corners store — told WXIA-TV. “They swiped until they couldn’t hold any more product and ran out the door.”
According to WSB-TV, the brazen, daylight heist took place last month, and the trio of crooks stole thousands of dollars worth of clothes from the store at the Forum Shops.
Rachel Rogers — a key leader at the store at the time — caught the theft on camera, WXIA said.
“We didn’t really feel very protected or know what else to do,” Rogers told WXIA.
Here’s video of the heist:
Rogers had been working for Lululemon for five years, WXIA reported, adding that she said the Peachtree Corners location has been dealing with thefts for months.
Rogers added details to WXIA about a separate incident: “I was not working, and someone sent me a picture of the front entrance table. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we just sold all of the product. Good job!’ And they were like, ‘No, someone just came in and stole everything.”
The station said no one at the store called police about the other thefts.
But after Rogers and Ferguson called authorities about the shoplifters Rogers caught on video, Ferguson told WXIA that was against company policy.
“We are not supposed to get in the way. You kind of clear path for whatever they’re going to do,” Ferguson explained to the station, “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.”
Jennifer FergusonImage source: WXIA-TV video screenshot
The Gwinnett Police Department confirmed to WXIA that there have been a few incidents in the area, and the station said a police report indicated that the three shoplifters recorded on video are facing felony robbery charges.
Fired
WXIA said Rogers and Ferguson were subsequently fired, and Rogers said the reason “wasn’t very clear. They didn’t give specific reasoning besides just saying they have a ‘no-tolerance policy.'”
Rachel RogersImage source: WXIA-TV video screenshot
Ferguson added to WXIA, “They said I was terminated immediately with no severance because they have a zero-tolerance policy.”
WXIA said it reached out to Lululemon corporate Wednesday but didn’t get a response. According to WAGA-TV, the company said it has a zero tolerance policy for chasing or physically engaging with suspects during a robbery.
It isn’t clear from the clip if Ferguson or Rogers physically engaged with the shoplifters, but the videos does appear to show the pair exiting the store as the crooks ran to a getaway vehicle.
Rogers and Ferguson told WXIA they hope the policy can be changed to allow employees to call police if they don’t feel safe.
“That was my sole income,” Rogers told the station. “So, I did have to file for unemployment and use all of my savings to pay for my car payments, car insurance payments, my dog’s food, my food.”
Ferguson added to the station that she has four kids to support: “They put us in a bit of a bind. My husband is self-employed. So, we’re trying to figure out insurance. There was no severance.”
Lululemon employees say they were fired after burglaryyoutu.be
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