Lululemon CEO Defends Firing Employees for Trying to Stop Robbery

Calvin McDonald, the CEO of athletic wear brand Lululemon, has doubled down on his decision to fire two employees who called the police while thieves stormed a store and stole loads of merchandise. They violated a company rule, McDonald said.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy that we train our educators on around engaging during a theft,” Calvin McDonald told CNBC on Squawk on the Street.

McDonald said that the two female workers were not fired for calling the police but for confronting and challenging the looters as the thieves were grabbing clothing from the racks at the Atlanta location.

The two women, Jennifer Ferguson and Rachel Rogers, said that, when they reprimanded the thieves, they were aware of the policy to not interact with looters, according to the New York Post. They were apparently dismissed without a severance package.

“No, no, no, you can march back out,” former assistant manager Ferguson said to the thieves, who wore masks and hoodies, according to a video of the incident that circulated on Twitter.

In the video, the men snatched armfuls of items and headed for the door, before one of them turned around and grabbed more. “Seriously? Get out,” Ferguson added. “Chill, b****, shut your ass up,” one of the thieves replied.

The women walked outside and watched as the looters stowed away their stolen clothing and escaped in their car. The two employees notified the Gwinnett Police Department of the incident, the Post noted. Police then apprehended the suspects and charged them with felony robbery.

McDonald said the non-intervention policy is primarily for the safety of the employees. “It’s only merchandise,” he told CNBC. In the event of a robbery, workers are expected to scan a QR code to alert the management about what’s happened.

“And that’s that,” he said. “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.”

“They’re trained to step back, let the theft occur, know that there’s technology and there’s cameras, and we’re working with law enforcement,” he added.

Ferguson and Rogers “knowingly” broke the rule, he said, “including following them out of the store.”

In some cases, employees have been endangered, or even killed, when they have confronted looters pillaging the stores.

“The policy is to protect them,” McDonald said. “But we have to stand behind the policy to enforce it.”