Wichita Wal-Mart fired a woman for thwarting a thief; named nation’s Business Blunder of the Year

When businesses in our little part of the country make national Top 10 lists, it’s rarely a good thing. Tuesday was no different when we topped CBS’ list of Biggest Business Blunders of 2010.

The event took place one Friday night in May, when Heather Ravenstein was working as a customer-service manager at a Wichita Wal-Mart. According to the Wichita Eagle, Ravenstein noticed a man walking quickly toward the exit with a $600 computer. He walked right out the door and set off the alarm. Ravenstein dashed after him and said, “Let me see your receipt, and I’ll take this off for you,” regarding the sensor that had triggered the alarm. Instead, the man showed her how hard he could kick her.