Fired for giving away Subway subs to fire victims

A Nova Scotia Subway employee who gave away a free meal to her neighbours who were left homeless by a fire in their apartment building was fired by the fast food giant. The woman says she wants her job back.

CTV Atlantic: Crystal Garrett in Dartmouth, N.S.

A Dartmouth, N.S. woman tells CTV Atlantic she was fired from a Subway restaurant for helping two neighbours left homeless and hungry after an apartment fire.

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Heidi Heise tells CTV Atlantic how she was fired from a Subway restaurant for helping two neighbours in Dartmouth, N.S.

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Selected Comment

Don't blam Subway for this...each store is owned and operated by a franchsiee. It was that person's decision.

Shawn

Fired for giving away Subway subs to fire victims

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Fired for giving away Subway subs to fire victims

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CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Thu. Jun. 10 2010 3:45 PM ET

A Dartmouth, N.S. woman says that she was fired from a Subway restaurant for helping two neighbours left homeless and hungry after an apartment fire.

Last week's apartment fire did not affect Heidi Heise's unit, but left some neighbours homeless, and she offered them her place.

Heise says when the neighbours came to thank her at the nearby Subway restaurant she works at, she gave them each one free six-inch sub to alleviate their hunger.

"I felt sorry for them, I tried to help them out," she told CTV Atlantic.

But when she went to work on Wednesday, she said she was told she was fired for giving away the subs.

"They were like, ‘We went over the cameras and we (saw) you on the weekend, give away a free sub,'" she told CTV Atlantic.

The two six-inch subs are the equivalent of one 12-inch sub, which Subway employees are entitled to as a staff lunch, which must be marked down.

She said because of everything going on, she forgot to mark it down.

Todd White, one of the two people staying with Heise, said he was unimpressed with Subway.

"No, she doesn't deserve it," he said of the firing. "We just went to thank her for letting us stay in her place. She offered the sandwich to us because we never had nothing to eat."

Atlantic Subway Ltd, which represents the company in the four Atlantic provinces, called the situation "unfortunate."

"It's an unfortunate situation, but technically, it's a personnel issue and we have no comment," Linda Garrett-Coll of Atlantic Subway Ltd. told CTV.ca.

Each franchise is individually owned and operated, and personnel issues are dealt with by the owner.

However, Garrett-Coll said "had we known about the situation" things could have been different, as the franchise is involved in a Red Cross program for food donations for flood and fire victims.

AJ Clarke, the apartment building's leasing manager, said he was "kind of furious" about the firing.

He said he offered to pay for the sub himself, and called the franchise to express his opinion.

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Lilly/NL
said

Subway! Hire her back and pay her minimum wage a wage increase......she deserves a raise for having a heart. Maybe not the smartest move she ever made, but hopefully she will learn from this mistake....... but to fire her, what the $%^# are you guys thinking. Not enough profit in your bank accounts yet????

hell in a hand basket
said

Shame on the owner of this Dartmouth Franchise. Very classless. I am certain a kind warning would have sufficed. Perhaps the franchisee could have or should have done more to help people in their neighborhood. Kindness goes a long way to people in need. SHAME on you Dartmouth Subway Franchisee.

Earthwatcher
said

Give me a break local Subway franchise owner...for the cost of her daily allowed sub you fired her? Man up, hire her back and forget it ever happened or you might find yourself on the receiving end of a boycott. Maritimers have a long memory when it comes to baloney like this. She has a good heart and you should too.

Phil
said

While I may have not fired someone after giving them a chance to explain, I think the manager has every right to fire an employee over giving away free food. It was not her choice to make, she could have called her manager, or paid for the subs herself. We also don�t know the full story before her dismissal, maybe she has been caught giving subs to friends before? I don�t know, but don�t overreact on subway for this. The only reason this is even news is because people overreact over it.

SDB
said

There has to be way more to this, it almost sounds like someone airing their dirty laundry, I find it hard to believe someone would be dismissed for giving away something that cost the store maybe $3.00, so there has to be more to it and the Subway Owner is keeping quiet on the subject.

eric
said

I am disgusted by the management of subway who are looking for a media opportunity to fire somebody for being charitable. I will no longer eat at subway and that other sub store just for that!

Richard Herbert
said

Boy, whoever is the manager of that Subway sure has a short fuse. Sure, (s)he can find someone to replace Heidi, but how long will she be out of a job? I agree with others that at worst, she could have had the cost of the sandwiches docked from her pay. There should be some kind of mechanism in place, like an ombudsman, where Heidi could lodge a complaint against her former employer for unjust dismissal. Good luck, Ms Heise!

Margaret
said

Since the owner didn't give Heidi a chance to give her side of the story before firing her is it possible that she is a scapegoat for him. Is he as honest a he is making out? Does he have something to cover in his operations of the store and it is time for a corporate inspection of his book? There are three sides to a coin, take a look at any coin in your pocket.

LisainNS
said

If this was a clothing store and she gave some people a t-shirt would anyone think that is different? I do not agree with the decision her bosses made. I worked at Subway as well, and they are hell to work at. THe fact that they are individually owned makes it a lot easier for mgmt to treat their employees like garbage and get away with it. They said they saw her giving away food on camera and fired her. Maybe they fired her before she said they were fire victims, or that she was going to use her free sub but forgot to mark it down. Heck I could work there and have my friends come in then and give them a free sub as long as I mark it down.

Jason Fong
said

Wow, this story is truly pathetic. Hopefully karma will come bite the subway location owner in the ass. People should be avoiding that specific Subway location like it was on FIRE !!!

Alvin
said

to PetersShe was allowed a 12" at no charge for personal use. Just because she didn't eat it doesn't constitute theft !!!!this is a manager who is stressed out to make better profits or dictatorial

Jaded
said

For those of you who claim she is stealing, she did not. Read the article...it says employees are entitled to one free 12 inch sub per shift, and that they have to mark it down. She didn't mark it down. Stealing...would be having her 12 inch sub to herself...and then giving other sandwiches away on top of that. Considering nothing was marked down, it was merely an overlookment due to the stress she was having to deal with...NOT stealing.S ubway you can HOOP it... even in Sask...we won't support your franchises for this unless you correct it.

Spence in Ontario
said

I say just let her pay the difference and be done with it. Yes it wasn't technically right what she did, but now knowing circumstances it simply makes more sense to have it as a warning offense not fire her over it.

Toddy
said

A bad situation made wost buy a bad judgement on both side . i wouldn't think this is the maritime way of doing the right thing .The owner should have know this type of storey would be bad for his bussiness .Hope he dosen't think his franchise is worth much today .His employee is probely not a university educated person so I commend her on her compaction but to fire her ......STUPID to fire a minimum wage ernner BOO to subway Franchise . No more Subway for me .

John Savignac
said

Wow Quiznos here I come, fired for help a neighbor and fellow human. Stupid management at one tiny outlet can affect the chain as a whole. I'll watch this story unfold and until it is rectified, NO SUBWAY FOR OUR FAMILY!

Lydia
said

I used to work at Dairy Queen and there, we could have unlimited free pop through-out our shift or even when we weren't working. So what was it stopping us from just giving our free pop to customers when they would order pop? Why make someone pay for it when I could just give them my perk for free...the reason why it is wrong is because the free pop was a privilage for us employees, not a right! Her free Subway sandwich was not hers to give away, it was Subways sandwich to give to her. And lets take it one step further...what stops her from selling those free sandwiches every shift for a couple of bucks and profiting from Subways generousity.

