Joe Morici, CVS manager, veteran fired
Bobo sends us a link to the story of veteran, Joe Morici, who left the service and was managing a CVS store in Beltsville, Maryland in the Metro DC area. Last Friday, a couple of druggies stormed over the counter at his pharmacy and scooped up a bunch of narcotics from the safe. They headed for the door with Joe in hot pursuit;
Morici says fearing for the safety of his customers and co-workers, he pursued the suspects to the front door where one of the suspects attacked him with this screwdriver.
Morici says, “He tried to hit me again with the screwdriver. I disarmed him of the screwdriver, while having the other guy pinned against the one door.”
Morici says he even managed to retrieve most, if not all, of the stolen pills during the struggle. The suspects got away.
Morici says while customers and co-workers praised him for his heroics, he feared his actions would get him in trouble. He says CVS has a strict policy against confronting robbers. He says he was fired later that day.
In my opinion, CVS should reconsider their actions in this case. It was dangerous drugs headed for the street, Morici’s concerns, I’m sure, weren’t only for the innocent people who were in the immediate vicinity at the time of the crime, but also for the community. If they had been allowed to get away with their theft, I’m sure they’d be back around in the near future. Of course, now that Batman Morici isn’t at the store anymore, they may be back anyway.
Category: Veterans Issues
Too bad. Considering CVS’s policy of cowardice and chickenshit, I’m going to say that it’s too bad my wife loves the place and gets her Rx there.
Let’s put it this way. I will NOT be doing any shopping of my own there.
I hope that Mr Morici is able to get better employment soon, at more responsibility and better pay by someone who appreciates his fine attributes.
Surely the bad guys are aware of the CVS policy and will exploit it. Let’s hope that your wife isn’t one that gets taken hostage when a uniformed but off duty cop is in the store during a robbery. I won’t patronize a “Gun Free” or “Violence Free” business; not because I can’t be armed, but because this is such a signal to those who have no respect for the public.
B..
CVS does have a policy “do not confront a shoplifter or robber”.
In the area I live in we’ve had the same CVS/Pharmacy crew since forever and customer have become friends. I have seen customers tackle shoplifters. They have security in the area but their as useful as the day is long.
A word to a young idiot who pulled out a gun and dropped it running, pray and thank god your still alive. Since it looked real the cops would of sent you to hell.
Pharmacy doesn’t fill narcotic drugs from 12-6
This won’t be a popular opinion, but here goes!
If you are worried about the safety of your customers and co-workers, don’t chase them on their way out of the store and confront them lol. Let them leave.
Some businesses have similar policies to limit the liability in the event of a robbery and to avoid escalating the situation. Say they were leaving, he confronted them, and they stabbed him and decided to go after others… If he would let them leave that wouldn’t happen.
Clearly, it didn’t happen here but it’s always better to just let them leave and call the cops.
Right on dude….just huddle in the corner hoping and praying that They don’t kill you just for good luck.
Yep; shelter in place like good little pussies.
Shelter in Place = Cower and Die!
Yeah, pissing your pants helps also…..
That’s what feminists tell women on how to deal with a rape in progress instead of fighting back. That’s why a former Miss America was given a lot of sh*t when she told women to learn self defense.
Just wanted to expand that this is how our country is in a bad state of affairs. Of course this HERO is too good for CVS just like most other service members that would do the same on their watch.
Yep.
Or throwing up on yourself.
Once they know you are an easy target they will come back for more, and maybe next time decided to do more than grab some pills.
Maybe next time the come back, shuttle everyone into the stock area and not have to worry about witnesses.
“This won’t be a popular opinion, but here goes!”
Yep! You’re right – not at all popular, but you are entitled to your opinion. Even opinions that are from outer space. 🙂
In your next comment just say that you support Bernie Sanders and you’ll see some real shit fly! lol
Just a simple question, big fella.
Have you NEVER HEARD OF PEPPER SPRAY?
It’s effective in this kind of event.
Yeah, but ya can`t wash a .45 slug out of your eyes.
I carry pepper spray to ward off bears.(Smile)
Of course, there is always an attorney waiting in the wings to file a lawsuit against the company because the employee used “excessive force” in detaining the “alleged” criminal. The mother that pimped out her son to Michael Jackson got a settlement of several hundred thousand dollars when she was “accosted” during her detainment for shoplifting.
Hence why I never understood why a parent of any minor competence let their kid stay at Neverland Ranch after about 1988, knowing full well what went on there.
