A former Walmart employee who was part of the theft-busting duo known as “Starsky and Hutch” claims the company betrayed him when he was stabbed by a suspected shoplifter and then fired.
John Zaleski, 67, of Aurora, Colorado, told The Washington Post that during his 10 months at the store near Centennial, he got so good at spotting sly thieves that he and another sharp-eyed cashier started calling themselves nicknames after duos on a crime-fighting TV show. Walmart even once honored him.
“In a 10-month period, I stopped over 100 people,” Zaleski said recently, adding that his work as a front-end rep likely saved the company thousands of dollars in inventory “write-offs” — a big deal for a relatively small store that estimated it lost $500,000 to theft last year.
“Some days we had eight or nine shoplifters in an eight-hour shift,” he said. “I [the store]”If I see someone stealing, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop them.”
The company recognized his efforts by presenting Zaleski with a glass “Shrink Buster of the Month” award in February.
But after the Aug. 11 incident in which Zaleski, a former highway traffic controller and warehouse worker, was injured while trying to defend his employer, Walmart executives changed their tune. It generated revenue of $648 billion last year.
His ordeal began that Sunday evening, when a fellow cashier waved off a woman who was a known shoplifter. Zaleski caught up with her at the front door and asked to see what was in her bag.
“Did you get a receipt for this item?” he asked.
The woman did not respond and ran off, Zaleski said.
“She didn't even say no, she just drove off,” he said, “and I was like, 'Hey, I've had enough of this bullshit. I've had enough of these people stealing from me. I'm going to end this.' So I actually followed her out to her car, which was backing into a handicapped spot. [spot] It's right outside the front door.”
When the woman jumped into the driver's seat of an old silver Toyota sedan, her passenger, a short, shirtless man who appeared to weigh “105 pounds even when soaking wet,” tried to confront her but then changed his mind and got in the car.
Zaleski opened the door and attempted to grab the woman's purse filled with items when the man pulled a knife and stabbed her, leaving a small cut on her left forearm.
The suspect again tried to slash Zaleski but failed, after which the driver stepped on the gas and the gang fled.
Zaleski refused to go to hospital and, despite colleagues' concern about his bloody wound, instead cleaned it himself and had a pharmacist wrap it in gauze rather than getting stitches.
“It was probably three-quarters of an inch wide, nothing serious,” Zaleski said of the cut. “I'm not too concerned about it. If it had been something more serious, I would have taken it a lot more seriously.”
Officers came and took their statements, and Zaleski returned to work the next morning.
But after about a week, he realized his troubles weren't over yet.
The store's assistant manager called him in and reluctantly informed him that he was being fired for violating company policy prohibiting store employees from chasing shoplifters out of the store.
“They said, 'You have no choice, it's the company's decision,'” Zaleski said. “I was fed up. No one had ever tried to stop me from doing it. In fact, they were happy about it.”
“They didn't complain because it saved the company money and made the store look better because they lost less,” he continued. “They all knew I was really good at spotting thieves.”
In a statement last week, a Walmart representative said only that Zaleski's situation was “unfortunate” and that the company wishes him a speedy recovery.
“We have trained our associates on anti-theft measures and how to follow our company policies to ensure Walmart is a safe place to shop and work,” the representative said.
Police are searching for the suspect, who is said to be in his 30s.
“The female has purple hair,” the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said. He said in an August Facebook post. He also urged the public to call if they know who the suspect is.
Meanwhile, Zaleski said he's somewhat relieved to be fired because he no longer has to deal with the nonsense that comes with retail, such as rude customers and sometimes violence.
He's set up a GoFundMe to top up his finances, raised about $1,600, and plans to take a few weeks to figure out his next move.
But he's still a little unhappy with his former employer's decision.
“I'm sad to lose my job because I got to work with some great people,” he said. “I worked there for 10 years and was hoping to retire and enjoy life, but I'm trying to do the right thing and I get criticized for it, and that's what bothers me the most.”
“I was disappointed. [things] “That's it. This is Walmart's way of saying thank you,” he continued.
“You prevent the theft of thousands of dollars of merchandise, and then you fire the guy because of a minor stab wound?”
