No need to shop there if this is how they treat employees who are trying to help the company.
The story behind this:
John Schultz WAS an employee for Whole Foods on Washtenaw. Was because he tried to stop a shoplifter his manager and others had cornered in the parking lot there. The idiot shoplifter broke free from between the cars where they had him cornered (and isn't CORNERING someone still considered false imprisonment?) so Mr. Schultz ran after the man actually catching up to him and GRABBING THE SHOPLIFTERS COAT at Washtenaw Ave and Huron Parkway. When the manager showed up to where Mr. Schultz had grabbed the man by his jacket, the manager told Mr. Schultz to let go and he immediately complied.
So, the next day Mr. Schultz, an employee of Whole Foods for FIVE YEARS, was called into the office and fired. Schultz says since he was on break and the incident happened off of Whole Foods property there was no cause for termination. Whole Foods talk head spokesmodel Kate Klotz disagrees. "The fact that he touched him, period, is means for termination. He is still considered an employee of Whole Foods Market regardless of where he was and what was happening," she said.
Got that Whole Foods employees, better not try to stop someone from breaking into your car on the lot there, or depending upon what types of Sauron's Eye seeing everywhere company policy Kate Klotz thinks they employ, maybe not in your own driveway either.
So, Washtenaw County, now would be a very good time to simply stop shopping at Whole Foods for a while. What kind of sane company does this? OK, you want to punish this guy, ever hear of a "write up"? YCD thought Whole Foods was supposed to be the hippie, krunchy, liberal company, GUESS NOT.
Again, simply, if you choose, stay away from Whole Foods for a while. They've earned no less here.
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6 comments:
Hmmmmm. If I were them, I don't think I'd want it printed in the newspaper that they have a formal policy to never touch shoplifters, and even more so that their employees will be fired for stopping shoplifters from bolting.
I'm guessing instead of a boycott, we're far more likely to see busloads of shoplifters head on over there.
You know, most of the "crunchy hippie" types I know (whether self-described or by-appearance) don't shop at Whole Foods. Sure, it's the image they try to convey, of an environmentally-friendly and socially-progressive store that "crunchy hippies" would want to shop at, but they don't do a very good job of backing up that image (see, for example, their refusal to allow third-party auditors to check their claims about where their dairy products come from, or their widespread union-busting actions), and, additionally, they're overly expensive. Most of the "crunchy hippie" types I know prefer to shop at the food co-ops (for staples, not fancy-pants prepared food) and farmers markets, both from the vantage of personal values and that of economic value.
So, sure, this doesn't fit the image of Whole Foods that you've been convinced of, but, in reality, very little does. Note that one (anonymous) commenter on the A2News story claims to be a WF employee and speculates that Schultz was fired for his openly pro-union stance - the "touching a customer" bit was just an excuse. While anonymous commenters are not generally good sources, that fits with WF history.
Couple things--trusty getto--You got that right. Advrtising a shoplifting policy of hands off? Derrrrr. I'm not calling for a boycott, I'm just saying maybe we don't need to shop there for a little while.
Murph--Well that IS an interesting angle and yes that would also make sense but that's the kind of easy way out if true. Also I was making comment on the "image" not the reality.
I also wanna know if when Mr Schultz took off on foot after the shoplifter if his boss yelled STOP or NO or DO NOT CHASE HIM. I mean if you see your boss run into the parking lot even to corner someone don't you kinda think right there the policy is to stop the shoplifter?
trusty getto has it right -- lets ALL go to WF and take what we want and leave the store; eventually that will put them out of business - where they belong. Better yet, lets drive some homeless people over there to help themselves, the rest will take care of itself when word gets out....
I worked at the Ann Arbor Whole Foods for three and a half years. They were incredibly supportive of me the entire time I was there. They pay exceptionally well for a grocery store. They provided me with free health care, a matching 401k, dental, vision, and close to ten paid days off every year. There are frequent opportunities to advance within the company, and Whole Foods really is mission driven. I have also worked in more grocery/retail jobs than I'd care to admit to. None of the others put a fraction as much effort into trying to live up to their core values as Whole Foods does.
It's far too easy to demonize a company simply because it's been successful and evolved into an international corporation, but Whole Foods has helped many people along the way. I worked with John the entire time I was there, and he was a great guy. It's terribly unfortunate that he was fired, because he really was a part of the family there. Another article quoted someone on the subject who made a very legitimate observation. What would have happened if the shoplifter had a knife or a gun? What would have happened to John? What would have happened to the store team leader who was there? What would have happened to other customers who happened to be nearby? Team members can't be allowed to put themselves or others in that kind of jeopardy. I'm sure that everyone in the Whole Foods Ann Arbor family, including our leadership, misses John and wishes him well.
None of you are really part of the family at Whole Foods. Go in sometime and ask for information on the Whole Trade program, the Whole Planet foundation, or the Animal Compassion Program. Ask them about their biodiesel fleet of trucks, or the company-wide wind power energy offset that they've purchased for the last three years. Take the time to buy your own wind power credits at the registers. Ask them about the Ann Arbor recycling they do. Ask them about the Chicago-based Midwest distribution center recycling they operate throughout the region. Ask them about the Team Member Awareness Group and the team member emergency fund. Ask them about labor sharing. Go to the coffee bar and ask them about Allegro and the relationship they establish with the farmers Whole Foods sources from. Ask someone in seafood about the day boats we exclusively purchase from who use sustainable fishing practices. Ask someone in meat about the relationship Whole Foods maintains with the farmers who raise the livestock we purchase. Ask about micro loans in developing countries. Ask them about the money they raised for tsunami relief and Katrina relief. Ask them about the community support days. Do your shopping on the next 5% day. Whole Foods is a wonderful grocery store. It is a model for every other corporation to aspire to.
We all miss John, and it's terrible how he left, but the real villain in all of this was the shoplifter. Don't abuse the rest of the family in the Ann Arbor Whole Foods. No one was happy that this happened.
The problem with the policies of WFM is that they choose which ones the decide they want to endorse depending on the Employee's political standing with the company, The store I used to work at until recently has on numerous occassions, has requested & recieved help in stopping shoplifters by other employee's where physical contact was made, but doesn't punish them. But if you break a rule & you are not in good standing with the company, you can & more likely will be terminated. WFM thinks they are above the law & acts arrogant on this & many other issues.
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