Tampa Wal-Mart fires manager over detaining of black customer

A Tampa-area Wal-Mart manager who called sheriff's deputies to apprehend a black businessman over a check he found questionable was fired for using "poor judgment," but did not engage in racial profiling, the retail chain said Tuesday.

An internal investigation of the Nov. 23 incident at a Wal-Mart supercenter in Brandon found that the manager, Mark Cornett, violated company procedures when he called the law on Reginald Pitts who presented a $13,600 check to pay for holiday gift cards for his company's employees, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said.

But Pitts, a 34-year-old human resources manager for GAF Materials Corp., suspects he was singled out because he is black, and he's considering a lawsuit. The incident made national news and generated more bad publicity for the retail giant, which has drawn criticism and been sued over issues ranging from employee relations to its aggressive expansion into small communities.

Sarah Clark, a spokeswoman for the Bentonville, Ark.-based company, said Cornett followed proper procedures in trying to verify Pitts' check, which he could not because a privacy block prohibited access to GAF's bank account. Racial profiling was not involved, Clark said, but Cornett should have returned the check to Pitts instead of summoning deputies. He was fired because of "poor judgment and poor customer service," she said, and company officials have apologized to Pitts several times.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_WAL_MART_RACIAL_PROFILING_FLOL-?SITE=FLTAL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

That seems to be the "in" thing, y'know.

I will get the low down

this sorta sounds like a "mission impossible" deal to me. You know "if you're caught we will disavow all knowledge of your actions". I'd be willing to bet there is an unwritten walmart policy to subject black customers to more stringent verification procedures than whites, and this guy got nailed. He probably received a healthy separation bonus to keep his mouth shut.

I hope Pitts has a very merry xmas when the settlement check from Wal-Mart clears. . .

describes working at wallyworld in the first place

Not because he's a public relations liability or anything like that.

So, if I ever ventured into a walmart, which hasn't happened for over ten years, I can expect to receive stellar customer service or the "associate" will be fired.

Whatever. Funny stuff! MKJ

:rofl:

Yeesh.

or, as it would be described in a sane world, "theft"