Bugsy
said

Subway should have been generous in the first place and did its good deed but nope, kaching first and no free handouts. So cheap is what I say along with others who think along the same line.

Bill in Peterborough
said

I work as a manager at McDonald's. So I understand the environment of this situation. Yes, what this employee did shows great heart and compassion. However, to be able to give something away requires that one first own it. This girl gave away something that belonged to another. Yet, firing her seems over the top. Perhaps the idividual in authority simply viewed the tapes and no questions asked, fired her. This is an unfortunate situation. Some sort of reprimand should have been in order, not termination.

Sam
said

Stealing? get real people. All management had to do was ask her about it before firing her. She could have paid for it after, had it deducted from her next paycheck, many options. Fired over $9? All you people that say 'stealing'...I wonder how many have taken a pen home from work, or when unloading bags into your car discovered a toothbrush or deodorant that was missed...how many take that pen back, or go back in and pay for the missed item? NOne of you, so enough with the 'stealing is stealing' preaching because I have no doubt that you've all done it. This is why people think that mankind is doomed, because she gave homeless and hungry people 12 inches of bread, you folks want her written up, charged, serving jailtime and fired on top of it. You should all be ashamed of yourselves...glad I'm not your neighbour

Lz in Edmonton
said

Stealing might be stealing, but so is not helping those that are in need. If a store manager or company can not tell the difference between common sense and wrongful actions, perhaps they should also not be in business. In my opinion, that subway store should be boycotted.

Honesty Subway
said

Hmmm....so these individuals now live with Heidi but had to come in to work to Thank her? Sounds like a "come by tomorrow and I'll steal for you " to me! Doesn't sound like the first time, how do we know what else was on her file?Theft is theft, ask first!I worked for a Subway - good to me!

Hope/Ste-Cecile
said

I have just read most of the 155 comments shown regarding this story/situation and am completely upset and confused by some people's reactions!!If there is more to this story it will come out sooner or later.If she was entitled to eat a 12" sub everyday, the the fact that she made and gave 2-6" subs to her friends should not be a problem. When I went to school 6" 6" equalled 12".If she forgot to mark down that she had her 12" sub, and instead of eating it, she opted to make 2 - 6" subs and gave it away to two people who were victims of a fire, what's the problem? Does Subway have rules about what staff can do with their free sub!!As for the Subway Corporation -- this is going to cost their franchises a considerable amount of money as they should be aware that the whole of Canada, and part of the U.S. will soon hear about this, if they haven't heard about it yet.The Subway Corporation has several rules that the franchisees have to follow or lose their store.Someone should update these rules and include the fact that the franchisee can't do anything to cause damage to their Corporate Image.If there is already such a rule in the contract, then I expect that the franchise owner at that store will soon be given his/her walking papers.They might also start being more carefull about who they approve for franchises.

John, Whitehorse
said

Way to go Subway. Trying to slip out of the bad publicity by saying its the franchisee. No way. Everything the franchisee does is corporate policy. You can't squirm out of this one.

Terry in ON
said

I have to admit it is the last Subway sub I will be buying here in Ontario. She gave away her free lunch sub, as allowed by the franchise, to two hungry people who were burnt out of their apartments and she get fired for it. If Atlantic Subway Limited says they are involved in donating to fire victims someone forget to tell this stingy operator. Its funny if the owner was approached by the media before they fired her they would have eaten up the publicity and given her a medal. I think Atlantic Subway needs to take a closer look at who they award franchises to...people with compassion and a love of their community.

Honesty First!
said

As in all aspects of life, asking permission when you do not own the item or the company is always the best option. Had she, I am 100% confident this Subway franchisee and the franchise would have assisted as they do in so many community minded events throughout Canada. Taking something that does not belong to you is stealing, no matter the justification by the person. Ask yourselves, how would you feel if someone took money from your wallet without asking because they wanted to for someone else? I believe you would say, "Why didn't you just ask me?"

ian
said

Corporate greed at its best. Great publicity for subway, NOT.

Bob eee
said

Subway should take the blame. What kind of people do they allow to buy and run the franchise? Subway should have control over their retailers, and possibly have some sensitivity training. If the retailers do not measure-up; then I'm sure there are others who are ethical and can manage a franchise. I say -- fire the retail store owners. Shame on Subway !

mary
said

Why is everyone so quick to judge? Subway hasn't made any comments as of yet.. DISPITE what many people on here have said. Wait for their side before commenting. This employee is insane to go to the media, if subway releases what they have on her she'll not come out the innocent victim. This crazy chick when to the media and cried about being fired, the media has not got in contact with anyone from subway, and just posted this story without all the facts. Do you all honestly believe everything you read??

Claude
said

Yup, I am sure stealing is stealing.. I wonder how many times the OWNER asked this employee to work EXTRA minutes of HER time or do things she was NOT supposed to.. STEALING is STEALING and the OWNER should be reported..

Rick
said

It was a really nice thing that she did, but it was not her food to give away.

She should have told her supervisor what she did and offered to pay for it if they didnt want it given away for free.

She was nice, but wrong.

GC Ontario
said

I think there has to be more to this story, i.e. perhaps there were other issues with this employee. As an employer it is darn near IMPOSSIBLE to fire someone and maybe they were looking for an excuse to do so because of other unsatisfactory issues? Just a possibility.....

Keith
said

I for one will never eat at another subway again, hey it might be only $10.00 per visit, but if this number get multiplied by 800-900 people, thats alot of lost money/revenue. Over what not showing compassion to some people who've lost their home to a fire subway could hav etaken the high road and showed they do care for the people I mean it is the people that keeps these stores running right? Mr Sub here I come, I do hope this subway store goes under because of this.

b fast
said

Two subs to people in need, ten dollars. Loss to Subway because one franchiser is a scrooge? Well, more than ten bucks.

Bob
said

Yes Heidi lost her job. But she has compassion and acted admirably. In the long run I am sure this woman will be fine. I can't say the same for these unspeakable Subway operators though. These empty souls can hold on to their crappy stores and the extra $10 for the rest of their lives. Just remember: what goes around comes around.

Patrick
said

What kind of world are we living in now, these people lost everything, they came in to say thanks, and got a couple of 6 inch subs, thats a foot long, so how much did subway lose on this act?? $8-$9 bux tops? Just think of the gratitude they would have recieved if subway allowed her to or didn't fire her for being a decent human. And for those who say each subway is individually managed... boo hoo, its still subway a national chain just like a mcdonalds or tim hortons and you know what. One bad apple spoils it for the rest, Quick is there a Mr Sub anywhere, I'll be eating here from now on. Subway is going to get more negative exposure over this than taking the high road and giving something back to the community. Shame on them, i hope this subway goes under real fast.....

Shoe
said

No more Subway for me!!!!Simple as that!

LB
said

So many of you are missing an important point: EMPLOYEES are entitled to a free sub per shift, not any Tom, Dick or fire victim that happens to come in, bad situation or not.There's nothing stating she didn't also consume her entitled sub for that shift already.I also believe there had to be more going on, with Subway claiming No Comment.

John
said

How can anybody be surprised by this type of action, we're talking about managers who make minimum wage plus 10 cents, managing people who make minimum wage, and owners who would kill for a dollar. I'm almost certain this person was fired for more than one small item, especially since finding a replacement worker will be almost impossible. Question: would joe customer be upset if a worker was fired for "scratching their ass" (even if he/she washed their hands before handling food).

