Home Depot Fires Employee for Heroic Act

Dustin Chester, a department manager at the Home Depot store in Murfreesboro, Tenn., saw a man standing next to a soda machine outside the store with a crowbar and a handful of cash.

Chester confronted the man, who took off running. Courageously, Chester ran after the guy, caught him and restrained him until police arrived.

For his efforts, he got a pink slip from Home Depot.

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

“The district manager told me that we are supposed to let thieves walk away; it blew my mind,” said Chester, a one-time employee of the year.

The Home Depot said its policy, which directs workers to notify loss prevention specialists or police to handle criminal situations, is in place to protect its employees and customers.

“The associates involved were not following company policy, resulting in this disciplinary action,” said Don Harrison, spokesman for the Atlanta-based company. “Safety is a primary focus for our company.”

Hey Home Depot. You want to exercise your rights by firing Dustin? That’s fine. I’ll exercise my rights by not shopping at your slimeball store again. I’m sure a lot of other Americans will do the same thing.

As if I needed another reason not to patronize Home Depot. Lowe’s has always been far superior anyway.

Blog reprinted from Tim