Just read 3 employees were fired at an Academy Sports in Louisiana for going after a thief that stole a pistol. Academy claimed “ their policies” do not allow employees to “ chase” a thief. Wonder what ATF has to say about this? A manager was one of those fired and she said she was trying to ID the thief.
Lately Academy seems to be “ doing away” with their reloading section. I’m about to write them off my lists.
Your thoughts????.

Virtually every retailer that I know of has the policy. It's mostly because, from a financial point of view, the cost of an employee injury is many times more costly than whatever item they stole.

Of course this may be a bit short sighted, as there's a "moral hazard" involved that just encourages more theft. But still, they don't want an employee to get hurt. Their call. The ATF would be fine with it.

It seems that Academy only has reloading sections in some stores. The one by me has nothing, the one by my son's house is decent. I live in the city, he's out in the burbs. It might have to do with product availability. Maybe they decided to concentrate their inventory at stores with the best reloading sales. I don't really know.

The Academy nearest me carries a very small selection of reloading stuff, but unless you need something other than Hornady, you're out of luck. Overall, I like the stores. Toooooo much YETI stuff.

As per above, and not so much employee injury as customer injury would be the feared cost, it is most feared by the insurance company that imposes this policy. Academy does not have the best firearms and related supplies selection, but if they do have what I want, I know that it is at the best price I am likely to find.

PS = I buy Coleman not Yeti

Lost a lot of my business when they quit selling 30 round AR mags. Spinelessness.

Locally, one of the few places to get ammo, so I’ll pop in from time to time to see what they have on the shelf.

I have bought when they have a sale but did my homework first.

Their policies brush me the wrong way too, but I understand the thinking behind them. Not being able to test the action and trigger pull is a big deal if you don't thoroughly research before buying.

The "perp walk" to the front door....urrrr. They don't escort me to the front door when I buy a Yeti cup but they sure do if you buy a pistol.

When we started to emerge from the last ammo scare the Academy was one of the few places that stocked the shelves as they received shipments. Other places you "had to know a guy" to buy a box of ammo.

I walked into an Academy down in San Antonio on a Sunday morning and they had exactly one pistol in the showcase and I bought it on the spot. Ok, maybe I was feeding on the panic. It was a Springfield .45acp that I really didn't need but it sure helped my spirits to see the light at the end of the panic.

So, I'm not ready to throw out the baby with the bath water, but I do recognize them for what they are.

We don’t have Academy stores up in Western NY. I visited one for the first time down in Georgia. I thought their prices were great. Their Magellan clothing which I assume is their store brand was same quality as HUK at half the cost. I liked them. But know nothing about policies.

Bummer that the employees were fired. Maybe a stern warning and more training would have sufficed. After all, no one was hurt. That said, I buy a few things at Academy, and it is one of my ammo price check locations. Oh ... I never buy their ammo!!

Have been in a few when I travel farther south, don't have any conveniently close. It's easy to see the fallacy of places like these in stock and employees, especially for those of us that have fond memories (past or current) of a local (or familiar) mom and pop dedicated gun shop. Cabela's, Bass pro, Academy and others are handicapped by size, location, need for staff, and unfortunately, local politics. As far as chasing down thieves . . . I don't know what the solution is but I know what we're doing at present is failing miserably. It doesn't rise to the implications of a thug snatching a pistol and heading for the door but recently some inbred mope (for whatever reason) went into a Bass Pro in Florida, took a net and absconded with a fifty pound tarpon from the fish tank display. Apparently no one thought much about a guy carrying a huge wriggling fish from the back of the store out the front door. (Fort Myers fish thief).

I refuse to let DICK'S "Sporting Goods" have a penny of my money since they purged the 'evil stain' of firearms and ammunition from their "sporting goods" stores. More like a Kohl's for yuppie golfers, kayakers, and contact sport posers.

During the crunch I happened to be in the Charlotte, NC area and found a few boxes of ammo that were in short supply in my local pond that a shooting pard wanted me to look for in an Academy - nice store, not so great prices (not that I buy much anymore) but typical of the offerings in such high population bergs.

General employees chasing down a gun thief is probably not a good idea for all the reasons that have been mentioned. My beef is that stores with these kinds of policies always seem to have surveillance systems with the camera quality of first generation back-up camera on a car - couldn't get face detail on a customer 20 feet away, much less a license plate number of his getaway car pulling out of the parking lot. A lot of crime takes place because the bad guys have learned that even if your whole caper is caught on camera from multiple angles that because of cheap, crummy equipment there's a better than 50-50 chance you'll never be identified. Until the merchants decide to spring for better resolution cameras and the manufacturers start selling quality high resolution security cameras for a price that makes them practical these things will continue. Those of us whose human nature recoils at just standing idly by while a thief can steal a firearm (with all the implications of that manifested) will continue to chafe and wrestle with just watching it transpire without trying to stop such behavior.