Hister Geom
said

Probably right to fire her due to a simple rule almost all restaurants follow in North America, do not give free food to the homeless and destitute at all costs to maintain profit margins. Let them starve or pay later if they can. If leeching of the work and business world is sin and must go to hell, then for a protestant that's that. That means as long as you are a paying consumer as part of the economy no matter how sociopathic you are, you must go to heaven (guess who in Germany by corporate ethics should be forgiven for the unforgivable?).

Bill from Welland
said

I'll add my name to the list of those who will no longer go to Subway when looking for a quick sub lunch. What a bunch!

KEVIN H
said

She should have checked with a manager before doing this. However being fired for what $8.00? If there were no other issues with this employee she should have at least has a warning.

georges
said

The people should boycott Subway untill they correct this issue.

CHANTALLE LEWIS
said

Nice Boss, maybe if the shoe was on the other foot he would be grateful for a sandwhich or anything to eat for that matter.

Here is a young woman who opened up her home to her neighbours and then because she forgot to write down 2 six inch subs she is fired....OMG what is wrong with this Boss. Have a damn HEART. Company policy or store policy who cares.

Thumbs up to her for having a big heart and most off all compassion for others.

I am sure it will not be long before she lands a job that deserves someone such as Heidi.

All the best to you Heidi.

jacob crudo
said

turned out to be a big publicity for subway

Hannah, Nanaimo
said

she should not have been fired. I was a waitress during a snow storm in an Ontario restaurant when there were victims of a six car pile-up right out front. When the victims came in I gave away food and drink to them all and the ambulance and police as well. I wasn't fired. I was commended by my boss for quick thinking in helping all of them. By the way, they all came back as paying customers when it was all over. It was good PR and accually brought in more business.

Tim out west
said

She took her own lunch and gave it to some hungry fire victims and now they are firing her because she forgot to mark it down? If this is the whole story, I am not impressed.

PetReg
said

Subway is a Joke. My mother worked for subway for a few months. At the interview she expressed her own concerns of having visible tattoos on her fore arm and wrist. The manager had not seen a problem with this, but 3 months (November) down the road on a totally unrelated incident the same store manager fired my mother after she was told to remove the poppy from her subway uniform. Due to having grandparents who served my mom refused and she was fired. Now I go to Quiznos haha

dontlikesubway
said

Seems to me there's another side to this, but firing that girl was the wrong thing to do. One sub does not a bankrupcy make.

joe
said

Stealing is Stealing- what if i went into her house and stole her bike and gave it to a poor lil sad boy? is that justified because he doesnt have one?I know subway has a system set up with the RED CROSS that incase of fire and natural disasters, the homeless and hungry can go to the red cross to get vouchers for free Meals for families.this was probably not the first time. and this employee was in the wrong for taking this to the news. because she was fired. we have probably all been fired once or twice- imagine if we all went to the news because we disliked being fired. MOVE ON. GET OVER IT. i hope no one hires this thief. id be afraid she would give away a free pair of shoes to the shoeless.

Danny S
said

Amazed to say the least, here this lady was doing something from the bottom of her heart and she was fired. People might say its stealing, but in reality it was a woman who saw that these people who have lost everything decided to help and actually did something to brighten their day. I wrote t Subway asking if they plan on making any comments as I feel that the bad PR they are going to receive would be far worse then what they expected. I think its time for big business to understand that people have hearts and when they do something from the bottom of their heart, they should not be punished. Shame Subway, Shame

Guy Lafleur
said

What a marketing nightmare. The franchisee didn't have to terminate the employee. He could have just done the old "this is against company policy, you are a valuable asset to our company, please check with me the next time........". I wish corporations like Subway would offer adequate training to their "partners" so issues like this would not happen. I have a feeling this franchisee will have some "splaining" to do.

Paul
said

I loved this comment:"To everyone that says stealing is stealing - have you ever taken an office pen home...used a work sticky note for personal reasons - used work internet for personal reasons?"Wondering how many people using the Internet from work to read this news or post comments?Yap, I am sure they are "work related"!

Don James
said

Facebook, Twitter, so many ways these days to spread the message to boycot these heartless idiots and teach them a lesson in humanity, compasssion and the true human spirit.

Paul LP
said

Unbelievable! I will never set foot in a Subway ever again! This girl was doing what most of us Canadians would have done! Subway you disgust me!

Fireci
said

The problem with our current corporate world is that everything is held to hard and fast rules. No compassion, no gray area, no exceptions. This corporate approach is appaling and is a very good indication of a company I will no longer support. Good bye Subway.

Andy Zabchuk
said

I am sure that subway will lose a lot more than the cost of 2 six inch subs.People seem to be in support of the employee and I add my voice in this respect.Subway would do well to reconsider their action and rehire the lady.

Lois in Ont
said

I agree with Neil. There is something else going on. No need to punish Subway in general. If you don't like the food, this isn't the reason you aren't eating there anyways. Lot's of emotion and judgementalism here based on very little info.

Jim Lahey Trailer Park Supervisor SunnyVale
said

I implore somebody start a Facebook and Twitter campaign to boycot Subway restaurants, as we all know the power these days of Facebook and Twitter. Someone needs to get a sanity check here.

Mike in ontario
said

I love the Media. They only provide one sided information. We don't know if this is a first offence or not.. if there was suspected that she might be stealing. If she was stealing then,... if not, Shame on the manager on fireing her.

chet
said

Wow, does the owner of this franchise realize the damage in lost sales to the entire chain he has caused? I bet the head office will be making some calls to "prompt" someone into corrective action. If not, what would that say about the entire Subway mindset?.....ahhh...its a personnel issue..malarky!

Alex G
said

Heidi should be rewarded by Atlantic Subway Ltd. for her compassionate deeds.

Just think of all the free positive media exposure Subways would have received if they would have been smart and taken advantage of Heidi's gestures. Instead of gaining negative support.

Subways Marketing department should be pulling their hairs right now because the news of Heidi's firing has left a bad taste in my mouth and no ads that they can come up with in the future can ever get rid of it.

Shame on Atlantic Subways Ltd for not stepping in and for washing their hands of the matter, also Kudos on the stupidity of that franchise's owner.

tess
said

LB and others - can't you READ? She was NOT fired for giving away the food. SHe was fired for giving away HER OWN LUNCH and forgetting to mark it down. Either way, really poor publicity for Subway.

A missed opportunity!
said

This reminds me when Bush was up for re-election against Gore and there was this little incident with the ballots (chads). They had to transport the ballots in Florida for recounting. Their elections office called Fed Ex to which the employee (smartly) offered the transport at no charge. That Fed Ex truck transporting the ballots was all over the news. I believe Subway missed the boat on this one. What could have some positive publicity, had become a nightmare.Talk about negative publicity! I never liked subway's sandwiches in the first place. Now they give me more reasons to dislike them!

Are you kidding me?
said

Seems the person that should have been fired here is the moron that let this get out to the press to begin with, creating a PR nightmare. 2 six inch subs = $10.00Having people think you are a bunch of heartless misers = PRICELESS!The owner must be suffering from a severe lack of foresight. Right or wrong, he ends up looking like a schmuck.

Mary Meadows
said

I could not believe what I was hearing on the news today at noon. A supervisor at Subway firing a staff for helping out fire victims. That supervisor needs to be reprimanded for such a despicable action. I don't believe anyone should be fired in this economy. I'm apalled that anyone would be so cruel, just because it was not recorded. Subway need to 'lighten up' and help people in need by reviewing policies.

