Just Steal Our Stuff, Please

So, if an individual is employed by Home Depot and said individual happens to note another individual misappropriating Home Depot property shouldn’t the Home Depot employee act to prevent said misappropriation?

A reasoning individual, with a sound understanding of property rights and respect for private property, would think so, but in the case of Home Depot, if an employee notes an individual misappropriating Home Depot property, Home Depot policy dictates that the employee should simply let the thief walk away, though of course Home Depot dictates that the employee report the theft to the appropriate authority.

But what happens if the Home Depot employee acts, and apprehends an individual misappropriating Home Depot property, rather than letting the thief walk away?  Why, the individual is fired.

Dustin Chester is job hunting this week, after The Home Depot fired him and the general manager for thwarting a thief from running away with a pocket full of stolen cash.

Last week, the 24-year-old department manager confronted a man who was standing by a soda machine in front of the Murfreesboro store off Old Fort Parkway holding a crowbar and a wad of cash. When the suspect started running, Chester said his instincts took over.

He was fired Monday for violations of company policy in the incident.

“When he ran, I ran after him,” he said. Chester caught the thief and restrained him in the parking lot until police arrived.

Chester was shocked to find out that for managers and most employees, catching and detaining thieves is against company policy.

Of course Home Depot states that their just steal our stuff, please, policy is in place for the safety of their employees and customers, but this policy simply reflects just how far the principle of property rights, and protection and respect of this right, has been subverted by the rise of the culture of nannyism in the United States.  Pitiful.

Home Depot employee looking for job after stopping alleged thief

Via Claire Wolfe.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/30 at 06:48 AM

  1. Thank you for showing this story. I guess this weekend Lowes will be getting my business.

    I do realize the policy is in place because of the real threat destroying our society - lawyers. If some employee did get hurt trying to stop an animal, lawyers would line up and down the block looking to put the blame on the criminal - oops, sorry, I mean put the blame on Home Depot for not making it clear that chasing after someone with no respect for rights could be dangerous.

    To put this boilerplate in your policy is one thing, but to then fire the employee for doing the right thing anyway - thus making the policy higher than common sense - IS the fault of Home Depot.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  08/30  at  08:45 AM

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