Whole Food Market Offering Five-Finger Discount?

(I don't usually get this opinionated, but as guy who's been a working slob most of his life, the strange case of John Schultz got under my skin.)

"Grocery worker fired for stopping shoplifter" (December 27, 2007)

"John Schultz says he lost his job at Whole Foods Market in Ann Arbor after he tried to stop a shoplifter from making a getaway. But the company says he went too far and violated a policy that prohibits employees from physically touching a customer - even if that person is carrying a bag of stolen goods."

So: Whole Foods Market considers shoplifters to be customers? Very broadminded of them. Very broadminded. And generous.

Whole Foods Market has a pretty good store search service on its website, and a list of all Whole Foods Market stores. I checked. There are only two in Minnesota: one in Minneapolis, one in St. Paul. I don't know if the Minnesota stores have the thief-friendly 'no touch' policy.

And yes, I know: the rationale is probably based on a 'human-life/box-of-donuts' value ratio. Just the same:

• Firing an ex-Marine
• Who was on break
• Was asked by a manager to help stop a thief
• Did so
• Caught the thief on the other side of the street
• Was told to release the thief
• And did so

Seems stark, raving, moonbat crazy.