Tamara
said

If i am not mistaken, the story said she forgot to mark it down, People do forget when it comes to situations. Can't she just mark it down when she was approach or even pay for it when she was approach? Man, where is the compassion. She is entilted to one free sandwich a day isn't she? ARG

John from Saskatoon
said

Sure she maybe technically stole the subs. She also apparently was entitled to a free 12 inch sub for her lunch. They sort of balance each other out if she didn't eat a sub don't they? I'm sure the owner of the franchise could have found a better way to express his displeasure then by firing her. Maybe he could have said the intent was nice but please don't do it again. She probably would have even paid for it if he asked. Remember critics the punishment should fit the crime. I understand that business owners shouldn't be expected to take care of everyone in need out of their pockets but it would have been good advertising instead of what is going to happen now. His lost buisness will far outweigh the cost of those two subs.

Bob
said

Where is the sense of humanity in all this? Civilized human beings have compassion and we help people in need whenever we can. Clearly Subway operators are another form of species, one that's clearly very sad, and one that I feel very sorry for actually.

Percy
said

It is not a Subway issue. The owner of that particular Subway is responsible.

Valerie MacIntosh
said

Has Subway lots all of humanity, we buy at least 2 or 3 subs at Subway a week. After I tell my husband this story I am not sure we will be going to Subway for awhile if ever. Bad Subway.

Rick
said

Man I'm hungry. Is there a Mr. Sub nearby?

Eric
said

So many cold heartless people. She made an error. She does not give away subs to all her friends. These people she helped were in a bad situation. My family and I will be avoiding from Subway until we hear that she got her job back. I plan to write to Subway to voice my displeasure as well.

daryn
said

It's not fair, however, employee theft is employee theft. She should be glad that subway doesn't have her charged for theft under $1000.00.

Jo
said

Fire victims should not be wandering around hungry - usually the Red Cross comes to their assistance, giving them a place to stay and food vouchers.

cognativecdn
said

Perhaps someone should offer this woman a job... one that recognizes compassion for her fellow neighbours/community? If I lived in NS, I would.

David Highsted
said

A lot of franchises work along similar lines - they love to play the big philanthropist and get their names in the news as such - but woe betide the individual employee who takes a little initiative. This could have been played out so much differently had the franchise owner embraced this and gave the employee a Well Done instead of the Sack.

Pat
said

How convenient is it to say she forgot to write it down? Please! Why is it that so many young people think it is ok to steal from your employer. Almost everyone takes little things cause they think they are entitled because they are paid so little and the big rich company will never miss it. Because they were checking the video tells me they may have had some concerns about this employee already. And we don't know what her history is...were there other times, any warnings or discipline? I hope she feels good about her revenge. Another poor victim for all the bleeding hearts out there.

Lydia
said

My guess is they just needed an excuse to fire her. How many of you have worked with people that are horrible at there jobs, yet they still get paid every two weeks. There is a lot of red tape to go through to actually fire someone. Catching an employee stealing is automatic dismissal and allowable by law.

june dartmouth
said

Did anyone ever think that maybe she isn't telling the whole truth and there is no way an employer can divulge any circumstances surrounding a dismissal because of privacy acts etc. This is something that should be dealt with by this girl filing a complaint with the labour department not broadcasting all over the news. Would we have a different opinion if we knew it had happened more than once.....stealing is stealing whether it be once or several times......

L
said

To those complaining about Subway, read the article, it clearly states each Subway is individually owned, boycott this particular store if you want but its not all of the Subways fault, they had nothing to do with it. And it was a simple thing for her to do to have the subs authorized, she should have simply recorded it and there would be no problem, stealing even $1 is still stealing. Plus, wouldn't be surprised if there was more to this story.

tractorgurl
said

OK, so two wrongs don't make a right, and in light of all the hoopla I doubt the Girl would want her Job back anyway. Subway could extend some sort of compensation. I won't be eating at Subway now, not that I did since their Foot Long after 5 for 5$ Campaign insists if you want the deal you HAVE to buy the Pepsi. I think they should change their nae to Scrooge-way.

AR
said

To everyone that says stealing is stealing - have you ever taken an office pen home...used a work sticky note for personal reasons - used work internet for personal reasons? Thats right...then you are all guilty too. Where does the line get drawn. She was entitled to one free sub, she stole nothing. I will NEVER buy SUBWAY again.

Sandy
said

This should come as no surprise. Most corporation if not all pay minimum wage or very little above it. Tim Horton's had fired an employee for giving away a couple of Tim bits to a toddler. Yes employees at there get almost no discount. ( i know because i use to work at one) Even corporation that do treat there employees well will find a way to get rid of whomever uses the benefits or discounts. Most hire oly part time sothey don't give anything away. God forbid they lose 10 bucks from aprofit of milions. If there no jobs and better paying jobs, they are going to lose more then that out of the profit.

Carl
said

Giving away something that does not belong to you is not charity - It is theft. She could have accomplished the same goal and kept her job by either paying for the subs herself, asking for her employer's permission first, or accounting for the subs as the free lunch her employer was generous enough to give her. She did none of those things, which shows very poor judgement. I wouldn't want her working for me either.

Ainslee C
said

This is just another person crying to the media because a corporate owned franchise took appropriate action against an employee. Stealing is stealing. She should have forked over the $3 a sub herself and solved the problem before it began. I will continue patronizing Subway... I think it's ridiculous that people go to this length to try to get back at a company. It's pathetic.

I'm losing faith in humanity
said

Just reading the responses, so much disagreement over a $ 6 sandwhich. Stealing? Yes maybe, you can look at it anyway you want ( she's entitled to a sub each day ) they coudl've deducted it from her pay.
Eitherway we may not know the whole story, but if the firing is on the grounds of stealing ( giving a sub to a homeless person ) they should be ashamed.

$ 6 people, to help someone. Giving them somthing to eat. $ 6 it's money, a piece of paper. worthless, a sad world we live in.

calling her a thief is far fetched, we all have skeletons in our closet....

Noah Buddy
said

*Note, I have sent this letter to Subway.com I encourage you to send one as well in support of Heidi Heise

This is is an open letter,

This is a letter to reveal my disgust and my outrage at recent actions taken towards former subway employee Heidi Heise, working at the Darmouth location in Nova Scotia, who was recently fired because of an act of altruism towards two neighbors who recently were made homeless due to a fire.

They had no food or shelter and she, took them in and when they came by her workplace, she gave two six inch subs for which she was fired.

We, who have learned through radio, television and internet of not only the franchise owner's heartless and unprofessional behavior, but also of your way of washing your hands of the affair, as learned through your PR, Linda Garrett-Coll of Atlantic Subway Ltd, who claimed that it was "unfortunate situation, but technically, it's a personnel issue and we have no comment".

I agree, it is unfortunate. It is unfortunate that you lack such insight.

And here's something else that's unfortunate, in reaction to your indifference, I openly declare that I will never, from here on end, never eat at your restaurant chain, until it is known that you no longer allow such ridiculous display of workplace injustice and indifference as to the workplace environment that you allow to be associated with your company name.

The money you will have lost, is unfortunate, but technically, it's a personal issue, I choose where I spend my money, and I have no further comment.

Noah Buddy

Fred
said

It was not her place to give away anything from the store. She could've asked management first or paid for them herself.

Paul in SJ
said

I have no problem with her giving away the sandwich. In fact I commend it. The biggest issue here is that it wasn't hers to give away. True she is entitled to a 12" sandwich during her shift, however if she forgot to write it down, in the eyes of the owner, management, etc.... that is tantamount to theft. If I work at a car dealership, I can't give away a car that doesn't belong to me. No matter how sad the circumstances.Theft is theft.

