Boycott Autozone

[4000xt]

I am not from the States but if i was i would not shop at Autozone any more!

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/autozone-fires-worker-who-stopped-robbery.html

This is crazy!

 

[Diesel-Mech]

While I don't disagree with the actions of that young man, you are fooling your self if you think the outcome would be any different at any other corporate retailer.

 

[gbh]

I'd give him a raise!

 

[Lippyp]

Not sure you can be classed as a "veteran" at 23 unless it means something else in the USA, I'm guessing he'll have served what a maximum of four or five years in the Air force, to me veteran means long service and experience. Firing him is probably a bit extreme though.

 

[Imcrazy]

Here's the quote of the day:

"Sheriff Diggs said AutoZone has also sent an unintended message to the community.

“The company has now sent a message to every would-be robber out there – ‘Hey we’re open for business and unarmed. Come on in and take our money,’” he said"

I wonder how it will affect their policy when they get hit by robbers again and again. Welcome to the gun free zone.

When an unarmed employee gets killed by a robber I would like to be on the jury deciding how much Autozone owes the family.

Maybe the kid can get a job at the Sherriffs Office.

 

[Hootbro]

Not sure you can be classed as a "veteran" at 23 unless it means something else in the USA, I'm guessing he'll have served what a maximum of four or five years in the Air force, to me veteran means long service and experience. Firing him is probably a bit extreme though.

If you have served 180 days or more active duty status and is discharged under anything other than dishonorable, you qualify for most veterans benefits.

That is no definitive term for "veteran" in the USA but most recognize veteran status as meeting the above.

Most former service members here in the states do not judge veteran status on a sliding scale of who bled the most while serving. If you served honorably, you served and that is enough.

 

[Falcon67]

I am not from the States but if i was i would not shop at Autozone any more!

And if you review the similar policies at all the major retailers, convenience stores, etc, I guess you'd just have to stay home. Hand over the cash and let 'em go. Sure, keep a Glock under the counter and take 'em out when they head for the door. You miss and the bullet goes... you can figure out the rest.

 

[53 hemi]

Not sure you can be classed as a "veteran" at 23 unless it means something else in the USA, I'm guessing he'll have served what a maximum of four or five years in the Air force, to me veteran means long service and experience. Firing him is probably a bit extreme though.

Anyone who serves time in the military is a veteran. Tell my Dad who served four years as a Marine infantryman in Vietnam he's not a veteran. Or any of my friends deployed in the Middle East that they need to be there for a certain amount of time to be considered a veteran. And hopefully that guy can get a full time job at a real parts store.

 

[creativecars]

Maybe the gunman will change his ways, but I hope he shows up at the Corp. office first. Karma...

 

[taterdog]

I work part time at an advance. And if someone tries to rob us ill help them unbolt the safe from the floor, load it in there truck and tell em to have a nice day. not scared to defend MY property..the money in that store isnt mine.

 

[VOODOO DIABLO]

Walmart will fire a worker if he/she even just to stops a shop lifter, the Autozone worker fired a gun which could have put Autozone corp in deep trouble.

Here's the bottom line, why would any worker put himself at risk to help a corp is beyond me....do you think they would put them self at risk to help you?

#1 He didn't fire the gun

#2 He was trying to save his friend, not a corp.

 

[VOODOO DIABLO]

I work part time at an advance. And if someone tries to rob us ill help them unbolt the safe from the floor, load it in there truck and tell em to have a nice day. not scared to defend MY property..the money in that store isnt mine.

Then I'd say you would have less than a 50% chance living through the ordeal.

 

[taterdog]

Then I'd say you would have less than a 50% chance living through the ordeal.

Please elaborate on how you came to that ratio. Im interested to know the statistic calculations behind it.

 

[Hootbro]

Then I'd say you would have less than a 50% chance living through the ordeal.

Everything is not a 50/50 outcome in gun involved crimes. Vast majority or robberies with guns do not involve shots fired nor do they even reach 50%.

 

[Armed Bear]

I bet the guy who fired him is one of those anti gun pussies.

I will never step foot into Autozone again.

 

[Tack]

I work part time at an advance. And if someone tries to rob us ill help them unbolt the safe from the floor, load it in there truck and tell em to have a nice day. not scared to defend MY property..the money in that store isnt mine.

