Kay Jewelers has apologized for its treatment of a sheriff’s deputy who was turned away from a store in Statesville, NC, because he was carrying a gun.
The company, part of Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG), stated on social media that it “reached out immediately to the customer and the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, and we sincerely apologize for the mishandling of this matter.”
“Our policy is that any member of law enforcement is always welcomed in our store at any time, as a customer or in an official capacity,” Kay stated.
The deputy went to the store to pick up an engagement ring he had purchased. When he arrived, he “was met at the door by the store manager, who informed him he was not allowed to wear his service weapon while on their premises,” the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
“The deputy informed the manager he was in uniform and his marked patrol car was in the parking lot, and it would be a violation of policy for him to remove his service weapon while in uniform,” according to the post.
The manager “stated our deputy would need to return to the store at a different time when he was not armed.” The deputy left without the ring.
As of Friday morning, the post had accumulated more than 12,000 reactions, 9,200 shares and 10,600 comments.
Kay stated in its apology that the manager “is no longer employed by the company.”
“We are reinforcing store training regarding all of our Customer First policies, as well as specific policies related to law enforcement, in all of our stores.”
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