Jared's Ex Friend!
said

Reading all the comments and seeing all the boycotts now, how smart was that decison for the Store Owner / Manager.She forgot to write it down, so, over a couple of bucks this has mushroomed into a national event / story and very very poor press for Subway...add me to the boycott list as their subs aren't that good anyway...sorry Jared, we can't be friends anymore.....

darrell
said

There's likely more to the story than just giving away a couple of subs. The employer was probably looking for a legitimate reason to get rid of her (whether it was fair or unfair).

Sid in MTL
said

Well I've just finished telling Subway that they can forget about my patronage from now on.........at least until they reinstate this good Samaritan.While I can see that she erred in not documenting her lunch, this in no way should constitute dismissal. I hope NS has strong labor laws.........seems to me she has a good case for compensation.God bless her for her compassion!

Sean Webb
said

You can't give someone something that does not belong to you. Either call your manager and ask for permission or pay for the subs out of your own pocket.

Robinon
said

I'm sure if she had gone about tis the correct way and left the owner a note or marked the sub down as her meal that they would have never fired her. Theft is theft and its wrong to villainize the owner when all he did was review a tape that clearly showed this women giving away a couple of free sandwiches. Simply it wasn't hers to give away and if she wanted to be generous she should have used her own money to pay for it!

John says it's not stealing
said

Hello people!
Why wouldn't Subway just deduct it from her pay? Also she's entitled to a sub for her lunch.

Subway, I don't eat anyways. Dagwoods is where it's at!!

Dagwoods!
Dagwoods!
Dagwoods!

I will never got to Subway again, take that Jarred!

Albertaboy111
said

There are some situations where a person can do something wrong that is still right. This is one

R. Dyck
said

Subway should be trying to turn this very negative news peace into something more positive. "Subway Reaches out to Fire Victims" . Subway media relations could of turn this thing around. Slightly mention that the employee was deducted the cost of the subs out of check in a casual way and went on doing business. I don't think this would do much damage to subway but it just one small slap in the eye for the franchise.

Mandi
said

"The two six-inch subs are the equivalent of one 12-inch sub, which Subway employees are entitled to as a staff lunch, which must be marked down"Can ppl not read.. The only wrong thing she did is not write down that she took 2-6 inch subs that were OK for her to have. I will never go to a sub way store again no matter if it is the only place left on earth to eat from. Subway should be ashamed of themselves..instead of patting themselves on the back saying the donate to the Red Cross. Their employee did more then donate she opened up her home and gave away something she was entitled too begin with!

JustinC. in VSL
said

I eat at subways about 3 times a week. Or rather i should say I used to. No more! I will be sending complaints to their head office and will be calling that location to give them a piece of my mind too!

I suggest everyone complain to their corporate office and get them to retract their franchise rights from that owner! Thats something the corporate office CAN and SHOULD do!!

David in Edmonton
said

Everybody boycott that particular Dartmouth Subway and flame Subway's web site. If that particular Subway loses enough business maybe they'll come crawling to Heidi and beg her to come back. If that happens, should would be in a position to demand a hefty salary increase.

Cheryl
said

Managers must really consider the implications of their actions. Regardless of whether Subway was overstepping, or the employee's actions topped a list of infractions, the negative PR will cost the restaurant more than it will save.

Bob
said

c'mon subway, this is a one-time act of kindness. Get your head out of your you know what and re-hire the lady.

Naomi Cornelius
said

I have only been to Subway once and that will be my last time. This employee should be rewarded not fired.

Neil
said

Too many unknown variables here....First, why did they have to go to her work to thank her for letting them stay with her? Secondly, why didn't she report the give away as her employee allowance as was the policy? Third, it would be interesting to see her employment record....I can't see them firing her for a first time slip. Too much unknown here.

LB
said

Subway is in the right, despite the unfortunate situation.It may have been the first time she did it, but who's to say it would be the last? Next time it might be her brother who's lost his job or her single mother friend who's not getting payments who receive a free sub. Where do you draw the line as to who 'deserves' a free sub? I know of people being fired from Subway for keeping customer's sub club stickers as well.

anne
said

maybe they should have stopped to ask a few questions first before they fired her.

Not happy
said

What a PR nightmare. Not a smart move. That was not stealing. The sub she gave away was the one free one she is allotted to per shift. Yes, she should have written it down but certainly not be fired for the mistake.
This Subway is located at 100 Main St. and their number is 902-434-8900. This is all public information so they can't complain. I called and warned them the story has gone national and an email blitz will be taking place. Please don't call and be nasty but feel free to let them know they should rethink this whole situation.

Michael in Saskatchewan
said

I have written a letter to Atlantic Subway via their website, indicating to them that this corporate policy blunder will follow them and hurt where it matters, at the cash register. Their website boasts they have 32,000 locations worldwide.Too big and smug for their own britches. That is why this has happened. Be proud of yourself Hiedi Heise. You did the right charitable thing . Charity does require making a sacrifice.

Tim
said

You people are crazy! This is a Franchise, privately owned and operated, or did you forget to read that part. It is not up to Subway to micro manage the hiring and firing at every single store. This is a one store problem. Although, Firing her for 2 small subs seems a bit extreme, and would make me wonder if there is more to the story that what has been told. If it was in fact over 1 sub, then it is a terrible knee jerk reaction by the manager or owner of that one store, not an entire company with hundreds of stores.

Catwoman 37
said

Why did she not get a warning first?

Sean H. in Ottawa
said

There's more to this. Am I to believe that this franchise checks video footage every day? When I worked at subway I got free subs during my shift and I had to mark them down. Those subs were for me. Not my friends. There must have been a chronic problem and they were looking to catch her doing something so they could fire her. I worked with someone that stole a whole box of bacon and would eat and give away food to friends regularly. This is probably the tip of the theft mountain for this person.The fact that she was giving away food that didn't belong to her to someone that needed help is irrelevant. Should stores have to give away food to homeless people that come in? No. That would be financial suicide. Don't give away stuff that doesn't belong to you.

jonathan broderick
said

If she wants to come across as a saint, then the subs should come from her pocket! Sure, we can make Subway look bad, but who is this woman to decide when an employer should be charitable? Why couldn't they make a sandwich at the employees house, since they were staying there? Subway may have overreacted, but the employee crossed bounds that she had no business crossing. If she is such a compassionate person, let her do it with her money, not Subways!!

Donna Thompson
said

The owner is obviously a non-caring miser, in which I would have said to him, "You can't fire me, I quit"

sandi
said

no room for compassion in big business? Time for the compassionate to turn Subway into a small business. I won't be going there anymore

GL
said

I don't think she was fired for giving the subs away. It says employees are entitled to a 12 inch sub. Instead of her having it for lunch, she gave it away and forgot to write if off. At some level, she was at fault for not reporting it. But the management should also cut her some slack. It is a case of small mistake and misunderstanding.

Bryn from BC
said

Technically, she did not steal. Subway themselves indicated that she didn't mark her free sub down, as she was supposed to. This is a procedural error, not a theft. It's unfortunate that the owners decided to take the low road on this one, instead of playing up how they try to help the community. They could have gotten some good publicity from this, but instead chose to be mean-spirited and small-minded. It could be that there were other issues involved in her firing, but certainly making a procedural error is not grounds for firing.