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Qui plantavit curabit

Most if not all stores has the policy, regardless of the product stolen

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Still Running Against the Wind

Predictable “evolution.” Academy took over the firearms business from Dicks, who earlier took over for Sports Authority. They will go “Dicks” next realizing firearms are not worth the trouble. Joe

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Behavior Creates Destiny

The "don't give chase", "don't engage" policies for employees in large retailer stores across the country are being set by insurance underwriters.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Strange, no perp walk here, just take your gun and walk out like the LGS. Are you close to all that pixie dust in Austin?

Same song, second verse....San Antonio

Heck, if those store employees worked for me I'd have given them high praise and accolades, a paid day off, and an employee of the month certificate. Hard to find workers who actually take initiative on the employers behalf these days.

I wonder how much initiative the remaining Academy employees will take from now on?

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Live long and prosper

Am sure, should your employees be injured or killed, you'd
be happy to see triipling of insurance rates or millions paid
out from your own pockets because you ignored insurers'
policies.

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Ubi Est Mea

The story now explains why they wanted my drivers license before they let me handle a pistol from the display. The clerk put the license on the counter behind him and handed the gun to me. When I returned the gun, I got my license back. Made me mad at first, but now I see it's smart and safe.

I have been to a few Academy Sports and they don't do a lot for me. I guess if I needed some Nike soccer slides that they would be at the top of my list.

Academy is great for clothes. They usually have ammo and at reasonable - not inflated - prices. They have common new guns at good prices, and occasionally bargains at sell off - I got a 986 for a good price there. Always changing stock - sometimes reloading stuff or mags and sometimes not. In Houston, they walk you out with a gun. Staff is not well trained - don’t go there with questions.

I don't go to Academy very often, no more than four or five times per year. And that is mainly because I am going somewhere else which is near an Academy store and I just walk in to see if anything interesting is on sale. Last time I was there was maybe three months ago, ammunition and guns were well stocked. Never saw much in the way of reloading supplies and equipment at any time I can remember. Just some bullets if anything. I do remember seeing some Tannerite on the shelf at one store, but that has nothing to do with reloading.

...but it is the way things are in 21st century America and from what I've been seeing we are by no means the only nation dealing with this.

A while back, I commented here on situations such as this. Used to be a time when security and loss prevention personnel use to make arrests. I have done so myself in the past.

Times change.

I agree with the no pursuit policy in the majority of circumstances in this day and age. In many locales police won't even arrest or even respond to shoplifting calls anymore so what is the point of endangering yourself, your employees, or your customers if some knucklehead decides to pull out a firearm or knife and go nuclear? Your good deed for the day can run into hurt or dead people, bad press, litigation until the sun explodes, and for what? An overpriced t-shirt or such?

Stores these days just tack it on to the prices as a cost of doing business.

Inasmuch as a firearms was involved in this case, the Academy stores I have gone into are very rigid in their firearms policy...one at a time and they hold on to your ID. If you purchase, they walk you to the front...even if you pay at the firearms counter. If you still have shopping to do, they will hold the firearm at the firearms dept. until you finish and return. I just went through this a few weeks back. (and I like my CSX so much it is now my primary carry).

I've known and worked with LP's at various stores over the years and the times have changed. In some cases, if the perp does get caught, they get bail almost immediately and are right back...and sometimes with "friends" to as one LP told me "to teach us a lesson".

I heartly agree with a "no pursuit" policy in this day and age and even when I conduct training, I ALWAYS tell my trainees that they are not cops, everything you are guarding is insured, and NONE OF IT is worth your life or health.

For those that might take issue with my opinion here tonight, no I don't like it either, but it is the time of history we are living in.

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The Last Standing Knight

I bought a Walther PPKs .22 from them after church one Sunday filled out the 4473 form and left I got a letter from them a week or so later telling me to come back and finish the paper work. I got my birth certific out of the safe and went over there and asked what is the trouble? The clerck said I have to show Rogers as where I was born I showed them my birth papers I said we lived 7 miles out of Rogers they showed I was born in Colville township in Benton county Ar I told the clerck I had a FFL for about 20 years and I knew better than to lie on the 4473 form I said I was born in 1940 and there was not 2000 people in Rogers then. I said I would but under protest and if any thing came up I would sue, these are the types behind the counter. Jeff

I would like to say that all through the various ammo shortages of the last 10 years - Academy around here never raised their prices like so many stored did. Yes there were long lines waiting for the doors to open and one or two box limits, but they treated everyone fairly.

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6/23/2022

FWIW, the employees were most likely after the thief to see what vehicle he got in and maybe get license number. The female manager would certainly not be wanting to get in physical “ altercation” one could guess and was looking for info for LEO. Who knows…

Academy is the sole distributor for Yildiz shotguns in the US. That's where I got mine. Bought a Remington 870 410 pump from them that was defective. They had no problem sending it back for repair. I like our store.

