Office Depot is facing backlash after firing an employee for refusing to serve a customer.
A video posted on X by Republican activist Matthew DePerno shows a female Office Depot employee telling him that they will not print a Charlie Kirk poster because the company “doesn’t print political propaganda.”
DePerno tells the employee on video that the poster was for a prayer vigil that night, but she didn’t back down. He never shows the image or message on the poster.
The Kalamazoo County Republican Party needed the posters for the event held at Bronson Park in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Friday.
“We don’t print that here,” she says, before identifying as a manager.
A woman, with DePerno, then asks what makes the poster propaganda.
“He’s a political figure, and I don’t have to…” the woman starts to explain before she’s interrupted by a coworker, who tells DePernan and his female companion that the general manager will be at the store on Monday, and they can continue the conversation then.
Office Depot later apologized and announced the employee’s termination.
“We are deeply concerned by the unfortunate customer experience that occurred at Store 3382 in Portage, Michigan. The behavior displayed by our associate is completely unacceptable and insensitive, violates our company policies, and does not reflect the values we uphold at Office Depot. On behalf of the Company, we sincerely apologize for this regrettable situation,” the statement reads.
“Upon learning of the incident, we immediately reached out to the customer to address their concerns and seek to fulfill their order to their satisfaction. We also launched an immediate internal review and, as a result, the associate involved is no longer with the organization. We continue to aggressively investigate the matter and will take action where appropriate,” it continues.
“We are committed to reinforcing training with all team members to ensure our standards of respect, integrity, and customer service are upheld at every location. Our customers and communities deserve nothing less.”
Kirk, who was killed Wednesday while speaking on campus at Utah Valley University, was infamous for his racist and misogynistic views. A wave of employers have fired their workers for inappropriate comments about Kirk’s death.
Teachers, firefighters, journalists, politicians, a Secret Service employee, a junior strategist at Nasdaq, and a communication expert for an NFL team are among those to have been fired, suspended, or censured for their opinions about Kirk.
However, many on social media believe Office Depot was in the wrong for firing the employee in the viral video and are even going as far as calling for a boycott. The company faced so much backlash that it was forced to turn off comments on its Instagram page.
“@officedepot he could’ve used your “Self Printing” stations and not bothered anyone. This was a setup that you walked into with ease. The cameras were already rolling while asking the question! This lady should not have been fired! Now we got to boycott you,” wrote American TV personality Tami Roman in response to the video.
“In their policies, it states they have the right to refuse printing. I see a lawsuit brewing for the ex-employee. But with how things are going…I don’t know,” another viewer wrote.
“At least you learning what side of the fence your favorite businesses are on,” another person wrote.