Doug # BC
said

As sorry as I am to have to say it,It is clear to me that "Ethical Ed" is right.She should have either cleared it with the supervisor on shift or paid for the subs herself,before she gave them away.If she had no money at the time,an IOU left in the till would probably have saved her job. That said,I think the manager who fired her is a dufus.Assuming that she had a good work history,and we really don't know that for sure,she should have had an opportuhnity to atone for her violation of company policy.In truth,she had neither the right,nor the authority to give away her employers property. It's simple.It's clear.And,at the same time it is clear proof the "h**l is paved a mile with good intentions". When all is said and done,I expect the people in the town will support her,and she will either get her job back,or be hired by someone with a more compassionate side.In either case,I am sure she will have the rules about who gets the employers property for "free" properly explained to her. For now,I am just left wondering how many people would want to buy anything from a business like this.It reminds me of a young lady who got fired from Tim Hortons for giving a baby one single "Timbit".Technically right.Moraly,not so much.

Kenneth McCarthy
said

I purchase Subway subs all the time but it will be a while before I do so again."It's an unfortunate situation, but technically, it's a personnel issue and we have no comment," Linda Garrett-Coll of Atlantic Subway Ltd. told CTV.ca. True this franchise owner can do what he wants in this respect, but it is going to impact all subway franchise owners.

Dave
said

I think what people need to realize, is that Subway locations are Franchised. This would have been the local management / owner taking this action. Not Subway as a corporation.Although her intentions were good, it does not mean she handled it correctly. "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"

Ex-Sandwich artist
said

If she is entitled to one free foot long per shift and forgot to write it down...would she have been fired if she consumed the product herself....no, they would have seen one missing bun and assumed it was the one she consumed on her break. Also, is a 8$ sub something to fire a person over? Where is the communication? Did she lie about giving away the sub, then maybe termination was justified. And Subway refuses to comment? They could lose a lot of business because of the actions of one manager. I personally don't eat there, gluten is the devil.

MHB
said

If Subway do not hire this lady again, I will start a boycott of their sandwiches. We prefer them over other fast food restaurants because of their healthy low fat sanwiches but I am more than willing to sacrifice all this if Subway do not show some mercy!

Garry
said

She should have paid for it herself. She can't give away that which is not hers. It's easy to be nice when your not spending your own money. I'd fire her too and then pay for the sub.

Dan
said

Perhaps Subway should have a policy with respect to emergent humanitarian situations which speak to Subway's level of corporate citizenship. Regretfully in this situation, the optics are very poor and Subway's image will take a hit on the local scene.

jroc
said

WOW I guess a lot of you can't read very well since it states in the article very clearly that each employee is entitled to a free 12" sub for every full shift they work! She gave them (fire victims) the equivalent of a 12" sub (her free sandwich which she is entitled to!) for that particular day. So stop saying she's a thief for giving away those sandwichs!

Kamal Toews
said

It's not the franchisor's duty to provide free lunches for people - they are a business after all. There are plenty of soup kitchens in Dartmouth if the friends were hungry & broke. Or she could have paid for the sandwich herself. It is stealing. Period. Seems like a lot of people don't understand if you do it for one, you have to do it for everyone. Plus, it opens the question - how many times did she do this & not get caught before?? .

Rob
said

Boycott that Subway store! And give that girl a job. She does something good and gets fired for it. It would of made Subway look good and now they will regret what they did! And to the owner of that Subway store don't be comming up with some lame excuse on why you did it! You might look like BP

JP in London
said

For anyone that said she was stealing...she was not really...each employee gets a foot long sub for lunch for free..she gave her sub to them...but forgot to mark it down as her sub. So its not even the giving out the sub that got her fired..it was marking it down as her sub she gave away.

Mo
said

I think a degree of discretion in terms of compassion that must be factored into this situation. Yes stealing is stealing, and the law is the law, but there's a degree of flexibility that can be considered as well dependent on the situation. Also the people putting this onto Subway is putting it on the wrong people. These stores are franchised off and the decisions are all made by each individual owner of the stores. They should be talking to that particular store owner. Boycotting Subway is putting the blame in the wrong place.

Lisa
said

So if she'd worked at a bank, it would've been okay for her to give away its money? Regardless of industry, she stole from her employer and if she'd just approached the company openly for assistance for these fire victims, she likely would've received it. Don't try to make Subway feel bad, just hope that she learns that stealing is wrong.

Terri In Newfoundland
said

Remind me not to visit that particular Subway store when I visit Nova Scotia. Shame On You!!!

Andrew
said

Her heart was in the right place, but those weren't her subs to give away. If she wanted to buy the subs, and then give them to the customers then that would be fine. But to make it look like she is some charity worker... She is not... You can't give someone elses property to someone else because you feel bad for them. You can only give what is yours. It might be bad PR for Subway, but they were justified in the termination.

PB_Toronto
said

Unlike the rest of the sheep commenting on this, Im not buying it. I think there is alot more here than just giving away 2 subs. CTV wil paint any story the way they chose so long as it sells and as for the individual who gave them away, of course she is going to ride that story line. I bet if u heard from the owner he would have a different story. If there was a legitimate reason to give away subs Im sure most retail business would be on board...however, giving away product to eveyone who is "down on their luck" is just poor business.

Mo
said

I'd also like to add it sounds like the Subway company probably found out about this through the media storm. That certainly does not give them enough time to make immediate decisions. Keep in mind they also have to balance the flexibility in which they give their franchise owners in terms of HR in their own respective stores. Talk to the store owner and be reasonable about the approach. I've noticed the solution to a lot of news these days have simply been "boycott _____!". The owner should have discussed this with the employee first. However at first glance, I dont blame the owner for coming to the conclusion that it may have been the employee giving away free food. Cameras only show the incident, it doesn't show the circumstances.

tom
said

Usually the person giving to a charity has a choice as to who he gives it to. This owner didn't. Its theft.

Sebastian
said

BOYCOTT THIS SPECIFIC SUBWAY location! BOYCOTT THIS SPECIFIC SUBWAY location! BOYCOTT THIS SPECIFIC SUBWAY location! I will NEVER, EVER again step foot in this specific Subway location. What this woman did was from the kindness inside, not from the evil that this location threw at her.I hope that those people who agree with the Subway manager never have to experience the loss of their home and belongings due to fire, or better yet, maybe they should so that they feel the true impact it can have on you and I hope no one offers them a helping hand. Karma does come back!

john
said

wow, you can't get more pathetic than that ! I am NEVER going to subway again! GOOD JOB

Rick in NB, Ste Marie
said

It only takes a couple of minutes to make your complaint or praise heard on the Subway web site.

alien
said

Shocked and disgusted... not long till we are being dragged to streets for a public beating when we cross a line at work.Sorry Subway you just lost a customer... and I don't care if it's the "owners" choice. You cant tell me if that owner decided to hire topless models as cashiers you would wash your hands of it.You could have at least offed her a job at another location nearby.**For the record, I would not be offended if you did hire topless models... I just used that statement to make a point about your lack of outrage. However even if you did hire topless models I still wouldn't buy you subs. Press my face against the glass maybe, but not buy.

Lros
said

It's interesting how everyone says "why wasn't she given a warning" etc etc. Does anyone know how many warnings she's received? How often she's late? The sheer cost of firing, paper work, rehire, retraining, etc. means that the company was obviously using this as a means to get rid of an employee they no longer wanted working for them.The people that are saying CTV should report the whole story are right. There's obviosuly more here than we know about. The people reading this story should be smart enough to know that and not jump to your own ridiculous conclusions.

