Two female employees were fired from a Georgia store branch of the “athleisure” brand Lululemon for confronting store robbers and calling local law enforcement on them.
Jennifer Ferguson, a former assistant manager of the Lululemon store in Peachtree Corners in Atlanta, recorded a thirty-second video of a group of men wearing face coverings entering the store in broad daylight and stealing clothing from the upscale retailer.
“No, no, no, you can march back out,” Ferguson shouts at the thieves during the robbery.
The group, which had reportedly burglarized the store nearly a dozen times previously, were unphased by her bravery.
“Chill, btch. Shut your a up,” one tells Ferguson, who followed and filmed the group to their getaway car waiting in a nearby parking lot.
However, Ferguson and fellow employee Rachel Rogers apparently violated Lululemon’s corporate policy by notifying the Gwinnett Police Department about the incident.
“We are not supposed to get in the way. You kind of clear path for whatever they’re going to do,” the former told local news outlet 11Alive. “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.”
“It wasn’t very clear. They [Lululemon] didn’t give specific reasoning besides just saying they have a ‘no-tolerance policy,'” Rogers told the same outlet.
“That was my sole income,” Rogers added, “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.”
Ferguson’s husband, Jason, released footage of the incident, which went viral on Tuesday.
“I have sat on this for long enough. It’s time for an airing of grievances. If you know me, my preference is to address something/someone face to face, in private. In this scenario, I cannot do that and so I am left with one option, to air my grievances in the public square,” Jason opened his public message on Facebook outlining his grievances.
“Approximately two weeks ago, my wife was terminated from her job at Lululemon for ‘breaking employee handbook policy’ of not interfering with a burglary. Lululemon representatives held a Zoom call a few days after the incident to learn what Jenn knew about the policy.”
“This is posted without my wife’s consent. She is not one to make a scene or want to draw attention. However, as her husband, I cannot stand idly by and say or do nothing,” the frustrated husband wrote in closing.
A company spokesperson confirmed for the New York Post that Lululemon indeed has a “zero-tolerance policy” concerning chasing or physically deterring thieves.