Can I drop kick the lady in Walmart when she asks for receipt?

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: hans007

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Well not really drop kick.

But really though it's rather annoying being singled out of the outgoing crowd of walmart and asked for my receipt like some lowly crook. Could I stop shopping at walmart? Sure, but I like their prices. I'd like to get both their prices AND avoid this annoyance! I was coming out today with a full cart of groceries. She stepped in front of cart demanding receipt. She scanned it for about 3 sec and let us go. Why did she do that? Yes we had a receipt. Did she think we'd bagged $50 in groceries without one? It's not like she compared the contents.

I think I read about a guy from Bestbuy who got this done to him and basically told them to go to hell. Can I politely tell her that I don't want to be hasseled on the way out? Even when I'm still in the store if I've paid for the goods and they have no real reason to suspect me they have no legal grounds to ask to check the stuff on the way out do they? Can I just tell her that she's not checking it and that's that?

And don't tell me to just go along with it. Obviously that's the easier thing to do

my friend and i were at fry's the other day.


the door nazi comes to ask for our reciept, and well my friend had read about the best buy thing, and wanted to try it since apparently they have no legal right to ask you. anyways she starts turning and saying can i see your reciept and we just kept walking, and they didnt do anything.




Also did you know that according to visa and master card policies , if you are a store and you use them , you are not allowed to ask for ID. the only thing you need is to see if the signatures look alike, thats why you have to sign the back. i hate having to show my ID, i mean its my credit card, dammit, and you people cant read my name on my card fast so i gotta stand there fiddle through my wallet while you stare at my ID like a friggin monkey staring at computer

They still do anyway. I tried to use my VISA at EB once and they still asked me for ID.. I asked them why, when VISA themselves say you don't need ID... they just gave me some kind of babble about their own policy or whatever.

 

[skace]

My god, I've never seen so much bitching over such a simple thing. Everytime I go to Walmart one of those nice old ladies stops me and asks me for my receipt. I give it to her, she looks at it, looks at the items in the cart, punches a hole in it or whatever and gives it back. Big freaking deal! Takes like 1 second out of my life.

I can't believe such a simple concept causes so much pain and suffering. And I don't see how the stopping and checking your receipt relates to random police strip searches / random police pullovers. Those arn't exactly the same thing.

 

[MiniGolfIsFun]

Originally posted by: Heretik

Originally posted by: MichaelD
It's just SOP; they are doing their job. BTW, I they say "may I see your receipt?" and you either run or keep on walking, they will call security and you'll be taken into custody until such a time as all your items can be verified against your receipt. You are on their property and they have every right to protect their merchandise. Hey, who knows? Maybe you'll get a strip and body cavity search out of it?

First off, that is absolutely false. They absolutely cannot detain you unless they have valid PROOF that you actually stole something (and have taken it past the doors to outside of the building). Valid proof is that a manager or loss prevention personnel saw you take it or they have it on tape.

Secondly, there really is no need to be rude to the person wanting to see the receipt (except maybe the real idiots who seem to get a thrill out of it). They are, in fact, just doing what they are told. To answer someone elses question...no, they do not have any real legal backing to "force" you to show the receipt. You can just swerve around them and keep going if you wish, and just politely say "no thanks"

The number one reason they do this is for the benefit of the people in the store who ARE shoplifting. Shoplifters will often "scope out" or watch the doors, waiting for an opportunity to "escape with the goods". If they see that the employees are actively checking people at the door, it can, and in a lot of cases, WILL deter them from trying to take anything out the door.

So, it may seem like a pain, but in reality, you may be helping them to stop someone else from from stealing and helping to maintain the low prices.

This is very true. My friend works at a local Target and does the bag checks every so often so I ask him about this kind of stuff. Yes, you can walk out and don't bother. They do this because of course loss prevention and as a scare tactic for shoplifters. IIRC they do need absolute proof, like caught on camera, that you stole something to even stop you. Also, if you do walk out, they don't even have a right to try and chase after you after you go out the door. If they do, they better have some real proof otherwise they might have a lawsuit on their hands.

But like what some others have said, this really is not too painful of a process so just let them do their jobs. I know most of here work and don't want our jobs to be more troublesome than it already is, so why do we feel we need to make their job harder? If you're really in a hurry, then go. If not, let them do their thing.

 

[goodoptics]

If you don't want to show them your receipt, they don't have the right to stop and detain you w/o probable cause to believe that you have stolen something. See links below for more on this issue:

link1
link2

 

[Mill]

I never sign the back of my credit cards. EVER. I write check ID. I get asked for ID about 75% of the time. It doesn't bother me because if some fool stole my credit card he would get busted or denied.

 

[Michael1897]

haha i usually stop if they ask me but now i may try the no response to see their reactions.