Solution to her problem
said

The lady shouldn't get her job back (it would be awkward in light of the circumstance), she should be paid severance and an allowance equivalent to her previous wage until she finds comparable employment (with a limit of up to 6months).

Mary Bigg
said

A lot of publicity has been generated for and by "Subway". (Jared, Biggest Loser, etc.) Seems to me that a gesture of kindness would do the same.As this seems to be an individual owner issue, perhaps Subway should be careful on who they sell their franchises to. The general public doesn't usually recognize individual owners, just the name and what is being sold.I personally think there may be more to the firing as I don't think most owners would be such jerks. All this did was turn folks away.

Lorne
said

The action taken sounds harsh - but she should have paid for the subs.If a person wishes to provide some assistance, then pay for it or make the donation yourself.Other people may not be as sympathetic to people they don't know.

Not Cool!!
said

How is giving away your employee meal STEALING? Give it up! She did this out of the kindness of her heart. What did you do?........ Exactly! Subway, Not impressed, Guess Quiznos is where I will be buying my lunch from now on!

Peter in TBAY
said

I am always happy to hear how people help people...it restores my faith in humanity. I will not eat there ever again.

John from Fredericton
said

It'll be a matter of time before she gets a new job or she gets her old one back. Either way I think the manager is going to have a little chat by head office.

James T Murphy
said

If she wants to give away subs to homeless people she should pay for them herself. Her heart was in the right place as long as someone else paid for her benevolence.

Aaron in Toronto
said

Boycott other Subway's location would be punishing other owners and their employee for things that they didn't do wrong.The head office should have a long chat with the actual owner of that location and work some PR magic.I do not support the owner but in a way I understand him. The employee should at least notify the owner about it . Put yourself in his shoes, if every employee find someone that is hungry and needed help and give away a free sandwich then it will bit into his profit. He still need to manage the store and his employee. Just bad PR from Subway and will cost them dearly.

R S
said

It was clearly stated that the subs she gave away COULD have been her own lunch, as each employee is entitled to that much AS a lunch.She wasn't fired for giving them away.. she was technically fired for not logging her own lunch. Equally as disturbing a thing to be fired for.If you have a few moments, go to the Subway customer feedback page and leave negative feedback (just link the story if you like). I already have.

M. Giardino
said

I agree with her firing. The proper way to manage this situation was to speak with the owner of the franchise regarding her idea of donating food to people whom she deemed needy. This food did not belong to her. It belonged to the franchise owner. It should have been up to him/her whether or not he/she wanted to give away his/her product. If she felt so strongly about this, then perhaps she should have purchased the subs and give them to the hungry folks. It is easy to be generous with other people's property. I fell very badly for the people who lost their homes, but this story is not about an evil boss firing a noble employee. It is about a person who acted harshly with someone else's belongings and over stepped their boundaries. The girl was hired to make subs and sell them. Not run a charity on the back of her employer.

Anne
said

If she wanted to give away her lunch, she should have marked it down as always. If she wanted to take her own money out and pay for them, she could have done that. I have to see this from Subway's point of view as well - and - where does one draw the line at who is deserving of a free sub? A lot of poor souls could wander in looking for food. Subway isn't a foodbank, it's a business.

Andrew
said

I disagree with the Subway decision to fire the employee if this was a first offense. However, possibly there was a history of issues with this employee and they were looking for concrete reason to let her go? Why were they reviewing the tapes in the first place? Who has time to watch those long hours unless a robbery has occurred.. and surely there was suspicion in the first place? I cannot see why an employer would fire a solid performer considering the relative costs of fire/rehire outweigh a 12" sub...

Dan from Northern Ont
said

It's possible that the owner didn't like her in the first place and wanted a justification for firing her, or he really could be that mean spirited.

David in NB
said

If all that is reported is true, then I hope that public pressure will cause that local franchise owner to offer her the job back. Still, as a matter of policy, I would offer that the company, or any company for that matter, would actually talk with the employee instead of just firing him or her.Now, instead of boycotting all subways, remember that each restaurant is owned and operated, under license, by individuals. So, don't boycott them all. Besides, it's the best fast food out there.

Bob Rae
said

I have to believe that subway used this as an excuse to fire the employee. I doubt an owner would fire an employee for one infraction. There is more to this story; however the owner has learned a lesson in how to avoid bad publicity. he may have won a "no notice" dismissal, but he would have been better to dismiss the employee for no cause and pay her two weeks in lieu of notice than to have the Subway name plastered across the news and internet.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said

Her alleged crime is forgetting to mark the "donation" down, under the circumstances, and APPEARING to be stealing. Pretty lame excuse for dismissal. Neither Subway nor its franchisee are acting very intelligent. Stupid decision and bad PR.

John Smith
said

It's easy to be generous with other peoples money. The employee may have had her heart in the right place, but that does not give her the right to steal - she's not some Robin Hood character. She could have asked the manager if it was OK, could have left a note explaining her actions or paid of the sandwich herself. Sorry, but employees don't have the right to support charities of their choice out of the pockets of their employers. Subway was correct in dismissing the employee - theft cannot be tolerated for any reason.

G.Lowe Granby Qc
said

I ate once at Subway and I've been sick as hell. Another reason to dislike them...

Rick
said

I think this is justifiedArticle doesn't mention if she told the managers about it or, which I assume, she swept it under the rug and played quiet. Convenient she "forgot" to mark them downToo bad, cause it was a very nice thing to do for someone. This is something that should happen regularly, albeit pre-arranged with a manager rather that outta the blue

Shawn
said

I don't feel sorry for this girl. She was giving away assets that were not hers to give. Relief for fire victims on behalf of subway was not her decision to make.

Jeremy
said

There's got to be more "personnel issues" going on with this employee than the one sub handout mentioned in the article.

T
said

I think people in that community should boycott that subway until she is offered her job back with a little incentive as an apologetic gesture.

Neil from Charlottetown
said

That's the last time I eat at subway, the quality has gone way down hill lately anyway.

Judy
said

Since this is a franchise we cannot blame Subway for the firing of the employee. We can blame Subway for the "no comment". They could diffuse the situation by showing empathy towards the individuals who lost their personal effects in the fire. By stating no comment, they are backing away from any involvment. The employee's heart was in the right place but she should have followed her employer's guidelines when she gifted the sub.

Christine
said

Wow.... she donated her lunch in the name of charity... and got canned... that is too sad. How about a warning first? Subway's loss..... this is really bad press.

Brent, SK
said

As a former fast food manager, I find the owner's attitude to be appalling. Most restaurants or stores have long been shifting toward empowering their employees to use good judgment and common sense to "do the right thing." To classify this as theft is beyond stupid. The franchise owners need to rethink their personnel policies (and possibly get a heart transplant).

Ex Coelis' bro'
said

One. Nobody gets fired for a first offense in Canada anymore. Please report the whole story and not just the teary eye'd part.Two. Shame on you Subway. You used to be my fast food joint of choice, now I will choose to eat elsewhere...over a $6 decision by one of your franchisers. Shame. What would Jared do?

Paula
said

This Subway Franchise owner needs to get a heart...the sooner the better...for that matter, a brain.This employee made and error, the error being she forgot to put it in the log, which in itself dictates "theft," as not being the motive behind it.Shame on you Franchise Owner, you're completely heartless and I wish someone treats you in the same manner. As in the old saying: "What goes around, comes around."

