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Crime

Arby’s Employee Gets Fired After Fleeing Armed Robbery Attempt: ‘I Really Thought I Was Going to Die’

Oct. 22, 2012 9:17pm Jason Howerton

Mary Archer Fired From Arbys After Fleeing Armed Robbery

(WHIO-TV)

An Arby’s Restaurant assistant manager in Dayton, Ohio was fired after she jumped through the store’s drive-through window in order to escape a knife-wielding robber. The fast food chain says she violated a company rule, specifically being alone in the store after hours.

Mary Archer, 56, told WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio that she had been closing up the restaurant when someone rang the doorbell. Thinking it was her co-worker who had just left, she unknowingly opened the door for an armed robber.

“Give me the money,” the robber reportedly demanded.

“I really thought I was going to die,” Archer told WHIO-TV. As she told herself “I’m not going to die at Arby’s tonight,” Archer pushed the burglar away and made her way towards the drive-through window.

After jumping through the window, her loud cries for help eventually attracted the attention of police.

Surviving an apparent near-death experience is tough enough, however, when Archer returned to work the next day she was shocked to find out that she had been fired after 23 years with the company.

“I just never thought that would happen to me, since my life was at stake,” Archer said.

“I don’t want my job back,” she continued. “I just want everybody to know what kind of company this is. They said I was not supposed to have been alone in the store.”

(AP)

Comments (51)

deadend
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 8:33am
I can tell you have never worked fast food management. !. the glass is at the front if you have ever noticed the back doors were the employees leave at night, shipments come in, garbage goes out are solid (although she should have used the peep hole and asked who it was). 2. the restaurant probably has paper work that needs to be completed. Alsothe rule also does not make sense because when opening in the morning someone has to get there 1rst, want them to wait outside and become a target? what if the 2nd employee set to open does not show up should the restaurant stay closed because the manager cannot go inside and to call other employees to come in?

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- SocialistSlayer
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 4:18pm
  Arbys suxs anyway ! ; I own a business and I tell my employees to think of themselves first and foremost if a robbery takes place. No merchandise or money is worth your life .
  
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deadend
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 8:31am
I can tell you have never worked fast food management. !. the glass is at the front if you have ever noticed the back doors were the employees leave at night, shipments come in, garbage goes out are solid. 2. the restaurant probably has paper work that needs to be completed. Alsothe rule also does not make sense because when opening in the morning someone has to get there 1rst, want them to wait outside and become a target? what if the 2nd employee set to open does not show up should the restaurant stay closed because the manager cannot go inside and to call other employees to come in?

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MachIV
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 5:30am
I will now officially be boycotting Arby’s.

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- JesterJay
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 8:26am
  Why she opened a door for a robber, its a glass door it’s not like she couldn’t see him? Also it was the 2nd time she had done it, what if there were other workers that she would have put in danger?
  
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ObamaForward_OverTheCliff
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 4:37am
“Efforts by ABC News to contact Archer were not successful.”

NEW “HOT MIC” EXPOSE:

ABC 1: “You wanna contact that Mary Archer?”
ABC 2: “Naw. How about you?”
ABC 1: “Me neither. Guess that’s it. Oh, did you get my Arby’s with a large drink this time?”
ABC 2: “You know it gratis. Don’t complain when it’s gratis.”

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charleyrocks
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 3:44am
Hell I would have jumped out of the window too, what did they expect her to do, stay there and get killed? Man you need to send some of these bozo’s back to school, oh yeah I forgot they don’t teach education any more, it;s all about the islamic hand sign.

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- yougottabekidding
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 6:05am
  FORWARD = 180 degree turn then go with determination
  
  No I think they wanted her to follow the rules after being told the first time not to do what she did!
  Why the stupid rule exists is beyond me. Wait maybe its so she doesn’t end up in a situation that she could get killed. It’s a possibility that they no longer want the liability of someone that continues to put her life in jeopardy many a person has been fired for safety violations, she is no exception!
  
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TEE-PAR-TEE
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 2:45am
I haven’t set foot in an Arby’s since they caved to the left this past spring and dropped Rush as an advertiser.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tjwalker/2012/04/15/arbys-makes-social-media-blunder/
http://www.therightsphere.com/2012/04/shocker-president-of-arbys-group-is-an-obama-clinton-and-edwards-donor/

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- FesteAinoriba
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 8:04am
  Thanks, I didn’t realize this. It is time for patriots to refuse commerce with any business that contributes to the marxist agenda.
  I join you in your boycott of Arbys and Carbonite. I do like Chic-fil-a.
  
