Wal-Mart employee foils a shoplifter — and loses her job

WICHITA — Heather Ravenstein tried to save Wal-Mart some money Friday by foiling a shoplifter’s plan to steal a $600 computer, but it cost her her job.

“I’m a single mom, and I don’t know what I’m going to do,” says Ravenstein, who is 30.

She’s worked at the West Kellogg Wal-Mart for almost two years, most recently as a customer service manager.

Friday night around 10:20, she was standing near some registers when she saw a man with a computer coming up the main walkway of the store.

“Action Alley is what they call it,” she says.

“He was walking rather fast, so it caught my eye.”

Ravenstein says the man kept walking and set off an alarm. She went after him.

“Let me see your receipt, and then I’ll take this off for you,” she told the man, referring to a sensor on the computer.

Ravenstein says the man refused and kicked her.

“And then he punched me in my shoulder, and then he finally gave up and just let go of the computer.”

Ravenstein walked back into the store and sat on the floor.

“I was shaking pretty bad,” she says.

Assistant store managers immediately checked on her.

“They all came out and made sure I was OK,” Ravenstein says. “They thanked me.”

The next day, about two hours before her shift was over, Ravenstein says an assistant manager asked to speak with her. He then told her it’s against Wal-Mart policy for anyone but a manager or someone in asset protection to try to stop a customer from stealing.

“He said there’s really no gray area,” Ravenstein says. “It just goes straight to termination.”

She was told to turn in her badges and keys.

“I was in shock at first,” Ravenstein says. “I didn’t think anything like this would happen.”

Nor did she know about the policy, Ravenstein says.

“I’ve never heard of it.”

She says she’s stopped people for forging payroll checks on more than one occasion.

“They never once said, ‘You’re not supposed to be doing that.’ ”

When asked about the situation, Wal-Mart spokeswoman Anna Taylor e-mailed this response:

“While we appreciate her intentions, Ms. Ravenstein’s actions put her safety — and perhaps the safety of our customers — in jeopardy and, in the process, violated company policy as it pertains to how we treat people in our stores. As an unfortunate result of these circumstances, Ms. Ravenstein is no longer employed by our company.”

Ravenstein filed for unemployment Monday.

“The main thing is I’m worried about my son,” Ravenstein says of 4-year-old TJ.

She says she’d like to go to school to work in the medical field, perhaps as a nurse.

She wants “a career, not just a job.”

For now, though, Ravenstein says she simply needs to make money, and it’s not likely to be in retail.

“After this experience, no. Probably not.”

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  • redcoalcarpet

    Hopefully Walmart management has been holding crew meetings and reiterating their policy on confronting shoplifters.

  • AirCap62

    I knew she was going to get fired when the story first came out. How is it that I know the policy, and she doesn’t? I’ve never worked there. And I don’t anyone that does or has.

  • supergirl333

    Hey, Wal-Mart. You’ve just told would-be thieves that it is okay to pick your store clean. Brilliant!

  • jpowell151

    “And then he punched me in my shoulder, and then he finally gave up and just let go of the computer.”

    If I am understanding this story correct she struggled with the shoplifter by not letting go of the computer. She didn’t simply just ask to take the security tag off she grabbed it and then was attacked. She did not follow policy and Wal-mart had every right to seperate her. If she would have simply just asked to take the sensor off instead of making contact with the person she would still have her job.

  • jkeiser

    I worked at a Wal-Mart as Customer Service Manager for a short while. CSM is just a title, there is nothing management about it except managing the front end staff. It means you are the whipping post for any of the Managers, Co-Managers or Assistant Managers for what they say or do or don’t do. I was treated well, and I treated the cashiers well. I was one of the cashiers favorites. However, saying that Wal-Mart treated me well doesn’t mean anything. Their definition of “well” would make any other business cringe.

    I stopped calling on management or security when it took them 30 minutes to get up front to handle it — after arguing over which assistant was going to come and do it.

    IF all she did was ask for the receipt so she could deactivate, she followed the rules. Besides, 10:20 on a Friday night, even on Kellogg in Wichita, any idea how many upper management and security would be on staff? Security where I worked was one guy, 8-5. Wow.

    Their motto is there are always people that need a job and Wal-Mart has a job for them. Read into that what you will.

  • alice75

    Carrie, is there a fund being set up for her at a bank or someplace?

  • Frank_Lingo

    jpowell, see an optometrist, you’re reading between the lines… Perhaps Carrie can clarify this, or not.. but either way the article does not say what you said it does.

  • YouWish

    I have never been a Walmart fan and will definetly make my views known by spending my money elsewhere. I think a private repremand could have sufficed in this instance. Walmart has just given Carte Blanc to all shoplifters in the Eagle area!

  • kdunc

    Ohhhh Walmart. It looks to me like you’ve lost many loyal honest customers and are gaining the thief population.

  • rkkennard

    If any company needed to be a unionized, Walmart is it. I wonder if this “company policy” is written somewhere employees can actually read it, or is one of those, we just made it up, policies.
    At any rate, this employees supervisor should have been responsible for seeing that the employee was aware of any policies concerning her position.
    Well, I’ve already stopped shopping at Dillons, guess Walmart is next……

  • hotelfranchizer

    mopar: It’s pretty much common knowledge that a CSM is more of a department manager then an operations manager. They are not charged with overall store performance based on a P&L, rather they are responsible for their own little section.

  • dad

    “Obviously she lacked common sense. I feel bad for her, but on the other hand she should learn to listen and obey the rules”.