“Go on, Junior. Don’t mind that man. Momma gonna get PAID!”
Au contrare. It sounds to me that you fully understood it. That and braggin’ rights. “My boy got cuddled by Michael Jackson!”
And people get upset when I tell the joke, “Did you hear about the new McJackson Burger?”
50 year old meat between 8 year old buns.
Some get offended when I ask “What was the difference between Neil Armstrong and Michael Jackson?” to which the answer is “One was the first man to walk on the moon and the other was 50% plastic and liked to poke little boys.”
What the “shelter in place” thinkers don’t get is the systemic damage done by those who follow their advice. Most criminals want, and are emboldened by, the victim’s passivity.
If fighting back were the norm, even in seriously dangerous situations, it stands to reason there would be less crime across the board, yes?
You’re right EDUSMCLeg very unpopular. Why are you here?
One more instance of giving criminals more consideration that given those who would intervene to deter crime. I like CVS even less now.
The corporate mindset is that they can write off the loss of merchandise vice risk the bodily harm resulting of taking action.
This reminds me very much of the Walgreens training videos for working the register – if confronted with a robber, surrender the cash, and let the goblin be on his way.
I’ve seen it go both ways. Give the robber what he or she wants and the LEOs catch them. Resist and things turn violent and almost always turn into a tragedy for the employee. Only occasionally during my 12 years as an LEO did I see resistance turn out (fortunately) as it did in this story. With that said I think firing people for protecting customers and YOUR (CVS) property is BS.
Hey 3E9,
I’m not sure where it is you work/worked as a LEO. I was LP for a major store for 4+ years and if the subjects resisted we resisted right back. We were banned from close fist striking or kicking, everything else was fair game. There was never a serious injury in the entire region I worked in, which was very “hot” and some of the highest crime out there.
Now, to your point. A LP guy was stabbed in the neck a few regions over, and that’s when everything started to change.
But for years before that people at this company got physical constantly without major issues being common at all.
In terms of cost to the company, the few dollars worth of (likely generic) painkillers is a drop in the bucket compared to what CVS would have to shell out in workers’ comp if the clerk gets stabbed, beaten or shot.
I agree that firing him was chickenshit but CVS’s policy makes sense from a strictly business standpoint.
My message on CVS website.
I will never step foot in one of your stores again. The firing of Joe Morici is a shame. Instead, of heroes like Mr. Morici, you probably want spineless “yes men” that allow criminals to steal narcotics from your business and than sell or use these drugs to/with children.
SO if a child ODs on these stolen drugs is that a sensible business standpoint?
Child (or others) ODing on their stolen product – could make for an interesting lawsuit.
Letting the bad guys have the cash is one thing. Letting them have the drugs is another. Would a gun shop owner have the same “liability free” treatment? ?
When it comes out that a kid died from those pills and the pills came from CVS…humm do it sound like a lawsuit?
Your analysis is correct…. but omits the cost to society of:
1. Letting criminals escape.
2. Letting society get so fucking insanely pussified.
I’m done with the idea of ever patronizing CVS from here on. I boycott Auto Zone for the same reason and their anti-2nd Amendment stance. Iit was up in VA if I’m correct where there was a goblin known as “The Fake Beard Bandit” who was doing a string of armed robberies. He picked an AutoZone franchise where an AF Vet worked when said get was on a break. He said he didn’t care about the money or merchandise, he was thinking about his coworkers when he darted to his truck and retrieved his CCW weapon and confronted the goblin with it who then threw up his hands and exited the store screaming. AutoZone then fired the Vet citing their no firearms policy and stuck to it thus I’ll never shop at either chain again.
PROUD! You’ve seen my youngest in action, so I’m asking you this ” Do you think anyone could grab her and take here from A to B?
Teaching mine self defense and especially the girls since little. If he pulls on your clothes pee and poop yourself and then kick in his face, while screaming.
We did a fake on one and I should of warned our friend who she never met. After disabling him, she runs screaming “didn’t you hear me?” Yes, honey, but you handled it just fine.
Oh, we’re all coming for the train trip in April and wants you to take her shooting your stuff.
Sure, I support a business, any business, operating in a manner which makes sense to them. They only need to justify their business plan to their stockholders.
However, this customer gets to select with whom to do business based upon whatever criteria I wish to use. If they are operating in ways that make zero sense to me, I am not required to spend my $$ there, no matter how happy their stockholders may be with their business plan.
