the comments at the article say it perfectly.

There are legal ramifications due to the fact that he was off the clock and off company grounds.

If he injured the shoplifter and the shoplifter sued, that would be their defense, but now they say it doesn't matter?

The manager specifically yelled for help, that could also add a legal ramification. How exactly was he supposed to "help". Simply ask the man nicely if he would please stop and go to jail?

As was mentioned, this sort of thing could very well result in a massive wave of shoplifting. After all, if they can't touch you, how can they stop you?

Also, people may praise Whole Foods for paying their employees well (which is why he is so anxious to get his job back), but when a single bag of groceries cost $346, they are underpaying their employees from a profit/cost margin aspect.

As a Whole Foods employee, you'd better advise your wife to buy groceries somewhere else, since you are "considered an employee of Whole Foods Market regardless of where [you are] and what [is] happening".

I can already see the headline coming up:

Grocery worker fired for indecently touching a female customer at her own appartment - Spokesperson says it's a policy violation, no matter whether they are married.

This is such a crock of S**t. Nowadays it seems like criminals have more rights than anybody else. What kind of manager would ask for help and then fire somebody for doing what he asked. That guy would have gotten punched in the face.

I hope all the criminal community (is there such a thing?) converge on the chain of shops and rob them silly - it would serve them right!

Company policy prohibits employees from physically touching a customer.

Since he wasn't buying anything he wasn't a customer.

I hope a business in the area rewards the fired employee with a better job than the one he lost.

Here here!

What a crock to fire this guy. He risked his life for his company and what do they do...fire him.

/too bad I like their food so much