Longtime Georgia Lowe’s employee fired for trying to stop shoplifters
Ricon GA July 22, 2023
A longtime Lowe’s employee has been terminated for trying to stop a theft at a Georgia store, according to police.
Three people went into the Rincon, Georgia, Lowe’s location and began putting merchandise into their carts, according to a July 20 Facebook post from the Rincon Police Department.
The three individuals filled the carts with more than $2,000 worth of items, police said, before walking out of the store without paying for the items on June 25.
The Lowe’s employee, 68, tried to stop the trio by grabbing onto one of the shopping carts, police said. She did not make physical contact with any of the individuals, police said.
One of the accused thieves hit the employee in the face three times, according to police.
The assault gave the employee a black eye and caused it to swell.
Two of the three accused thieves are still “at large,” police said, but the third has been taken into custody.
The Lowe’s employee, who has worked at the store for 13 years, was then fired for trying to stop the theft from taking place, police said.
Lowe’s told police that the action of grabbing the shopping cart was a violation of company policy, leading to the employee’s termination.
In January, a person who identified themselves as a former Lowe’s employee made a TikTok explaining the store’s policy and loss prevention strategy. The video has over 255,000 views as of July 21. She says in the video that a loss prevention worker is likely already watching the theft take place and is recording it for law enforcement. She said only loss prevention workers are allowed to stop someone in the store, and all other employees are told to just let the shoplifters leave. “If you’re ever at a Lowe’s and you see someone walk out and you’re like why aren’t any employees doing anything about it? It’s because of that,” she says in the video.
Rincon is located about 20 miles northwest of Savannah.