CVS has seen my last bit of discretionary income. So far, I am not required to darken the doors of any place where I feel my odds of interacting with criminals are increased. There are plenty of opportunities to run into thugs accidently without my volunteering to be where they are more likely to commit their thuggery than the pharmacy down the street.
I am officially boycotting CVS … they don’t even sell “American Spirit’ cigarettes anymore!
Now they are firing Vet’s for Vet’s doing what Vet’s do …
BOYCOTT
CVS security was so lax in Baltimore that the druggies got all they could have ever hoped for (and then some!) during the riots. The problem was under reported or bypassed entirely by media but it was a monster. As for this story, “[Morici] says CVS has a strict policy against confronting robbers.” In other words, as a manager, BUT when the shit hits the fan, most people do not think, “Gee, what’s the policy in this situation?” They either fight, flee, or freeze. Morici’s impulse was to fight. I hope CVS reconsiders. If not, I have a feeling Morici will be receiving multiple job offers.
According to WMAL, a private security company in Virginia expanding into Maryland has offered him a position.
Good.
Oh yea, that should be good for maybe anywhere between 6 & 10 bucks per hour, unarmed of course.
I believe that is a genuine security, not of the same caliber of Ambassador Worldwide Protective Services.
It appears that there was no risk to anyone until the manager went and created the risk.
I believe the store has the right to set their policies.
If you don’t think you can live up to the company’s policies, don’t work for that company.
I am one of those people who in the past had an experience with the open end of a gun pointed at me during a robbery. The thought I was going to get hurt or killed ran through my mind. Could I have done something about it? Probably. But as a manager, I also thought of the two young girls and one elderly man working in the store and what might happen to them. I thought of the other customers in the store as well. Nothing and I mean nothing – in any store is worth dying over. Some ONE is worth protecting, but not some THING.
We all make choices in life. There are often consequences to those choice.
In this case because the manager created the additional risk to customers and employees, I would have terminated his employment (or at least gave some sort of disciplinary action) as well.
Good point.
I appreciate you opinion.
However, CVS needs to analyze whether they should hire Vet’s who are programmed, trained and have the propensity to auto act rather than hide, freeze or be a victim.
But what do I know …
Your 100% right in hiring vets. A vet working in a gas station got a gun put in his face and started to laugh. No bullets it the five shooter. Pulled his out and said meet my friends. He didn’t get fired. His uncle owns the store. Would a civie of known that? No…
And what would have happened if they decided they weren’t content to just rob you and decided they wanted to have some fun with the two girls working for you?
“Nothing and I mean nothing – in any store is worth dying over”
That should be something the bad guys have to think about; not the intended victims.
I know of several circumstances where the victims gave the bad guys everything they wanted, and then were shot and killed for their trouble. Someone points a gun at me; I don’t know if they intend to shoot me after I cooperate, so I’m going to do everything I can to make it costly for them.
“It appears that there was no risk to anyone until . . . ”
And you know this,. . . . . how?
Are you a mind reader? A fortune teller?
You KNOW for SURE what the goblins were, or weren’t going to do?
The Commentor’ Formerly Known as MCPO NYC USN Ret. :
I thought I mentioned the people are worth protecting. Also, isn’t one of the things that CVS should take into consideration is that a vet will follow orders and polices when they are hired?
Instinct:
As I said, people are worth protecting. Things are not worth dying for.
Old Trooper :
And I know of situations where resisting has resulted in more injuries, hostage situations, etc. Every policeman and loss prevention officer I have ever met has said just give the robbers what they want and let them go on their way. At one seminar we had a presentation on fighting back vs letting them go and the actual numbers favor letting them go.
B Woodman
Because the article says he pursued the robbers to the front door. They appear to have been leaving when the manager went after them.
All:
We can play the “what if” game all day long. All I am saying is that in this case, the company had a “no resistance” policy and there doesn’t seem to have been anyone in danger until the manager created the danger to others by ignoring the policy.
I’ll take the ALL part since it includes me, I guess. I can see the policy angle. He was not just an employee but a store manager. The policy was known to him. He, through impulse or quick deliberation, violated the policy and now reaps the consequence. The store is concerned with civil liability arising from just this sort of incident. I get that. It’s the part about putting others in danger that I do not get. How is that not a what-if? Who was placed in danger, one of the customers who applauded the manager?
The “All” was meant more to people who had replied to me, but that’s fine. I accept that I was less than clear.
It is not a “what if” when the manger stops the thieves at the door as they are leaving and it turns into a fight.
