Lululemon employee allegedly shot for calling 911 during robbery

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Of Katherine Donlevy

May 27, 2023 | 22:54

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Two Georgia women — including an assistant manager — are blasting Lululemon for firing them after they called the police while three masked men ransacked the store.

Shocking video shows the brazen thieves breaking into the Peachtree Corners store in metro Atlanta earlier this month to grab as many fistfuls of athletic apparel as possible.

“No, no, no, you can march back out,”[ads1]; former assistant manager Jennifer Ferguson can be heard saying.

The looters – who had reportedly hit the store nearly a dozen times previously – stood for a moment in the store doorway, staring at the women before jumping back in to grab several pairs of leggings.

“Really? Get out,” the frustrated shop worker tells the men.

“Chill, b–tch, shut up,” one of the thieves can be heard replying.

The women follow the group outside and watch as they pile into their getaway car, but they don’t try to physically stop the thieves – which has led to workers losing their jobs or facing charges in the past.

Instead, they reported the robbery to the Gwinnett Police Department, who later tracked down the thieves and charged them with aggravated robbery.

However, the move cost them their jobs, they claim.

– We will not stand in the way. You’re kind of a clear path for whatever they’re going to do,” Ferguson told 11Alive.

“And then, after it’s over, you scan a QR code. And that’s it. We’ve been told not to put it in any notes, because it might scare other people. We’re not supposed to call the police, not really supposed to talk about it.”

Ferguson and a five-year team member Rachel Rogers – who caught the robbery on camera – said they were openly questioned by a regional manager about their decision to call the police before they were fired from the store.

Ferguson’s husband, Jason, took to Facebook to praise the women and slam Lululemon for punishing their bravery

“I am beyond proud to announce that my wife went into ‘fight’ mode. She protected herself and the other employees and the store by yelling at them to get out. She defended her room and her people,” he wrote on Facebook.

“This is where my blood starts to boil. These are two exemplary employees, both managers and wanting to advance in the company. And what was their reward? They were immediately dismissed without mention of severance pay or any financial compensation.”

Both women said they were not given “specific reasons” for their immediate terminations other than that Lululemon has a “zero tolerance policy.”

According to Jason, the women were told that it would “look bad for Lululemon to be the company that calls the police.”

“Are you kidding me? These ladies are kind of heroes. They did what we all HOPE we could do in a similar situation. They were brave and courageous and honest and good citizens,” Jason added.

The women also claimed they were denied severance pay for the breach, which dealt a major blow to the income they depend on.

A company spokesperson told The Post that the Lululemon handbook has a zero-tolerance policy for chasing or physically engaging with a thief.

“This also includes leaving the store to pursue a guest or gather additional information about the suspected or observed theft,” an excerpt said.

However, employees are required to “call 911 immediately after the suspects leave the store,” as the two women claim to have done.