‘Really Hit Me In the Gut’: Longtime Advance Auto Parts Employee Shocked After Being Fired After Trying to Stop a Thief from Stealing from Store, He Says
A Navy veteran who spent more than two decades managing Advance Auto Parts says he was fired for doing what the military taught him best: stepping up when it counted.
Greg Pinson said he was just following his military training. He served in the US Navy for 24 years.
“All I knew since the age of 18 was to be loyal and have commitment,” said Pinson, who had been a manager for Advance Auto Parts nearly as long — 22 years at nine different locations.
But his loyalty cost him in the end. Pinson said he was fired after trying to stop an alleged thief from stealing merchandise on April 24 from the store’s Almeda Genoa location in southeast Houston.
Video from inside the store shows Pinson trying to prevent a man from leaving the store while another worker calls 911.
But instead of thanking their employee for going above and beyond, Advance surprised Pinson with a pink slip.
“He said, ‘You’re being fired for basically being rude to a customer,’” Pinson recalled being told. “I said, ‘Wow. That really hit me in the gut.’ “
The video is now part of an investigation being conducted by the Houston Police Department.
Despite the circumstances surrounding his dismissal, Pinson refuses to blame anyone else, saying his military training also taught him to obey orders. He acknowledged he may have gone too far when he tried to keep the customer from leaving.
“I think I broke store policy. I do,” he said. “As far as stopping the individual from leaving with the items from the store.”
Asked by Houston’s ABC affiliate if he’d do it again, Pinson replied, “I can’t say I wouldn’t do it again.”
Advance Auto Parts didn’t respond to the station’s multiple requests for comment.
Social media users had Pinson’s back.
“What a dumba– world we live in,” wrote one Facebook user. “The guy was trying to protect the store and got fired. The guy’s a hero. What do you get for being a hero?”
Another asked why Advance didn’t show any loyalty to a longtime employee trying to do the right thing.
“They could have written him up, but not fire him after one incident,” she said.
But not everyone was sympathetic to Pinson.
“He knew the rules plus he knew the danger of trying to stop a thief,” he said. “I don’t feel sorry for him.”