JOANN Fabrics Employee Calls out Shoplifter on Intercom in Viral Video
The moment a JOANN Fabrics employee called out a shoplifter in the store using the intercom system has gone viral online, with over 356,000 likes.
With the permission of her manager, store employee @essiebiecos on TikTok used the intercom system to send a special message to the apparent frequent shoplifter still in the store after closing.
Sharing the video on December 5, Essie recorded herself making the announcement and captioned it: "One of our frequent shoplifters thought they were slick by hiding in the bathrooms, so my manager gave me permission to make a special announcement."
Taking to the speaker, Essie announced: "Attention JOANN guests, the time is 9:23 and we are way past closing. You have the audacity to stay here and since you like it so much we have locked the doors. Our manager will come to have a very special conversation if we find you, but you will not be leaving tonight except in a trash bag, Have a good evening."
After slamming the phone down, an off-camera voice can be heard saying: "I love you."
"I really hope the guy's still here," said Essie to her colleague.
The video can be seen in full here.
The manager of the store was on board with the unique method of catching the shoplifter, as shown by a comment on the video, "As your manager, I 100 percent support this. If it happens again tonight, I expect another one like this," she wrote under the video.
In a follow-up video, Essie was even joined by the manager who gave keen viewers an update on what happened after the video ended.
"We did not find him. We kind of searched the store, like in receiving, all the little nooks and crannies. We don't know where he went, so as far as we know, he did leave or he's in our ceiling panels somewhere," she said.
With over two million views at the time of publication, the video was met with a variety of reactions, with many applauding the intercom approach.
"As someone who worked in customer service for one 10 years...I wish I could have made an announcement like this," commented one user.
The video is the latest in a new wave of TikTok videos featuring store employees utilizing the intercom systems to make important announcements, though often involving the resignation of a worker.
At the start of the month, Target employee Edwin Pos went viral on the app for using the intercom to individually call out members of staff and address his immediate resignation.
"I'm quitting this whole a** job," he said in the video.
He then went on to identify co-workers and explain his problems with them in an expletive-filled rant, including one whom he referred to as "that Karen-ass Lucifer Linda."