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S&W Accumulator

I have a commercial insurance policy. I have read the terms. It says nothing about allowing people to steal from me.

Crooks like easy targets. That's usually who crooks steal from, easy prey.

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Live long and prosper

Love em, get all my ammo there, good cloathing too.
I have to question the mentality level of someone putting their life in jeopardy for a job in retail though?

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

I have put forth the question to business owners before if their insurance policies stated any such requirements that many blame on the insurance companies. I don't recall any business owner confirming those opinions.

In your case be that as it may. But what is more
important, your property or the safety of your
employees? Your insurance should definitely
cover the cost of your property.

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Ubi Est Mea

Nearest one is 30 miles away, been there once, wish it were closer. If I boycotted every business that was deemed not gun friendly I would never leave the house.
Heck, I likely wouldn’t own electronics or be on the net.
Dicks is one exception.

Retailers in my area won’t let you see a gun until they see your pistol permit. But they don’t hold on to it. I guess they figure if you have a permit you’re not a thief. Your picture is on your permit in NY

I drove for the largest grocery retail chain in western NY for over 30 yrs. Back in the late 90s or maybe early 2000s I delivered a store in a sketchy area. I was in a dock on side of building and my tractor cab was even with front entrance of the store. After getting unloaded I sat in my tractor and ate my lunch. I happened to notice a tall scruffy looking guy walking by wearing a trench coat in middle of summer. I then heard yelling and saw a store employee run out. Then the store manager who had just received load from me ran out yelling. Trench coat guy started running and the younger employee tackled him 50ft in front of me. When they hit the ground beer cans came flying out of the trench coat. Most of them popped open and were spinning around on the ground spraying beer everywhere. The employee and manager had their hands full with this guy. Eventually 2 employees from neighboring auto parts store ran out with giant zip ties and tied his hands up till cops arrived. It was all quite entertaining. When the store manager walked back past me he says hey “ thanks for the help”. I simply said Andy I logged out. I’m off duty, on lunch break.

It would be more likely a workman's compensation insurance policy. While not specifically prohibited by the insurance companies the cost of the insurance is heavily dependent on the volume of claims. Serious injuries (or God forbid a death) that require hospitalization, which will then require rehab, can run into the hundreds-of-thousands pretty damn quick. A death would run millions.

"Hey, the insurance will cover it . . . " is not the solution to the problem. Thugs are generally cowards, I'm not rolling over and being a victim to that in my business. Big box stores aside, there is a reason why most local gun shop employees are armed.

Again, kudos to the Academy employees for at least following the thief out of the store. I hope they put that on their resume as to why they left their last job.

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Live long and prosper

With the excess of gators here in Florida many of us here could figure a way to “ use some” as a deterrent to theft….

Found some good deals at Academy over the years,
but getting them to stop the daily spam emails is a chore.

The major grocery store chain I work for has a similar policy regarding pursuit of shoplifters. It all started about 25 years ago when employees tackled a shoplifter at one of our Florida stores and sat on him until the police arrived. The young man was not breathing when police arrived, and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

One of my friends, a store manager in a NM store was fired a couple of years ago for pursuing a shoplifter - which is apparently also illegal in NM, or so I was told.

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Or something like that . . .

This is almost certainly how it works. An insurance company is not going to put a "no pursuit" clause in a policy, it would be a public relations disaster. What happens is that should you make a substantial claim, the insurance company will delay as best they can, pay up, then drop you. When you go to another insurer you will find your rates WAY higher than before, because the word is out on you in the industry.

Yes, it's a cartel, and states can do little about it. Should they try, the industry does a collective corporate smirk and asks, "do you want any form of insurance in your state?" I put insurance on a level worse than banks when it comes to putting us over a barrel.

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Release the Kraken

I have a huge problem with any firearms retailer knowingly watching stolen firearms stroll out the door into criminal hands. What would Academy’s liability carrier think about such a weapon being used in a crime. I intend to write a letter to Academy’s headquarters near me and voice my displeasure at their callous attitude towards my safety.

On another gun forum this topic is more “ volatile” , most saying they will never ever buy from Academy again. I know an older gut that works in the one close to home, next week will go in and see what he says..

LVSteve I put insurance companies on their own level. Way below banks and everything else. You don’t need banks if you don’t want them. Lots of insurance is mandated. You have no choice. And they know it. An old friend of mines father who was 90 yrs old at the time had the best quote ever
“Insurance companies are like prostitutes, they take your many and *#€*# you”

A Yildiz 28 gauge over and under was what I got. The girlfriend became quite enamored. It now lives by her back door and deals with garden pests. She is merciless!

They’ve lost my business. I’ll gladly spend my money elsewhere.

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Some Might Say.