Autozone employee stops robbery - gets fired

He's a dumbass on a number of levels. Why would you RUN BACK to the situation if you got away?

If I worked in retail (which I don't) I would prioritize my own safety and that of others in the situation above company policy. You can get another job if you get fired. However, if you comply with company policy only to be shot and killed by the robber, it really doesn't do anything good for you. JMHO.

Originally Posted by SLVR JDM

If I worked in retail (which I don't) I would prioritize my own safety and that of others in the situation above company policy. You can get another job if you get fired. However, if you comply with company policy only to be shot and killed by the robber, it really doesn't do anything good for you. JMHO.

I agree with you. If a store has a no weapons policy (for employees) I would disregard it, and CCW. If the day came where I needed to draw to save my life (or someone else) then so be it, and I have no problem getting fired for saving a life.

This guy didn't do that. He got out (out of danger) and then ran BACK IN towards it. That is just stupid on many levels.

Originally Posted by SLVR JDM

If I worked in retail (which I don't) I would prioritize my own safety and that of others in the situation above company policy. You can get another job if you get fired. However, if you comply with company policy only to be shot and killed by the robber, it really doesn't do anything good for you. JMHO.

"Have you ever been fired from a job?"
"Yes"
"What we're the circumstances?"
"Violating the company's weapons policy."
"Ok, well, we'll give you a call about our hiring decision."

Originally Posted by SLVR JDM

If I worked in retail (which I don't) I would prioritize my own safety and that of others in the situation above company policy. You can get another job if you get fired. However, if you comply with company policy only to be shot and killed by the robber, it really doesn't do anything good for you. JMHO.

I know what you're saying but I don't think the robbers have any interest in killing ppl. They just want to get in, take the loot, then run out. Only when they meet resistance are they inclined to shoot ppl.

Hence the policy to not show any resistance and get the robbers out of the store asap.

Originally Posted by NFRs2000nyc

I agree with you. If a store has a no weapons policy (for employees) I would disregard it, and CCW. If the day came where I needed to draw to save my life (or someone else) then so be it, and I have no problem getting fired for saving a life.

This guy didn't do that. He got out (out of danger) and then ran BACK IN towards it. That is just stupid on many levels.

Yes, running back in to confront them is a retarded move. If you can get out of the situation without drawing a gun, that is preferred, but don't go riding back in like John Wayne to be an unnecessary hero.

Originally Posted by NOVAbimmer

"Have you ever been fired from a job?"
"Yes"
"What we're the circumstances?"
"Violating the company's weapons policy."
"Ok, well, we'll give you a call about our hiring decision."

Granted, it has been a while since I have interviewed, but I don't recall being asked that question and I don't ask it when interviewing others (which I do routinely). It may not be a slam dunk to get the next job, but hey, you are alive to get one, right?

Originally Posted by Amoeba

I know what you're saying but I don't think the robbers have any interest in killing ppl. They just want to get in, take the loot, then run out. Only when they meet resistance are they inclined to shoot ppl.

Hence the policy to not show any resistance and get the robbers out of the store asap.

Tough to say what the robbers will and won't do, but I can understand the company policy. They don't want everyone to put them and their customers at risk.
My personal policies are independent of the policies of my employer though.

Most of the applications I've filled out lately have asked if you've ever been fired from a job, and if so, why.

Originally Posted by NOVAbimmer

Most of the applications I've filled out lately have asked if you've ever been fired from a job, and if so, why.

You are under no obligation to tell them you were. Do what everyone else does on their app, lie. Leave that job out, and when someone asks why the long break, make up a reason...traveling the world, I have plenty of money and wanted to spend time with kids, in africa living with the tribes, saving polar bears in the Northwest Territories, etc. Job apps, references, etc are nothing but a joke now. I dont even bother checking references anymore, worthless.

Originally Posted by NFRs2000nyc

You are under no obligation to tell them you were. Do what everyone else does on their app, lie. Leave that job out, and when someone asks why the long break, make up a reason...traveling the world, I have plenty of money and wanted to spend time with kids, in africa living with the tribes, saving polar bears in the Northwest Territories, etc. Job apps, references, etc are nothing but a joke now. I dont even bother checking references anymore, worthless.

It was also asked on my SF-86 security clearance paperwork. I wouldn't risk lying on that.

Also bear in mind that lying on an application is grounds for termination.

Originally Posted by NFRs2000nyc

You are under no obligation to tell them you were. Do what everyone else does on their app, lie. Leave that job out, and when someone asks why the long break, make up a reason...traveling the world, I have plenty of money and wanted to spend time with kids, in africa living with the tribes, saving polar bears in the Northwest Territories, etc. Job apps, references, etc are nothing but a joke now. I dont even bother checking references anymore, worthless.