I agree. When I was working retail I would never fight anyone that tried to steal. I would give them access to whatever they want. While they are stealing the money they want an oil filter for their truck, let me look that up for you while you empty cash registers...

If it was a life or death situation then I would obviously react much differently.

Sometimes heroes die for stupid reasons. The guy in this story did the right thing and its wrong with the actions taken by autozone.

Autozone was a joke the way they would always try to sell you junk at the counter like packs of rags, fuel injector cleaner or battery lube (seriously, wtf is with the battery lube).

 

[Armed Bear]

Not sure you can be classed as a "veteran" at 23 unless it means something else in the USA, I'm guessing he'll have served what a maximum of four or five years in the Air force, to me veteran means long service and experience. Firing him is probably a bit extreme though.

He could already be a veteran at 23 if he served a tour in the Iraq or Afghanistan war.

 

[Hootbro]

I bet the guy who fired him is one of those anti gun pussies.

.................

Or maybe he was not. Not everybody in corporate America doing there job has to like the policies, but they are not hired for that purpose.

 

[e30bradley]

I really dislike autozone.. even more now.

 

[JakeKohl]

I bet the guy who fired him is one of those anti gun pussies.

I will never step foot into Autozone again.

Sooo....you're running a national business and instead of instructing your thousands of employees to hand over the $1,200 from the register, you would rather ask them all to start a shootout....potentially with no training, guidance, skill, etc.? Have you seen some of the people that work at these stores? You would rather put your employees and your customers at greater risk rather than handing over the $1,200? It's not worth a life, man.

It's also a pretty safe bet that drawing a second weapon would lead to more carnage and chaos than just handing over the cash.

 

[ishiboo]

Not sure you can be classed as a "veteran" at 23 unless it means something else in the USA, I'm guessing he'll have served what a maximum of four or five years in the Air force, to me veteran means long service and experience. Firing him is probably a bit extreme though.

Wow. Can't say I disagree more. Anyone who has spent time in the service IMO is a veteran and worth our respect and benefits.

Anyone who serves time in the military is a veteran. Tell my Dad who served four years as a Marine infantryman in Vietnam he's not a veteran. Or any of my friends deployed in the Middle East that they need to be there for a certain amount of time to be considered a veteran. And hopefully that guy can get a full time job at a real parts store.

+100

I work part time at an advance. And if someone tries to rob us ill help them unbolt the safe from the floor, load it in there truck and tell em to have a nice day. not scared to defend MY property..the money in that store isnt mine.

I agree.

However, it seems this guy was genuinely concerned about protecting his coworker/manager. The fact he didn't give chase nor fire a shot tells me he has a cool head and was probably just looking out. Props to him for handling the situation so well!

Shame on AutoZone.

 

[4t64rd]

Zero tolerance means that nobody has to rely on common sense when making decisions.

 

[ydna]

Not sure what the right thing to do would have been. Co-operate probably.

This would all read very differently if when confronted, the gunman had shot both of them. Or if one of them fired and missed and nailed a passer-by.

Glad it worked out though, shame the employee didn't shoot the robber as he fled but then he wouldn't be out in time for the birth of his son.

as far as robberies go, this one went about as well as can be expected.

 

[taterdog]

I agree.

However, it seems this guy was genuinely concerned about protecting his coworker/manager. The fact he didn't give chase nor fire a shot tells me he has a cool head and was probably just looking out. Props to him for handling the situation so well!

Shame on AutoZone.

Your definitely right. Ill be the first to start swinging a 2ft breaker bar if i feel threatened. It would have to be pretty serious

 

[bazzateer]

Wow. Can't say I disagree more. Anyone who has spent time in the service IMO is a veteran and worth our respect and benefits.

Couple of things:

He made no reference to respect or benefits in his comment.
He was, I believe, merely pointing out that the term Veteran may have a different meaning in the US, as in the UK Veteran means something old, such as a Veteran car that takes part in the London to Brighton Run.(Google it if you don't know).
We don't use that term to refer to former military personnel in the UK but we have just as much respect for them as anyone else would.

So, before this turns into a lynch mob (we do use that term here!) please understand that the US and the UK are two nations divided by the same language...........well........nearly the same anyway!

