Crossing the Line

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, reputation management

While retail stores certainly have the right to detain suspected shoplifters, there is a line that can be crossed. According to a story posted on The Consumerist, a Michigan WalMart has been accused of not just crossing that line, but taking a flying leap over it. The details:

In the case of a couple accused of shoplifting some Bic lighters in Niles, Michigan this past August, Walmart detained them, the police came and cuffed one of them, their two kids were taken to a security room, and—after a review of security footage proved the couple’s innocence—they were banned for life from all Walmarts. To top it off, Walmart’s legal team has sent the couple a letter asking to be reimbursed for 10 times the value of the lighters, even though the police determined no shoplifting had taken place.

With the allegations still coming, including those from the pair of Chicago attorneys about supposed anti-gay and threatening statements made to them and their developmentally disabled children by WalMart employees, whoever’s in charge of crisis management at the retail behemoth is going to be busy.

The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/