Because corporate policy is more important than the lives of employees

A New Hampshire convenience store clerk was fired for drawing his legally concealed weapon when a man drew a large knife and threatened to gut him:

“For those who haven’t heard yet, last night someone attempted to rob the Shell station on Main Street in Nashua. A large man entered the station, quick-walked around the counter, drew a knife from his sleeve, and held it in a ‘gutting’ position, threatening the clerk. He told the clerk, whom we all know and love as Bear Cothran, to give him all the money in the register, or, and this is a direct quote, ‘I will kill you.’ Bear took three steps back, drew his legally concealed firearm, and aimed it at the robber. At this point, the robber thought better of the situation and fled the store. The police were contacted, but have been as yet unable to find the man. Bear was, thankfully, not injured during the incident.

At 11:20 this morning, Bear received a phone call from his boss, informing him that, in spite of his status as a 10-year employee in good standing and both the store and district managers going to bat for him, he was being terminated. Nouria Energy (http://www.nouriaenergy.com/), the franchise owner of the store (as well as the majority of the other Shell stations in the southern NH area), has a policy prohibiting employees from carrying weapons while on the clock. Bear was let go without any manner of severance for violating this policy.

Essentially, he protected the store’s assets and his own well-being, in a manner in which no one was injured and no damage was done, and was fired for it.

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Nouria Energy is welcome to pursue whatever corporate policy they deem fit, but were I a current or potential employee, I’d think long and hard about whether I would want to work for a company that sees such little value in my well-being, and if I was the customer of Nouria-owned Shell stations in southern NH, I’d be sure to take my business elsewhere.

Make sure that you read to the bottom of the article. Bear’s wife gets it exactly right.

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