Walmart Fires New York Employee for Redeeming Cans From Parking Lot

A Walmart employee was fired from his job for redeeming $5.10 worth of empty cans and bottles he found discarded in the parking lot.

Thomas Smith, of Albany, was fired from his $9 an hour job gathering shopping carts at the Walmart Supercenter in East Greenbush in Albany after he redeemed $5.10 worth of empty cans and bottles discarded in the parking lot.

Smith was hired back in September at the Walmart and according to the Times Union, he liked his job gathering shopping carts from the parking lot at the Walmart Supercenter, where customers often left trash and empty drink containers.

Smith was fired on November 6th after he was called into the security office and interrogated by a manager and two security staff members.

He told the Times Union,

"I didn't know you couldn't take empties left behind. They were garbage, I didn't even get a chance to explain myself. They told me to turn in my badge."

Surveillance cameras caught Smith returning the empty bottles and cans at the store, which according to Walmart is considered theft of Walmart property. Smith said he was never informed about that rule.

Smith was fired three hours after the normal end of his shift.

The manager asked Smith to repay the $5.10, but he didn't have any cash on him. He took a one-hour bus ride from Albany and paid the money back to the manager on Sunday.

Smith is considering a lawsuit and added,

"This is an injustice, I was done dirty."