Lululemon terminated two employees — including an assistant manager — after the pair called 911 and video recorded three masked thieves stealing merchandise inside a store in Georgia.
The incident occurred at a store in Forum Shops in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. The thieves reportedly stole thousands of dollars of merchandise, and employee Rachel Rogers said she has witnessed thieves steal five to six times in the last eight months, WSB-TV reported.
Footage shot by Rogers showed the men grabbing bundles of clothing as assistant manager Jennifer Ferguson is seen telling the men to leave.
“No, no, no, you can march back out,” Ferguson said.
One of the thieves stood at the door and stared at the camera before making a break to steal more clothing.
Rogers exited the store to videotape the men entering their car. Neither woman is shown physically intervening with the thieves. The women filed a police report, and the Gwinnett Police Department arrested and charged the men with multiple felonies the next day after they struck another store.
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Two weeks later the women were let go from the company for breaking employee handbook policy of not intervening with a burglary.
The Lululemon handbook has a “zero-tolerance policy for chasing or physically engaging with the thief,” the New York Post reported.
“Clear a pathway,” Rogers told WSB-TV. “At least this is what is posted, is a clear pathway, and don’t interact, let them take what they want. Let them take what they have and do not make contact with them at all.”
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Ferguson’s husband, Jason Ferguson praised his wife for her bravery on a Facebook post:
I am more than proud to announce that my wife went into ‘fight’ mode. She protected herself and the other employees and the store by yelling at them to get out. She defended her space and her people. They tried to video the getaway car to get the license plate. And then, they for the first time after any of these incidents, called the police to report it.
When the officers arrived to take statements, they were concerned as to why the store had never called the police before, according to Ferguson’s Facebook post.
Breitbart reported early this month that two Big Lots employees in Bakersfield, California, were fired after following a thief back to his car.
In 2021, retail theft cost the industry $94.5 billion.
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Los Angeles Police Department
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