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Morning News

7-Eleven Spokewoman Discusses Company Policy on Handling Robberies

Aired August 8, 2000 - 11:44 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Last week, we told you about Antonio Feliciano, the former 7-Eleven worker in West Virginia. He was fired after he thwarted a robbery in mid-July. He wrestled a shotgun from the robber and held her until police arrived. But it is hard-and-fast company policy to not fight back, just hand over the cash.

We spoke with Feliciano last week. Today, we get 7-Eleven's side of the story. And joining us by phone is company spokeswoman Margaret Chabris.

Thanks for joining us, Margaret.

MARGARET CHABRIS, 7-ELEVEN CORPORATE SPOKESWOMAN: Good morning, thanks for having us.

KAGAN: Explain to us the company policy for 7-Eleven if, through an unfortunate act, a worker is facing a robbery.

CHABRIS: Well, certainly, first of all, 7-Eleven puts safety above all else in its training of store personnel. We can replace stolen money or product, but we replace a life or restore someone's health. And part of our training program includes advising employees not to resist or thwart a robbery. However, it does not prevent an employee from protecting themselves if they are attacked, which is not the case in Mr. Feliciano's situation.

KAGAN: Well, he said, when we talked to him, that he was trying to follow company policy. But when the gun was to his head, he said he picture never seeing his kids again and decided to fight back.

CHABRIS: When he decided to fight back, and this is supported by a statement that he has given us in his own handwriting, as well as a statement from his co-worker, the gun was on his female co-worker.

And our training program that we had is recognized by law enforcement agencies as a model for retailer, our program works, we've reduced our robbery rate by 78 percent since we first introduced the program in '76, and injuries to store personnel have dropped dramatically as well.

Let me tell you story that underscores why we are committed to this policy. A few months ago, two employees were working when an armed robber entered a 7-Eleven store on the East Coast. And the robber got a few dollars from the cash register, and is leaving the store, employee behind the counter unharmed. But the second employee confronted and restrained the robber's accomplice. The armed robber, seeing what happened, shot and killed the employee who was trying to be a hero. So we needlessly lost a valued employee.

OSHA, police, law enforcement, and even the investigating sheriff of the area where this thing happened with Mr. Feliciano, all support our position, and say that we should not interrupt or attack someone who is in the process of a robbery. We've had studies that say that robbery victims who resisted were 49 times more likely to be killed than those who cooperate. That's why we have this policy, for safety.

KAGAN: Sounds like the company stands by its policy. Margaret Chabris, from 7-Eleven, thanks for giving us the other side of the story. As we said, we had the fired worker on last week. He stands by what he does. We got to hear 7-Eleven's explanation of how they thought out how they would want employees to work.

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