Lululemon Employees Fired For Confronting Thieves

Two women were reportedly fired by Lululemon, an “athleisure” company, after they attempted to stop thieves from ransacking a store in the Atlanta area and called police to report the robbery.

In April, former Lululemon employees Rachel Rogers and Jennifer Ferguson confronted and recorded a group of thieves in their store located in Peachtree Corners, Georgia.

Rogers and Ferguson say that they were told they had violated Lululemon’s “zero-tolerance policy” that prohibits them from taking any action in response to theft — even simply calling the police.

“We are not supposed to get in the way. You kind of clear path for whatever they’re going to do,” Ferguson said. “And then, after it’s over, you scan a QR code. And that’s that. We’ve been told not to put it in any notes, because that might scare other people. We’re not supposed to call the police, not really supposed to talk about it.”

The Post Millennial shared video of the incident recorded by Rogers on Twitter — which showed a group of thieves wearing jackets, hoods and masks running out of the shop with clothes in their hands as employees demand that they leave the premises.

According to a review of Lululemon’s company policy by Business Insider, Rogers and Ferguson were likely fired for confronting and recording the thieves, not for calling the police.

Lululemon also provided a statement to Fox Business in response to the incident.

“The safety and security of our employees and guests is always Lululemon’s top priority, and we have policies and protocols in place to uphold a safe environment,” a Lululemon spokesperson told the outlet. “We take thefts and vandalism very seriously and our focus right now is supporting our educators, as well as continuing to collaborate with local partners and law enforcement.”

The shoplifters were arrested the day after the incident when they attempted another robbery, and have been charged with multiple felonies, according to a statement from investigators given to local ABC News affiliate WSB-TV.

Rogers and Ferguson have spoken out about the struggles caused by their abrupt firing, as unemployment has left them financially strained.

“That was my sole income,” Rogers said. “So, I did have to file for unemployment and use all of my savings to pay for my car payments, car insurance payments, my dog’s food, my food.”

“They put us in a bit of a bind. My husband is self-employed. So, we’re trying to figure out insurance,” Ferguson said, noting that she has four children.

This news comes amid a recent trend of groups of thieves ransacking stores with almost no response from police.

Radical leftist district attorneys across the country have been essentially encouraging this lawlessness with their soft-on-crime policies, while discouraging any response from storeowners and bystanders by charging anyone who dares to intervene to stop crimes from being committed. Companies have been responding to this trend with policies preventing interference by employees, while also locking up merchandise to prevent theft.

Meanwhile, many companies have decided to close their stores in high-crime areas, as they were losing too much money via theft to justify staying in business.