A CEO is under fire. Two women are out of a job. And three men are in jail as organized theft continues to weigh on the retail sector.
Lululemon (LULU) CEO Calvin McDonald is facing backlash for the company's decision to fire two employees who tried to stop a couple of thieves from making off with thousands of dollars in goods during a brazen daytime robbery.
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Social media commentators assumed that the women were fired for calling the police on the criminals. Not so, said McDonald.
"We have a zero tolerance policy... around engaging during a theft. Why? Because we put the safety of our team, of our guests front and center. It's only merchandise," McDonald told CNBC.
"Unfortunately in this situation the educators [Lululemon's name for its employees] knowingly broke the policy, engaged with the thieves across multiple points, including following them out of the store."
No one was hurt during the robbery and the three suspects have been arrested and face felony charges.
So a happy ending, right?
Since this is the age of outrage, many right wingers have harked on the incident, labeling Lululemon as another "woke" company. Some are calling for a Bud Light-style boycott.
Still, other people who have worked in retail point out that many companies have a "no-chase policy" because the items stolen are in fact just merchandise and there are ways to track stolen items that don't involve putting yourself or the customers in danger.
Then again, actor James Wood has his own theory and it involves buying stock in Amazon (AMZN).
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