"We are canceling you": Boycott Lululemon trends amid Atlanta employees termination over-reporting burglary

On Monday, May 29, the Lululemon clothing company came under fire for terminating two employees for confronting a group of alleged thieves at an Atlanta branch of the store. The robbery incident reportedly occurred in early May, when the Lululemon workers got into a verbal altercation with a group of looters who entered the store and stole merchandise before fleeing.

Trigger warning: This article concerns a robbery, the reader's discretion is advised

According to the former Lululemon employees, identified as Jennifer Ferguson and Rachel Rogers, store policy states that they are to clear a path for any potential robbers to avoid injuries to workers. The decision has led to an outcry among netizens, who claimed they would boycott the brand.

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The timeline of the Lululemon robbery

The footage of the incident was first posted on May 23 by Jason Ferguson, the husband of Jennifer Ferguson. In the video, several people in masks and hoods can be seen storming the store and brazenly stealing goods. Although they never touched any of the robbers, Jennifer Ferguson and Rachel Rogers proceeded to approach them. They followed the suspects outside of the store before they left in a getaway car.

Ferguson and Rogers proceeded to report the robbery to the Gwinnett Police Department. The thieves were eventually detained and charged with felony robbery. However, in a shocking turn of events, both Lululemon employees lost their jobs.

In addition to being instructed not to confront the robbers, Ferguson and Rogers claimed that they were also told not to inform the officers.

Jennifer said:

“We are not supposed to get in the way. You kind of clear path for whatever they’re going to do."

Ferguson said that employees are not supposed to acknowledge the robberies at all, as they could potentially harm the brand.

“And then, after it’s over, you scan a QR code. And that’s that. We’ve been told not to put it in any notes, because that might scare other people. We’re not supposed to call the police, not really supposed to talk about it.”

In response, Jason Ferguson posted a Facebook video, claiming that terminating the employees was an act of injustice. Jason Ferguson defended his wife's actions in an online statement.

Ferguson said:

“I am more than proud to announce that my wife went into ‘fight’ mode. She protected herself and the other employees and the store by yelling at them to get out. She defended her space and her people."

He continued:

“This is where my blood begins to boil. These are two exemplary employees, both leaders and looking to advance within the company. And what was their reward? They were immediately terminated without mention of severance or any financial consideration.”

The New York Post noted that store employees could be arrested for physically stopping robbers.