Grocery Store Employee Catches Purse Snatcher, Gets Fired

This is just more programming for the sheep. Do not fight back, do not stand up, do not question, do nothing! Just sit back and take it. This is why we have nations full of people who are too scared to act.

ETA: You cant believe the old cliches anymore. "Do the right thing", "the customer is always right" all those things are long long gone. There are no more little guys in business anymore, they have been swallowed up by the bigger corps. What are you going to do? Get mad and go to some other store with a different name that we own also? Big deal! Either way the same people are getting our money.

[edit on 29-7-2009 by MrWendal]

Originally posted by Lemon.Fresh
reply to post by Vasilis Azoth

 

And that is part of what is wrong in this world.

You materialists crack me up.

You love your worthless items SO much you will die for them.

I won't die for my "possessions" or yours, sorry.

I actually know this belief makes me better than you.

*laughs his ass off, hits reply, then leaves the tools to their insanity and heads over to 4chan*

reply to post by 1st Person Conspiracy

You are absolutely correct. What this man did was completely stupid and illogical. He could have gotten himself killed, he could have ended as a vegetable, he could have ended up in a hospital unable to walk. He could have left a wife and children without a father. But you know what? sometimes the stupid and illogical thing to do IS the right thing to do.

We could all be mindless drones who only follow logic. If that were the case then we would be robots, not humans. What this man did was look out for a fellow human being. what is important here is not that he could have died over material objects, what is important is that he was not afraid to risk his life to help a complete stranger. In fact we need more people like him in this world.

Think of this for a second. What if that woman had her passport in her purse and needed to visit her dying mother in Costa Rica? what if she had in her purse some papers to become a legal citizen and stay here to take care of her family? what if she had some medicine needed for her son who was in critical condition in that purse? The actions of this man were heroic.

Sometimes I think like you and say that one should not risk his/her life because that is illogical. but a few moments later, I reflect over these thoughts: what if I had to protect my friends? what if someone wanted to kill my family? what if my little sister was getting robbed? I would try to help them, because that is the humane thing to do. It might be stupid, and I could get killed, but it is better to die trying to help someone than live as a coward for a life time.

If you were in the position of the lady and were unable to go after the robber, you would have wanted someone to help you I'm sure.

I hope I have the guts to do what this man did if i was in that situation. If I can possibly help someone, why not do it? Only a coward thinks of himself rather than that of the good of all humans. Even the ancient philosophers would agree with this kind of thinking.

reply to post by jd140

I worked parttime at Walmart's in 2002 and 2003 and we did not observe this policy at all. Store management was famous for all but inducing customers to steal so they could rough them up. Our store was sued after I left because the assistant manager and a deli clerk grabbed a woman and accidentally broke her arm. One of several suits that year companywide, I think that is why they revised the policy.

Out of curiosity, did your store bathrooms have video recorders to see if employee were stealing? Ours apparently did according to the shift manager. We even had sound devices in the cooler to check on what we were talking about. Two male coworkers were fired one night when we were stocking a cooler when one held up two fruits to his chest and said to the other, "hey, honey, how you like my melons?" Boom, sexual harassment dismissal. No way they could have heard that without a microphone.

reply to post by 1st Person Conspiracy


Two things in response to your post. One, it was a teenage kid. The day I am afraid of a teenage kid, someone call Dr. Kevorkian for me, 'cuz it's check out time! Second, this guy is a Army Veteran. He's already put his life on the line many, many times for people he has never even seen. He's already put the livelyhood of his wife and son on the line for... hmmm, let's see... who could it be... Oh yes, that would be YOU!!!

I for one, am glad to see that the Duty, Honor and Country are something that today's vets still carry with them. We need more people like this and less people who think like you do.

it's easy according to the law to cross that line from defending your self to becoming the aggressor to your aggressor. But still when all else fails kick butt then ask questions later.

Originally posted by TheLoony
Bring down the corporation, I say. To hell with them all.

I couldn't agree more with that sentiment. The "Corporation", as it exists today, is supposed to be illegal. It was one US judge that damned so many to living hell under a law that was meant to liberate black people who were down trodden and most of them living as slaves. Talk about one step forward and seven steps back!

Here's something else to think about:
Do you think a potential purse snatcher in a grocery store would be less likely to try snatching a purse if it was known that the people of that town looked out for each other? If he knew that the little lady just had to call out "thief" and every able bodied male in the near vicinity would be on him, do you think it's likely he'd still have a go?
I know, people carry weapons these days. Most people too afraid to take any sort of risk for a stranger, perhaps me included. But still, if people started watching out for other people, what effect would that have on crime?

Lemon.Fresh, I get what you are saying. I felt something when I read your conviction. When challenged: Should someone risk so much for a stranger? Your response was a solid "yes".
Logically you are wrong... but humanly, you are so right. I want the world to be a better place, where the people are better people and we can trust and rely on each other. Just the basics.

reply to post by 1st Person Conspiracy


Give me a break. I'm really sure the guy had ample time to think logically about the situation including every possible outcome and how everyone might be affected by his action/inaction.

What Troy Schafer said about his thought before acting, from from the source article:

"In a split-second decision, when someone is screaming for help, what do you do?" he asked. "I did what I thought was right. I still feel like I did the right thing. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror the next day if I didn't help that lady."