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- Kenszen
  Posted on November 5, 2012 at 12:02pm
  Yep, and I use Crashplan instead of Carbonite now. It’s actually much better and way better priced.
  
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voting-for-romney
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 2:39am
“Closing the store” could mean a number of things, from avoiding paying employees over time, to walking out the door five minutes later? It’s hard to great treated like a person anymore instead of a court case?

What if she had been attacked getting into her car, alone, at the end of the night? Was that a violation of company policy? Even if management asked her to come back to work, she would not?

Nothing in the story about the local economy, or factors that might contribute to crime? Don’t let Micheal Berry find out, he might make you go to WikiPedia and ask why nobody but Democrats win elections in Dayton Ohio? Michael Berry can explain to you in ten minutes how, why, where, when, Democrats win elections despite the fact prosperity never appears in some cities?

Can you imagine a place in the world, where you hold elections, but only one party shows up? I wonder where on Earth, you can find places like that, places where Democrats win elections with no opposition, yet never seem to bring prosperity that eradicates crime with them?

Maybe if more people listen to Glenn Beck, and those he supports, we won’t be seeing more of these stories in the future?

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voting-for-romney
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 2:20am
Nah, nothing to do with the same company policy that says she can’t pay someone over time to stay with her, or risk loosing her job too? The same company policy that says she can’t leave the store a mess, a biological hazard, to either morning manager or to customers that might show up in the morning?

Or the HR representative that says, well, its just too bad you don’t qualify for retirement anymore, we could look the other way concerning this incident, but you have given us a golden opportunity to save some money, and we would be fools not to take advantage of it?

Don’t worry, I’m sure the folks with all their fancy college degrees, reading this story, just pinch themselves and say, I’m so lucky I was educated by liberals with no business ethics, that could be me?

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JaneLovesJesus
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 2:12am
I’m glad she’s okay, but I’m totally siding with Arby’s here.
Having 2 employees at all times is a good thing!

And how do you ‘accidentally’ let in a robber? Aren’t the doors all glass? Couldn’t she see who she was letting in? I’m thinking bogus.

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- Melika
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 8:23am
  He might have knocked on one of those back doors where they take deliveries. She should have called out for identification. People like to laugh at safety precautions like locking doors or crossing the street, but they are done for a reason, much like wearing a seat belt. Hopefully she has learned her lesson and will stop acting like a child.
  
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banjarmon
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 1:55am
She should have been PACKING!!!!

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- Mil-Dot
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 1:56pm
  Nope. Arby’s will not allow that. What, do you think you have rights or something? (sarc)
  
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LeadNotFollow
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 1:25am
.
ARBY’S will never find another employee loyal enough to work for them for 23 years.

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- Libermerican
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 3:20pm
  That struck me too. Totally outrageous. You don’t fire a loyal employee of 23 years over this. At most, a reprimand. Arby’s employees all over the world are now updating their resumes, as we speak, and looking to move on, as they should. I guess I’m old school, where employee morale was paramount. Those days are long gone.
  
  My boycott list keeps growing… Arby’s just made my list.
  
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carl_in_ohio
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 12:16am
As i read it, she violated the company’s security policy.
A policy that clearly was needed to prevent this type of incident.
She didn’t follow the policy and got into a dangerous situation.

She got fired. Arbys wants to keep its employees safe.

This woman has bigger problems. Who is going to hire her after this video?
Its on the internet now. Type in “Mary Archer, Ohio” and this story comes up.

So, she violated the company’s security policy, fled, and got fired? HR will say, “Thank you for your interest in our company, we’ll don’t have any openings at this moment.”

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grayling646
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 11:29pm
Some guy goes into work and gets tapped for a random drug test and fails. He’s sent to rehab, comes back clean and keeps his job. Some time later he gets tapped again and fails again. What should happen to him?

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normalmom
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 11:13pm
The lady made one major mistake and a person home alone should think the same way, look at the person at the door before you open it. Never just let a person in if you don’t know who the are. Beings she was alone she should not have opened the door she should have said sorry we are closed. I don’t think she should have been fired but she did make mistakes.