 

[Imcrazy]

I work part time at an advance. And if someone tries to rob us ill help them unbolt the safe from the floor, load it in there truck and tell em to have a nice day. not scared to defend MY property..the money in that store isnt mine.

Where does that leave you if the robbers have decided not to leave any witnesses to identify them? That is the kind of stuff perps learn while they are serving their first prison term. That and spending time bulking up.

 

[IndyGarage]

I can see both sides of this.

However I'm leaning on the side of the employee. He didn't have his gun in the store - he only brought it in under extreme circumstances. If the employees picked up a hammer and used it to defend themselves would they have been fired?

I think Autozone should have anticipated backlash and said something like, "Although the employee violated our no gun policy, we appreciate his efforts to defend the manager against this unacceptable attack".

 

[NUTTSGT]

I can see both sides of this.

However I'm leaning on the side of the employee. He didn't have his gun in the store - he only brought it in under extreme circumstances. If the employees picked up a hammer and used it to defend themselves would they have been fired?

I think Autozone should have anticipated backlash and said something like, "Although the employee violated our no gun policy, we appreciate his efforts to defend the manager against this unacceptable attack".

Well stated. I think maybe the employee should have got his moneys worth on the firing and helped all the future businesses from being robbed.

 

[Vinci]

I can see both sides of this.

However I'm leaning on the side of the employee. He didn't have his gun in the store - he only brought it in under extreme circumstances. If the employees picked up a hammer and used it to defend themselves would they have been fired?

I think Autozone should have anticipated backlash and said something like, "Although the employee violated our no gun policy, we appreciate his efforts to defend the manager against this unacceptable attack".

Given how things seem to go anymore, I would bet that if the employee had cracked the guy on the head with a hammer, he would have been fired AND sued for assault. He would have ended up in jail and the robber would have been set for life.

 

[mossy66]

The employee's big mistake was not punching the time clock on his way out the door. Then he could have returned "on his own time" to deal with the perp. You know how employers are trying to cut down on overtime...



Someone said it before...That is the type of person I would rather work with!

Gerry

 

[K13]

I can see both sides of this.

However I'm leaning on the side of the employee. He didn't have his gun in the store - he only brought it in under extreme circumstances. If the employees picked up a hammer and used it to defend themselves would they have been fired?

I think Autozone should have anticipated backlash and said something like, "Although the employee violated our no gun policy, we appreciate his efforts to defend the manager against this unacceptable attack".

Then what happens the next time an AutoZone gets robbed and an employee thinks "oh yeah I remember that guy that went to his truck and got his gun and the company patted him on the back" but this time things go horribly wrong. Allowing someone to act outside the rules opens the door for others to do the same and quite possibly with less favourable outcomes.

They had no choice but to fire the guy if that was their policy, even if they think he did the right thing.

 

[IndyGarage]

Then what happens the next time an AutoZone gets robbed and an employee thinks "oh yeah I remember that guy that went to his truck and got his gun and the company patted him on the back" but this time things go horribly wrong. Allowing someone to act outside the rules opens the door for others to do the same and quite possibly with less favourable outcomes.

They had no choice but to fire the guy if that was their policy, even if they think he did the right thing.

That's something to think about. However the situation could have gotten ugly with or without the employee's gun. They had an armed robber essentially holding an employee hostage. There's no way to predict how that's going to turn out.

I think they could have handled it in a way that doesn't tick off their customers.

And of course they had a choice whether to fire the guy or not. They could have easily admonished him and kept him on the job. This is exactly why "policies" should be administered with a brain instead of a sledgehammer.

 

[K13]

That's something to think about. However the situation could have gotten ugly with or without the employee's gun. They had an armed robber essentially holding an employee hostage. There's no way to predict how that's going to turn out.

I think they could have handled it in a way that doesn't tick off their customers.

And of course they had a choice whether to fire the guy or not. They could have easily admonished him and kept him on the job. This is exactly why "policies" should be administered with a brain instead of a sledgehammer.

The problem is if the next time their employee decides to take matters into his own hands and things go wrong then AutoZone may be liable. To give any opening for other employees to think that they can get away with the same behaviour would be idiotic on the part of AutoZone.