At that moment the store went from no one being hurt to a real danger of someone being hurt. The incident went from no one being in danger as the thieves were leaving to everyone being in danger as the manager was attempting to detain the thieves in the store.
It is not a good situation. While I applaud his initiative, he should have let them go, locked the doors, called the police and gotten the footage of the robbery ready for the police.
Master Chief; I understand the “giving them what they want and let them go” routine. I, also, know personally where that didn’t work and the victim was shot and killed for their trouble, after cooperating. Same mindset was employed on 9/11. We all know how that turned out. I, also, know personally where letting them have what they want led to no more violence. The numbers favor letting them go, but the numbers don’t know the intentions of said bad guy and 20/20 hindsight is always accurate. Otherwise; why not let someone ransack your house, car, etc.? Just let them have what they want and they will go away. We don’t know their intentions; right?
Sorry, but I’m not going to possibly be taken deep without making them feel it.
Call CVS at 1-888-607-4287. Wait for prompt to take you to “Store Experience”, say “Store” and a live body will answer.
Opioid and other pills are killing people by the THOUSANDS. How many fatal does would those druggie have made off with had they not been stopped?
That’s just how I look at it. YMMV.
CVS doesn’t accept my TRICARE for pharamacy anyway so F’em.
Never have shopped at CVS, never will. They have nothing I can’t get at Walmart for less.
Because I’ve worked for companies that forbid employees carrying weapons, survived a drive-by
shooting and had a crew that had to E&E from a a pair of that rolled in the shop to rob them, I mean to get their share of the pie from hard working mechanics and an armed disgruntled employee episode (ever dialed 911 & laid the phone down?) I no longer work for companies with such policies.
“Just leave ’em be and let them walk out the door knowing nobody will be coming out of the store to stop them”. That supposed to make sense? Not in my world. That only gives the perps reason to either return or send another couple of perps in to repeat the job. So what if team # 2 carries weapons and a customer opens his mouth or looks the wrong way or does something to startle possibly drug-crazed fools to begin with? Customer gets shot and perps walk with whatever they have in hand. If they know they have nothing to fear, thugs and criminals will be just what they are and do what they choose knowing there is no in-store retribution. Were I to be in a store (NO, it WON”T be a candy ass CVS) and realize people are in imminent danger because a couple of armed thugs, I can GUARANTEE you the police will be arriving shortly to the scene of a shooting. No, not trying to say I’d be a hero, not even close. But YES, I’d take no risk and prevent thugs from doing as they please. ALWAYS remember……these days, kindness is taken for weakness. If you are so kind to stand there and keep your mouth shut, you may be the one being hauled into an ambulance while the thugs are on the run.
Just called Giant pharmacy to get my rx’s
changed to there. Sent an email to the wimps at CVS letting them know. Don’t expect an answer. BTW my rx’s were about $1300.00 a month. These dildoes don’t sell cigs but sell
sugar laden candy to diabetics WTF???
Huh? What is that sugar business about? I know that CVS, like other companies, has adopted the nanny state as a business model, but what’s that about selling candy to diabetics? Are you saying that a diabetic has no responsibility for what he chooses to consume or are you saying that CVS is surreptitiously slipping sugar to unwitting diabetics? I don’t get it.
Nope it should be your choice and I really don’t care one way or the other.
My point is they made a big self congratulatory announcement about not selling cigs and they took that choice
away from smokers. When it becomes popular to pick on people for eating
too much sugar because “it increases
healthcare costs” they will stop selling
snacks too.
They quit selling smokes because they are listed as “known carcinogens” but still sell booze which also is listed in the same publications as “known carcinogens”.
CVS wanted some press – I reckon they’re going to get some.
Okay. I didn’t follow that the first time around. “It should be your choice…” clarifies the matter. And I agree.
Another example of how the market does not lead to the most ethical outcomes.
Oh, I see. All would be fine and dandy if only commerce were to be controlled by agents of your desired form of government, eh Lars?
Pinko fucking commie. STFU
CVS just lost another customer.
Somehow I doubt SGT Morici will have trouble finding new gainful employment.
Too tired to read all the comments but pissed enough to leave this:
Qualified to fight the nations wars abroad but not at home.
I have a case I’ve been called on and until its over, I CAN’T POST ON TAH. Just in case shit happens, I thank you for allowing me to join, including me in posts. I have come to love each one of you as a bro or sis, even the guy that talks out of his ass.
This DOESN’T HAVE A THING TO DO WITH BERNASTY.. he’s a nobody?
I’d hire this guy.