    I rest my case “AsIfICare”. I said earlier that Walmart treats their employees like garbage and here you come, as a “manager”, with this zinger.

    With your lack of class and your lack of professionalism it is clear to see that anyone can be a manager at Walmart.

    Congradulations.

  • jpowell151

    Frank, how would you interpt this comment? “then he finally gave up and just let go of the computer.” I think its pretty clear she had a hold of the computer. I can’t think of any reason he would not have just walked out the door unless she was stopping him one way or another. If she would have said he dropped the computer I would look at it a different way but saying he gave up and let go of the computer??? I don’t agree with the policy and I don’t think she should have been fired but it is the policy and it needs to be followed.

  • cowgirl00fscc

    “She’s worked at the West Kellogg Wal-Mart for almost two years, most recently as a customer service manager.”

    “The next day…an assistant manager…then told her it’s against Wal-Mart policy for anyone but a manager or someone in asset protection to try to stop a customer from stealing.”

    She was a manager…so what is the problem with her doing her job?

  • rkkennard

    As_If_I_Care, at least you picked the right handle for yourself, just another company kiss-up.

    I still ask who trained her or where was she supposed to have been told concerning this company policy that Walmart claims to exist.

  • jerrie

    Walmart treats there customers that pays for there purchages like crimnals. But they fire a employee for trying to stop a high dollar theft. The job market does not impove we havent seen the last of it

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  • LonnythePlumber

    We should not have to pay the part of WalMart employees salaries that WalMart refuses to pay. Most qualify for government assistance.

  • As_If_I_Care

    wow you guys really do whine alot. so no definately wouldnt be manager material lol. im simply saying stop blaming everyone else for the wrong doings of another. all you seem to want to do is point fingers. its sad the world we live in today. where a company has to take flack because the government protects the criminals. and then you want to talk crap to me because what? i work for the company? that in itself shows how pathetic you really are. here’s a thought…before blaming walmart think about why we have rules like this. she fought with the guy. enough said. that was a dumb move on her part. could have escalated into a bad deal. this is why she is fired. maybe next time she will contact a manager and not try to play super hero. at least if we were attacked we were within the law and wont be fired or repremanded for it. walmart doesnt make this dumb rule…your law enforcement official do. wake up and smell the coffee people. you want to attack me so be it. i dont mind. i know it makes you feel better to talk trash to me and thats fine. i however am highly educated. and i still have my job because i dont stick my nose where it doesnt belong. oh and having common sense helps alot! why must people have it spelled out for them. even then they dont take responsability, just point fingers and blame everyone else! you talk about me…well im here to tell you that you are showing how classless and low you are by stooping to that level. i give you inside outlook and you critisize me because SHE was an idiot?? ok then…i rest my case…go back to your shrinks office lay on his couch and keep pointing your fingers…its getting you so far!

  • http://www.apexclay.com clmccoy

    This represents so many things that are wrong with ‘corporate America.’ The only person in this story who did the right thing was Heather, and she was punished for doing so. Walmart is condoning shoplifting because in the long run, they find it cheaper than trying to stop it. And as far as they’re concerned, that’s the ONLY thing that matters. People don’t matter. Right and wrong don’t matter. Money is the ONLY thing that matters. That’s just sick and twisted. When are people going to start standing up and saying THIS IS WRONG!?

  • rkkennard

    Above was a standard response from a so called manager.

    Side step question.

    Never give a direct answer to a question.

    Throw in a phony laugh, ha ha ha…

    Continue to call the employee stupid, idiot etc. etc. in front of others to try and discredit them and to affix blame.

    And YOU pay this persons wage by shopping there.

    Personally I hope she talks to an attorney, but not in Wichita…..

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  • Carrie Rengers

    Alice75 …

    Her bank does not set up funds unless they’re for memorials. I’ll e-mail you her e-mail, though, and you can make arrangements. If anyone else wants to help Heather, I’ll do the same. I don’t want to open her up for a bombardment of negative e-mails, though. There are probably enough of those comments on the blog already.

    Carrie

  • LAT

    I despise Target. I have always shopped Walmart. Guess I’ll have to work it out with Target because I don’t think I want to give my business to Walmart anymore. Walmart does not care about their customers or employees. Proof of the attitude towards employees is evidenced by the story above. Proof regarding customer serivce attitudes can be determined by telling any Walmart employee of a complaint regarding product availability (or lack thereof). The response will be ‘we have to do what corporate says’. The lady could have been given a warning instead of a termination. I wish the best & hope she has a new job soon.

  • WichitaWordsmith

    What exactly qualifies as a negative comment, Carrie? Is it negative to not gush over how “terribly” she was treated? Is it negative to think she deserved to be fired? I don’t think it is. Actually, I think its honest discussion. But, then again, I could be wrong.

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  • hitch1956

    I use to work for Wal Mart and the position she had as well. Yes her hands were legally tied by the “company policy” however if she asked him to see the reciept she was in her rights to ask for that. If you never worked for Wal Mart you have not missed out on anything but making friends, which I miss after leaving. Yes they save you money but you don’t really understand how until you find out how much they make. The cameras in the store, trust me they are not for the customer to be watched, they are to keep an eye out on the employee. Also if you want to get a Wal Mart employee in trouble without shoplifting, without buying a thing and most of all talking to a Wal Mart employee, just take note of one name and the store they work in, then call 1-800-wal-mart turn them in with a false story and guess what, they will believe in you not the employee. That happened to me, but I was talking to the customer as a CSM. BUt to come to a close to this comment, if I was in her shoes at the same time I would have done the same thing regardless of the “company policy”. Way to go Heather!!

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