Update: Staples has parted ways with a North Carolina store manager who accused a mother pregnant with twins of shoplifting.
The office supplies store chain release a statement Monday, August 13 informing media the unnamed manager has been terminated, reports Yahoo News. “On Friday at our Pineville location a Staples’ manager mistakenly assumed a customer was shoplifting and reported this assumption to a police officer visiting the store,” the statement sent to WSOCTV read. "Staples has since conducted a full investigation into the matter, and determined that the manager in question did not follow correct protocol and also failed to adhere to our existing policy on how to interact with our customers."
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A woman in Pineville, North Carolina, was flabbergasted for being accused of stuffing her shirt and stealing from a local Staples store.
Sherell Bates left home Friday, August 10, to do some back-to-school shopping, reports WSOCTV. What she didn't know was that a mundane task would become an embarrassing moment.
"Being pregnant is already high-risk, and having to deal with that, just additional stress that I don't need,” Bates said.
She went to Staples, picked up a few items and prepared to check out when a Pineville police officer approached her while she was in line. He reportedly was alerted to Bates by a manager, who claimed the mother-to-be was a possible shoplifter. To prove her innocence to the officer, Bates lifted her shirt a bit and exposed her pregnant belly, containing her twins.
Bates then spoke with the manager.
"When I confronted her about what happened, she admitted that, 'In the past, we've had a lot of people putting school supplies or merchandise in their clothes and hiding, so I asked the officer to reach out to you,’” Bates said.
Staples has since apologized for the matter, but Bates will pursue legal action for the harassment she faced, according to the Palm Beach Post.
"Yesterday at our Pineville location, while a customer was shopping, a manager mistakenly thought they were possibly shoplifting and asked a police officer that happened to be in the store to talk with the customer," a statement from Staples read.
"After a quick conversation, the issue was resolved, the manager apologized to the customer and refunded their transaction due to the inconvenience. At Staples, we want all customers to feel welcome in our store, and work with our store associates to try and foster an inclusive culture. As an organization, we would like to apologize to the customer if that was not the case in this instance."
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