Michigan Store Fires Grinch Workers Who Stole Pregnancy Surprise

Some employees at a Michigan-based Meijer store have been fired after they spoiled a Christmas Day surprise of a couple who planned to announce to family members that they are expecting a baby in July 2017. Police are investigating, too, to determine if a crime was committed.

The Plainwell, Michigan, couple ordered photo cards from their local Meijer store to make the announcement. But before they could pick up the cards and distribute them to family members on Christmas Day, 23-year-old Jordan Areaux’s news was already old.

Some of the photo lab employees, former high school classmate of Areaux, took a screenshot of the photo the couple had taken at a Christmas tree farm and began texting it to their mutual friends, according to media reports.

“It would be the first grandbaby in our family, and my grandma actually has cancer, so we were going to kind of surprise her,” Areaux told WWMT-TV, adding that she was “really upset, angry.”

In a statement to the TV station, Meijer said photo department employees are required to follow a strict confidentiality policy. The employees involved have been fired, Meijer officials said, but didn’t say how many employees lost their jobs.

The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office is investigating to determine if the distribution of the photos was a criminal act. “After all of the statements are given and evidence is collected, we will consult with the prosecutor's office to determine if criminal charges are appropriate,: Allegan Undersheriff Michael Larsen told MLive.

A lawyer told WWMT that the couple may have a civil case against the workers who distributed the images.

Photo by Frank de Kleine via Flickr Commons