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grayling646
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 11:07pm
She’s been working there for 23 years and she’s still an assistant manager? …with 23 years?

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- 1947
  Posted on October 22, 2012 at 11:36pm
  23 years an only a “Assistant Manager.” What a one sided company…sounds like NO safely for the people
  
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Daithi
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 11:04pm
If she had been in the store by herself for an hour, and it is the second time she violated the stores policy then she deserves punishment. However, firing a worker who has been with a company for 23 is beyond stupid. They could have sent her home for a week instead, and this assumes she did something wrong. If her co-worker left just a couple minutes earlier and the manager was just locking up then she didn’t do anything wrong at all. It looks to me like Arby’s is just covering their butts. They’re no Chick-fil-A.

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- grayling646
  Posted on October 22, 2012 at 11:16pm
  So she should have tenure like a college professor?
  
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- Conservative2
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 1:05am
  That’s only if she was Union, see Non Union have to fear loosing their jobs, they have to be responsible!
  
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- Concerned1
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 7:47am
  I agree with Arby’s. This is the SECOND time she violated company policy. The policy exists to protect the employees AND the company. Fleeing the store was the right thing to do, but being in a position where she had to flee the store was not.
  
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- Yeah_Buddy
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 12:40pm
  First, I dislike Arby’s fake roast beef.
  
  Second, after 23 years of service, to be let go is just wrong. So, if TWO employees were there when they got robbed, it would be okey dokie?
  
  Lasty, I worked in QSR (quick service rest) and franchisee’s can be real ayeholes. He should be forced to close the store every night by himself.
  
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Chromo200
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 10:46pm
I dislike Arby’s for their support of liberal issues .. and now this approach of firing is BS. Maybe a reprimand, but firing … Anyway I don’t miss their food.

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- SaxManiac
  Posted on October 22, 2012 at 11:00pm
  Just one more reason to not give these jerks my business.
  
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___
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 10:46pm
I’ve just scratched off Dayton Ohio from my Bucket list.

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- carl_in_ohio
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 12:18am
  it WAS on your bucket list?
  
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piper60
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 10:36pm
She’ll find a better job elsewhere, I am sure. You would think the company would shave given her support, instead they showed their true colors and fired her.

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Proverbs17-12NLT
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 10:27pm
Wheres the beef?

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jkurtz
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 10:17pm
Crappy job anyway. You don’t need to work for jerks like that. Probably why their restaurants a are always busy – NOT!

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- drs1969
  Posted on October 22, 2012 at 10:48pm
  The prices are so high, they should be able to hire security! I only go there w/ a coupon.
  
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ZAP
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 9:42pm
Why would anyone work in that low pay dump,anyways.Obammie gives me free housing,food stamps and a free phone.You gotsa make $15.00 dollars an hour to gots what eyes gets for free. Eyes voting for Obammie

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noslave
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 9:30pm
many times after beating the crap out of someone who challenged me,the judges argued you should have run away??thats always their liberal attatude??so now she runs away,from an armed thug?? and they fire her??i like the old saying “ITS BETTER TO BE TRIED BY TWELVE,THAN CARRIED BY SIX??”

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flatbroke
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 9:27pm
She needs to move on, no job is worth your life, i dont care what you do. I would have done the same thing. and as far as 2 people being in store after hours, when i go to these places during the day, it apears there is just 2 people running the place, the length of time it takes to get your sammy, and drink. scrw big A.

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Slayer
Posted on October 22, 2012 at 9:23pm
Second violation? Pushed him away and got out a DRIVE THRU window? I have a feeling there’s more to this story…

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- rickc34
  Posted on October 22, 2012 at 9:38pm
  How did she fit through the window
  
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- blackyb
  Posted on October 22, 2012 at 11:03pm
  Sounds fishy to me too.
  
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- donkeykong
  Posted on October 22, 2012 at 11:47pm
  Yup – most drive-thru windows are fairly high up,
  and not very big. From her picture, I’ll go out on a limb
  here and presume she’s no Olympic athlete. She might
  try suing Arbys for wrongful dismissal – and probably win.
  A case to watch in coming weeks……..
  
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