Mac
said

Exactly what was theft here? Was it theft that she did not log the Sub she was entitled to do whatever the hell she wanted with? Was it wrongful dismissal for a employer to outright fire an employee without determining culpability? Yes it was. "I would not want to run a business these days - you have absolutely no rights as an employer!" What the heck does this mean? Exactly how was the employer maligned here? In fact the employer committed a wrongdoing, and the employee has absolutely no recourse against a clearly money-grubbing cheapskate who spends his entire morning looking over security vids. Perhaps if he was providing a living wage for his employees he wouldn't feel so guilty and be expecting everyone to rip him off.

Forgetaboutit.
said

She should forget about Subway and get a job at Tim Horton's, they give my dog free timbits, so they would be a lot more understanding. Subway is no longer on my list of restaurants to frequent.

CYL
said

If she genuinely forgot to mark her lunch down that's one thing, giving away something that does not belong to her is another. Firing in this situation is a bit harsh, there must be more to it. I'm sure that subway will not go bankrupt over a sandwich.

ErinL
said

I can't believe people on here are saying she was stealing. How pathetic.I'll pay $10 worth of "stolen" subs.I think firing the girl is a little extreme. A warning, sure.

Lou
said

So to save seven, eight or nine bucks, this Subway store has traded a ton of good will away.Presumably when she was fired she explained the situation as she said she forgot to mark it down as her free lunch. So the employer knew the situation and made this call anyway.Now he will pay for it in lost custom. I also wouldn't be surprised if he loses other employees as well.Was the nine bucks worth it?

Mark W
said

The subs were not her property to give away. The person who accepted the subs received stolen property. CTV is trying to make news out of non news story.

Golf Company Grunt
said

To Ethical Ed and PetersYou sound like cold-hearted, no make that heartless individuals. And to the owner of the franchise, you just bought yourself a whole lot of negative publicity, you cheap SOB! Was it really worth it?.'Pro Patria'

jk out west
said

Giving away 2 six inch subs could have been some of the cheapest and most effective advertising dollars this franchisee could have ever spent. Instead they just nuked themselves. Very poor management of the positive word of mouth for their store in their market. I would say this owner is pennywise and dollar stupid. Was this really stealing....please...

bryan
said

i worked at a Subway, and i can add that it is true, subway does treat their employees like crap, i know they are individually owned, but they do have a notorious reputationi worked 8 months, closed by myself, ran the store for 3 hours by myself, i was 17, one day a manager came in, i put the meat on the wrong side of the sandwich, and i was notified i was being terminated.i havent bought a sub from them since

Ken
said

I sent Subway a message and posted the story on facebook. I suggest we all do the same. I'm sure that Subway will be hurting after this.

feverinclayton
said

For cryin out loud, she didn,t go to the cash register and give them money, how much did the owner lose? 2-3-5 bucks to help 2 peoples in desperate need of food. At the rate they pay their employees he could have just given her a warning and take it out of her paycheck , oh but no , make her go homeless and hungry to. You selfish bast......

Jackie Barrett
said

Shawn, while each Subway franchise is independently owned, they still have to obey Subway Canada and Doctor's Associates regulations as one of their franchising conditions.Therefore, franchise owners cannot hire or fire any employee they want or when they want to, they have to obey company rules or be stripped of their franchises.Although Subway does great work with Red Cross and Special Olympics Canada, I never want to eat there again because their Sandwich Artists treated me like crap at one of the Corner Brook locations.

Shameful
said

I can't understand why Subway would want to negative publicity. Did the owner really thing no one would hear about this story? What a disgrace! It's not all Subway's faults, but maybe the owner of that particular one should be boycotted! What a wonderful thought, too bad it got her fired!

Allan Eizinas
said

The camera catches one person passing a suspicious looking object to another in Dartmouth. That object could be a submarine like nuclear device to be used to attack the G8 or G20 conference. I mean Nova Scotia is not far from downtown Toronto! Where was the cross Canada warning? We already found that farmer who purchased all that fertilizer for his garden so we must have some of the $1 billion in security left over to follow that sandwich.

Anonymous
said

Uh, she's entitled to one free 12 inch sub a day people, to those of you accusing her of theft! She chose to give it away to someone who needed it.

Cathy Crozier
said

I could not believe my eyes when I read this. I left the province a long time ago, but have always remembered that I was raised to be generous and help out those in need. Maritimers have always stood beside those in need and I have known many that would literally give you the shirt of their back if the need arose. Look back over our history; the Halifax Explosion, storms that caused natural disasters and loss of life, the crash of Swissair 111. The people of Nova Scotia were always there to help. I can even remember going to the local fire hall with my mother to help make sandwiches out of donated food to feed the firefighters and people evacuated in front of a forest fire. For Subway to fire someone over a sandwich that was given to someone who was hungry after just loosing their home? You should be ashamed.

Gordo
said

Hey, how about that - 3 GRINCHES, Subway, Peters and Ethical Ed. Do you guys work for Subway? All 3 of you are extremely mean-spirited. Shame on you all. That's NOT the Canadian way.

Foggy
said

to peters and ed : Did you two guys not have any friends as kids growing up ? She gets a free sub anyways she did not steal , the franchise could of said ok you dont get your free sub tomorrow as punishment , how much do you think this will cost the owner in the long run , in customers not returning ?

Mark (Wellington County, ON)
said

Shame on Subway...apparently human kindness is grounds for dismissal. The employee showed simple decency and compassion. I would be proud to work with her. I am going to think twice for a while before purchasing a sandwich from Subway.

Ex Coelis
said

After reading this article, I immediately went to Subway's website and left them negative feedback. And as such, I will probably NEVER patronize another Subway restaurant EVER. SHAME on Subway's Dartmouth franchise for doing this!!!!

Shawn
said

Don't blam Subway for this...each store is owned and operated by a franchsiee. It was that person's decision.

Brian
said

I make this promise. I will never eat at a Subway franchise anywhere again! In life, we need to help out our fellow human being...what a disgrace!!

Jackie Barrett
said

Subway and Doctor's Associates are well known for treating customers and employees poorly. Ever since I had a bad experience at one of the Corner Brook Subway restaurants, I stopped eating there. Now is the time to boycott Subway until their customers and employees are treated better.

VB
said

I cannot for the life of me believe Subway would do this. First off, Subways regularly gives away free 6 inch sub coupons. They keep a stack of them on hand. They give them away when teams are looking for donations etc. Since the employee is normally entitled to a free sub while working why would it matter whom she gave it to? Also, given the fact that it was a victim of a fire Subway should be thinking of helping out anyway?Good thing all Subways are owned individually or I would never visit my local one again.Shame on the owner for having so little compassion. And shame on the person who squealed. I cannot believe they check the camera video unless there is suspicion.Obviously, knowing she was being video taped the employee felt she was doing nothing wrong. She certainly was not trying to hide it.I am disappointed in Subway.

Glenn C
said

LAST TIME I EAT AT SUBWAY, WHAT A BUNCH OF SCROOGES! MAYBE WE SHOULD CALL IT SCROOGE-WAY.

Ethical Ed
said

What she did was the same as stealing, therefore she should be fired. She should have paid for the subs and then gave them away, not steal from her employer.

Peters
said

Stealing is stealing - she gave away what wasn't rightfully hers. Just because her heart was in the right place and the cost of two 6inch subs is minimal doesn't change the fact that there was the opportunity for her to go about it the management-approved way and she chose to do it her way. I would not want to run a business these days - you have absolutely no rights as an employer!

Carol in NB
said

Send me the bill...I'll pay for it. Not nice Subway. I'll remember that the next time I don't go into your store.