Lululemon CEO says 'it's only merchandise' when it comes to thieves

Lululemon CEO who fired employees for confronting thieves stands by decision because ‘it’s only merchandizing’ and it puts customers and themselves in danger

• Calvin McDonald told CNBC he stands by the decision to fire employees who intervene in a robbery at one of their stores in Georgia
• The employees did not abide by the company policy to not interact with robbers for the safety of their customers and their staff members

Lululemon’s CEO said he stands by the decision to fire two employees who did not abide by the company’s theft policy by bravely confronting thieves during a recent robbery in Georgia. 

Employees Jennifer Ferguson and Rachel Rogers called the police during a May robbery when three masked men looted their Peachtree Corners, Atlanta store, taking handfuls of stock worth $7,000. 

They called the cops and video footage shot by Rogers, 23, shows Ferguson shouting at the thieves before the pair follow them out of store trying to stop them.

CEO Calvin McDonald denied Ferguson and Rogers were fired because they called the police – but said the fact they followed and interacted with the robbers violates company rules. 

‘We have a zero-tolerance policy that we train our educators on around engaging during a theft,’ McDonald said on CNBC. ‘It’s only merchandise.’ 

Lululemon’s CEO Calvin McDonald said he stands by the decision to fire two employees who did not abide by the company’s theft policy during a recent robbery in Georgia

https://youtube.com/watch?v=kRuChtfQVGc%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

Jennifer Ferguson (left) and Rachel Rogers were allegedly let go for trying to stop the thieves and ‘breaking employee handbook policy’ of not interfering with a robbery 

McDonald said Lululemon’s policy explicitly states that for the safety of their ‘educators’ and their customers, no one should intervene in attempted robberies. 

In the Georgia robbery, the two women were seen on video following the thieves out of the store, which is a clear violation of company policy, McDonald said. 

In his interview with CNBC’s ‘Squawk on the Street,’ McDonald maintained that the policy is in place to keep everyone inside and outside of the store safe. 

‘Because we put the safety of our team, of our guest, front and center. It’s only merchandise,’ he said. 

‘They’re trained to step back, let the theft occur, know that there’s technology and there’s cameras and we’re working with law enforcement,’ he added.

The CEO continued that they have in previous instances where employees are hurt because they inferred in the robbery and ended up injured or killed. 

‘And the policy is to protect them. But we have to stand behind the policy to enforce it,’ he continued. 

The company faced backlash in May after the news of the two women having been fired was shared by local media along with video of the thieves getting away. 

After they were fired, Ferguson and Rogers told 11Alive that they were aware of the policy but that they were not given any ‘specific reasoning’ for their firing. 

A Lululemon spokesperson denied that the women were fired for calling 911 and said that employees are encouraged to reach out to police during robberies. 

Shocking footage shows masked robbers taking merchandise from displays near the front of the Lululemon store in Atlanta, before rushing out to their getaway car

The incident happened at the Lululemon store in Peachtree Corners

After the May robbery, Rogers told 11Alive that the store has fallen victim to the same group of thieves for weeks and that’s why she recorded the incident. 

The video showed a masked thief swiping leggings from a display near the front while his accomplice, who is also wearing a mask, holds the door open for him. 

An employee is heard saying: ‘No, no, no, you can march back out,’ before the second suspect walks in and grabs more items. 

Ferguson, then shouts: ‘Seriously. Get out! Get Out!’ as they try to get the thieves to stop before the pair rush out of the store to their getaway away. 

It is said to have been close to ‘the 10th time’ the store has suffered a robbery with no action so the frustrated women reported it to the police for the first time. 

They said the thieves would consistently strike around an hour before closing time where they would grab as much merchandise from the racks and tables closest to the door and run out to a getaway car.

Jennifer said: ‘We are not supposed to get in the way. You kind of clear path for whatever they’re going to do.’

The video showed a masked thief swiping leggings from a display near the front while his accomplice, who is also wearing a mask, holds the door open for him

The pair of thieves rush out of the store and sprint towards their getaway car 

Lululemon has a policy of not interfering with robberies for the safety of their employees

The firing of the two Lululemon workers comes amid a shocking rise in shoplifting and robberies across the U.S. as employees are told not to intervene. 

In May, Lily Oxford, 52, says she and another manager of the Big Lots location in Oildale, California followed a thief who had walked out with 15 jugs of Tide laundry detergent in his cart.

The incident happened on April 5 and Oxford – who managed the furniture section – said she and her coworker were not attempting to stop the thief.

A week after following the customer out, she told KGET that she and her coworker were both out of jobs in connection to the incident.

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