 

[yellowrr]

After reading the above posts, It's hard to decide what is really the RIGHT response... When I worked at an upscale jewelry store in a mall decades ago, we used to mail our watch/jewelry repairs from the post Office across the mall. I routinely had anywhere from $20K to $70K worth of stuff in an ordinary paper bag taking it to the Post Office. We were instructed that if anyone confronted us in any way or threatened our safety, we were to just set the bag(s) down and walk away. It was all well insured and they said that none of it was worth risking our lives for it.

BUT I'll also add that this kid was probably saving his Manager's life because obviously the crooks wanted ALL of the store's cash and he may well have executed everyone to "avoid witnesses" because "that's how they do it on TV".

I also cringed when I thought "What if Auto Zone eliminated their no-weapons policy?" and read the guy's post describing a bunch of untrained, uneducated, knuckleheads breaking out their own weapons and starting a shootout inside of the store to stop someone from stealing a $4.00 air freshener... I don't like that situation any more than the others!

Fortunately, I live about 10 miles from where this happened and KNOW that the local community is VERY supportive of the military AND gun rights. If anything, we're a bit on the flag waving redneck'y side and not at all like the liberal dummycrats in Northern VA. I really don't think that he's going to have much trouble securing a better job than this one around here!

 

[IndyGarage]

The problem is if the next time their employee decides to take matters into his own hands and things go wrong then AutoZone may be liable. To give any opening for other employees to think that they can get away with the same behaviour would be idiotic on the part of AutoZone.

They'll also be liable when an armed robber kills the manager and an employee. Of course they have a policy to turn over the money, and they should.

According to the story, this guy didn't go get the gun out of his truck until the robber forced the manager to the back room at gunpoint.

At that point all rules are off.

Now - one thing that I haven't seen considered, which would change my mind - is if the guy said he went out to the truck to get the gun, but really had it concealed on him all the time. If the guy lied about carrying the gun on the job, then I would have fired him also.

 

[ZRX61]

https://sphotos-a.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1370_500100543346415_989994089_n.jpg

 

[rslaback]

I think you all overestimate the use of the gun in a gun crime. In most circumstances the gun is used to establish power and to coerce cooperation. Brandishing a weapon and actually using it are two incredibly different things and your average burglar knows the difference.
They know the score. As some of you said, your safety isn't worth the $2000 they might get. The criminal also knows that same $2000 isn't worth them spending the rest of their life in prison. A conviction for burglary and a conviction for murder 1 are two completely different things.

 

[taterdog]

They know the score. As some of you said, your safety isn't worth the $2000 they might get. The criminal also knows that same $2000 isn't worth them spending the rest of their life in prison. A conviction for burglary and a conviction for murder 1 are two completely different things.

I wish people stupid enough to rob and steal could use logic and reason such as that.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Couple of things:

He made no reference to respect or benefits in his comment.
He was, I believe, merely pointing out that the term Veteran may have a different meaning in the US, as in the UK Veteran means something old, such as a Veteran car that takes part in the London to Brighton Run.(Google it if you don't know).
We don't use that term to refer to former military personnel in the UK but we have just as much respect for them as anyone else would.

So, before this turns into a lynch mob (we do use that term here!) please understand that the US and the UK are two nations divided by the same language...........well........nearly the same anyway!

That was the way I read it too.

I am a vetran, and was not in the least offended by his question.

Jim

 

[Imcrazy]

I think you all overestimate the use of the gun in a gun crime. In most circumstances the gun is used to establish power and to coerce cooperation. Brandishing a weapon and actually using it are two incredibly different things and your average burglar knows the difference.
They know the score. As some of you said, your safety isn't worth the $2000 they might get. The criminal also knows that same $2000 isn't worth them spending the rest of their life in prison. A conviction for burglary and a conviction for murder 1 are two completely different things.

If you really believe what you posted you need to take off those rose colored glasses.

Do you ever read the local paper about the kind of folks that are caught and what they have done to get sent to prison? Long term critical thinking skills are not one of their strong suits and never will be for the type of folks that commit violent crimes.

Oh, and how all of of them claim at trial that "man, I was just really messed up on *** and *** plus drunk and hadn't slept in three days" so I should not be held responsible for whatever I might have done in that condition.

Also this was a robbery not a burglary. Burglers do at least try to avoid confrontion with the folks they are stealing from. Robbers on the other hand, choose to use the one on one confrontation.