If you were fired from a job and leave it on your resume, the new employer will find out when they conduct a verification of past employment.

Leaving it off and then telling someone you were travelling the world is a red flag in and of itself. They'll either think you're lying or that you're a flight risk. Neither quality is one worth hiring.

The only reason you think checking references and doing background checks is a joke is because the jobs you are hiring for are jokes. You probably don't see the value in spending time and money on bus boys, waiters or sink jockeys. You know... menial jobs.

Originally Posted by NOVAbimmer

It was also asked on my SF-86 security clearance paperwork. I wouldn't risk lying on that.

Also bear in mind that lying on an application is grounds for termination.

Is this a government job or a job which involves some kind of security? I guess jobs like that they will run a background check but a regular job? You are under no obligation to tell them everything. Lying and not telling are not the same thing.

Originally Posted by NFRs2000nyc

Is this a government job or a job which involves some kind of security? I guess jobs like that they will run a background check but a regular job? You are under no obligation to tell them everything. Lying and not telling are not the same thing.

"Not telling" is called a lie of omission.

Originally Posted by casino is no lie

If you were fired from a job and leave it on your resume, the new employer will find out when they conduct a verification of past employment.

Leaving it off and then telling someone you were travelling the world is a red flag in and of itself. They'll either think you're lying or that you're a flight risk. Neither quality is one worth hiring.

The only reason you think checking references and doing background checks is a joke is because the jobs you are hiring for are jokes. You probably don't see the value in spending time and money on bus boys, waiters or sink jockeys. You know... menial jobs.

I actually have a VERY low turnover rate, one of the lowest in the city. I hire based on MY training, not theirs, since most people BS and pad their resume's with a heap of worthless BS. It is my job to cut through the BS and see if the person knows anything. Granted, I don't hire rocket scientists but even manager positions I rely on my skills to find out what the person knows, not a worthless piece of paper and meaningless references. How many people have you met that put bad things on their resume?

who would the robber or dead robber's family sue had the employee capped his ass? sure as hell not the autozone employee making $8/hr

Originally Posted by NOVAbimmer

"Not telling" is called a lie of omission.

Again, for most jobs (that do not require security clearance and things of that nature) you are not required to tell them anything/everything. It is their responsibility to verify whatever they legally can, etc.

Funny story...before opening her own firm, my mother worked for Debevoise and Plimpton, a large law firm (clients such as Barnes and Noble, Exxon, Boeing, etc)...they had one guy there was working there 2 years before my mother got there. After 7 years of my mom leaving that firm for another, they found out that the guy doesn't even have a JD and never went to lawschool. His work was phenomenal and everyone, including partners, loved him. They fired him only because they had to.

Originally Posted by NFRs2000nyc

Is this a government job or a job which involves some kind of security? I guess jobs like that they will run a background check but a regular job? You are under no obligation to tell them everything. Lying and not telling are not the same thing.

Most "regular jobs" have a question on the application that asks if you were ever asked to resign from a position or involuntarily terminated. Not everyone's screening process is as nonexistent as yours.

BTW, I have hired fired employees before. A fired employee is not necessarily a bad one. Hell, we have all had bosses that deserved to be told off. Sometimes, people get fired because their bosses are pricks.

Originally Posted by NFRs2000nyc

BTW, I have hired fired employees before. A fired employee is not necessarily a bad one. Hell, we have all had bosses that deserved to be told off. Sometimes, people get fired because their bosses are pricks.

The guy that this thread is about was fired for violating his company's weapons policy. Would you hire him?

Originally Posted by casino is no lie

Most "regular jobs" have a question on the application that asks if you were ever asked to resign from a position or involuntarily terminated. Not everyone's screening process is as nonexistent as yours.

My screening process is just fine. I check what I need to check. Again, if someone leaves an employer out, and answers no to the question you posted, there is not much you can do about it, thats my point. They can make up as many stories as they want, and you may or may not buy them. They might tell you they had hotchkins and couldn't work for a while, etc. If the hiring body is a single person (not HR, a committee, etc) I can BS any of them in terms of references, etc. It isn't as complicated as you make it seem.

Originally Posted by NOVAbimmer

The guy that this thread is about was fired for violating his company's weapons policy. Would you hire him?

Personally, in this particular case, no, but not because of what you think. I wouldn't hire him because he is an idiot for running back in. Shows terrible judgement and brain capacity. The Walgreens guy from back in the day? Absolutely.