Do you think he'd be able to look his family in the eyes knowing that he didn't help someone in a situation that his wife could have been in and needed help from someone like him? The article also says he is retired Army Vet. It's in his blood to help someone.

I'm getting so sick of this attitude. THIS is why society is going into the crapper. Because of this mentality of mind your own business. Take care of yourself. You have no one to blame but yourself so don't lean on others for help. I have my own problems so don't bother me with yours. Helping someone out in certain situations could lead to serious consequences so we just shouldn't help them out at all????

Try this for a change. Think of someone else other than yourself and only those closest to you. People are so enveloped in their own little, teeny, tiny worlds that if something comes into it that goes against their norm, they freak out or just act like it isn't there.

Guess what, people need help. Sometimes you might need help. Sometimes someone you love might need help. What if you were helpless and someone said they did absolutely nothing simply because they thought they might be negatively affected by doing something good for someone.

I bet you that if something HAD happened to this man in pursuit of the thief, his family wouldn't be chastising him for it or blaming him. They would be proud to tell people how he went out. How he sacrificed his own well being because another HUMAN BEING was in need of help.

That is worth more than anything bad that can come out of doing something good for someone. I would WELCOME the negative to know that it helped someone out in then end.

Yeah, it may just be a purse. But what if it was someone's kid. I GUARANTEE you he still would have been fired. So the value of the item does not matter. It's the value of the deed done that does.

Originally posted by Recouper
But still, if people started watching out for other people, what effect would that have on crime?

Lemon.Fresh, I get what you are saying. I felt something when I read your conviction. When challenged: Should someone risk so much for a stranger? Your response was a solid "yes".
Logically you are wrong... but humanly, you are so right. I want the world to be a better place, where the people are better people and we can trust and rely on each other. Just the basics.

Just the basics....God you are so right on with everything you said!

Not only crime, but how would the other factions of humanity turn out if people started looking out for eachother instead of this mentality of every man for himself and those closest to him.

People often say that if SHTF they would horde food for them and their family and turn others away. I wouldn't. I couldn't. I couldn't live even a day longer WITH food knowing someone needed my help and I coldly told them, "Get your own. I got me and mind to worry about so bug off." I'd rather live a day WITHOUT food or even a day less. Besides more people equals more resources to find more food. More people to band together and protect themselves.

It's the people that say they will horde their food that will be the first one's stealing food from others when they run out because of their mentality that they come first and to hell with everyone else. They will probably be SHOCKED as all get out when I, instead, offer them some bread rather than fight to keep my food.

And what you said about logic versus humanity was spot on, too. ALWAYS choose humanity over logic.

Originally posted by secretagent woooman
reply to post by jd140

 

I worked parttime at Walmart's in 2002 and 2003 and we did not observe this policy at all. Store management was famous for all but inducing customers to steal so they could rough them up. Our store was sued after I left because the assistant manager and a deli clerk grabbed a woman and accidentally broke her arm. One of several suits that year companywide, I think that is why they revised the policy.

Out of curiosity, did your store bathrooms have video recorders to see if employee were stealing? Ours apparently did according to the shift manager. We even had sound devices in the cooler to check on what we were talking about. Two male coworkers were fired one night when we were stocking a cooler when one held up two fruits to his chest and said to the other, "hey, honey, how you like my melons?" Boom, sexual harassment dismissal. No way they could have heard that without a microphone.

I don't know anything about cameras or microphones.

I hate working there and only do so out of need. So I basically go to my register take my two 15 minute breaks and my 1 hour lunch. I don't talk to anyone or use the restrooms there.

Originally posted by PsykoOps
How the hell can he be fired anyway? Is there a possibility that he could sue over unlawful termination or something? The company has to have a legimate reason to fire someone right? And wasn't he technically still on his lunch hour also?

In New York we have what is called "At Will Employment"; an employer has the right to fire you for any reason or for no reason. There are only a few things you cannot be fired for, such as discrimintory reasons (race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) or if you refuse to commit an illegal act at the direction of your employer.

I wish everyone would take 10 minutes and go do a quick Google search for the number of people killed each year trying to do the right thing by trying to stop a crime in progress. It is really sad that people die each year trying to protect some bit of material wealth. If no one's life is in danger let it go, it can be replaced.

[edit on 30-7-2009 by craig732]

In Idaho we call it "Right to Work" and the same thing goes...you can be fired for pretty much anything accept discrimination, like you said.

The policy stinks. My mom couldn't hold a job because of it. She has degenerative disk disease and, when my sis and I were younger and she had to work after the divorce she kept getting fired because every few months her back would go out and even though she'd get a docs note, after about three times of it happening, they fired her.

She was only ever out for about 3 days and, like I said, it was every 3 months so it's not like it was THAT frequent. She just quit working after awhile. It really stunk. She couldn't even get assistance because apparently living off of $1200/month from child support for two kids is making too much money. No food stamps either.

Thankfully, this was around the time my sister and I were old enough to start working so we were able to buy things we needed for ourselves and my mom could keep a roof over our head with the child support.

ANYHOO, Right to work SUCKS.