They setup the story like this:
A 73-year old veteran says he was fired from the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Venice for giving someone who looked in a need a few condiment packets and a corn muffin.
Why does it matter that he is 73-years old and a veteran? If it was against company policy, and he was clearly aware of it (he had been counseled about it 5 different times), his age and military service do not enter into the picture. Taking products (in this case food) that does not belong to you, but to your employer and giving them away is called… wait for it… STEALING!
Yes, this may be an instance of a person not being able to remember the rules. But that doesn’t make it ok either. What if he worked for a car dealer and had given 5 cars away to single moms who needed them to get to work to feed their families? Would that have been ok? No, it wouldn’t. And neither is this.
The intro really should have gone something like this:
Cracker Barrel employee fired for repeatedly stealing food, which is against company policy.
But that’s not very catchy. And it doesn’t garner any sympathy. Firing an elderly veteran will definitely get more attention. Sadly, Cracker Barrel is taking the heat on this one as people attack the big-bad-corporation who was simply trying to keep costs down for consumers (that’s us) by managing inventory. And unfortunately, this man, who was obviously trying to be compassionate to others, is now out of a job. But sometimes that’s how it goes.
Stealing is stealing, regardless of age or former military status, and even if it was a memory lapse. I’m sure there’s a different job that he’s better suited for out there.
You can read more about this story here.
Photo Credit Kevin Lim