 

[vi edit]

But really though it's rather annoying being singled out of the outgoing crowd of walmart and asked for my receipt like some lowly crook

Nope, she can smell canadians

I never sign the back of my credit cards. EVER. I write check ID. I get asked for ID about 75% of the time. It doesn't bother me because if some fool stole my credit card he would get busted or denied.

I do the same. Too bad only 1 out of 10 cashiers ever ask to see ID

 

[Codewiz]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

But really though it's rather annoying being singled out of the outgoing crowd of walmart and asked for my receipt like some lowly crook

Nope, she can smell canadians

I never sign the back of my credit cards. EVER. I write check ID. I get asked for ID about 75% of the time. It doesn't bother me because if some fool stole my credit card he would get busted or denied.

I do the same. Too bad only 1 out of 10 cashiers ever ask to see ID

On the back of my credit cards I write, "SEE ID NOW"

They usually ask for my ID and that is the idea. I don't mind being asked for my ID when it comes to my credit cards. That way I feel a little bit more secure.

 

[SuperTool]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but they can't ask you to see a receipt (in CA) unless they have probable cause, like if they saw you on video camera doing something suspicious.
Actually here at fry's they never ask me to see receipt. They sorta stand in the way and imply it and sometimes I just walk past them and they don't do anything. At Walmart I do same thing. If they did ask me to see a receipt, I would ask to see a search warrant.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: hans007

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Well not really drop kick.

But really though it's rather annoying being singled out of the outgoing crowd of walmart and asked for my receipt like some lowly crook. Could I stop shopping at walmart? Sure, but I like their prices. I'd like to get both their prices AND avoid this annoyance! I was coming out today with a full cart of groceries. She stepped in front of cart demanding receipt. She scanned it for about 3 sec and let us go. Why did she do that? Yes we had a receipt. Did she think we'd bagged $50 in groceries without one? It's not like she compared the contents.

I think I read about a guy from Bestbuy who got this done to him and basically told them to go to hell. Can I politely tell her that I don't want to be hasseled on the way out? Even when I'm still in the store if I've paid for the goods and they have no real reason to suspect me they have no legal grounds to ask to check the stuff on the way out do they? Can I just tell her that she's not checking it and that's that?

And don't tell me to just go along with it. Obviously that's the easier thing to do

my friend and i were at fry's the other day.


the door nazi comes to ask for our reciept, and well my friend had read about the best buy thing, and wanted to try it since apparently they have no legal right to ask you. anyways she starts turning and saying can i see your reciept and we just kept walking, and they didnt do anything.




Also did you know that according to visa and master card policies , if you are a store and you use them , you are not allowed to ask for ID. the only thing you need is to see if the signatures look alike, thats why you have to sign the back. i hate having to show my ID, i mean its my credit card, dammit, and you people cant read my name on my card fast so i gotta stand there fiddle through my wallet while you stare at my ID like a friggin monkey staring at computer

Well on the back of my CC it says "please check ID" and yet one time I was in target and they asked for it. I said I didn't have it and she kept pressing but a manager walking around said as long as I sign it in front of her I don't need ID!

My god, I've never seen so much bitching over such a simple thing. Everytime I go to Walmart one of those nice old ladies stops me and asks me for my receipt. I give it to her, she looks at it, looks at the items in the cart, punches a hole in it or whatever and gives it back. Big freaking deal! Takes like 1 second out of my life.

See if you'd read the beginning you'd know she wasn't a "nice old lady". She walked in front of the car so that I had to stop it. I either then had to plow her down, or comply, or turn my cart so that she'd no longer be in my path. Believe me it was not a "hello young man. Nice day isn't it? Do you ever so mind if I check your receipt?"

 

[goodoptics]

Originally posted by: SuperTool
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but they can't ask you to see a receipt (in CA) unless they have probable cause, like if they saw you on video camera doing something suspicious.
Actually here at fry's they never ask me to see receipt. They sorta stand in the way and imply it and sometimes I just walk past them and they don't do anything. At Walmart I do same thing. If they did ask me to see a receipt, I would ask to see a search warrant.

You are absolutely on the probable cause part. See my post (5th post up).

CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE, § 490.5: (a) Upon a first conviction for petty theft involving merchandise taken from a merchant's premises or a book or other library materials taken from a library facility, a person shall be punished by a mandatory fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each such violation; and may also be punished by imprisonment in the county jail, not exceeding six months, or both such fine and imprisonment.
(b) When an unemancipated minor's willful conduct would constitute petty theft involving merchandise taken from a merchant's premises or a book or other library materials taken from a library facility, any merchant, theater owner, or library facility who has been injured by that conduct may bring a civil action against the parent or legal guardian having control and custody of the minor. The parent or legal guardian of an unemancipated minor whose conduct violates this subdivision shall be jointly and severally liable with the minor to a merchant or to a theater owner or to a library facility for damages of not less than fifty dollars ($50) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500), plus costs. In addition to the foregoing damages, the parent or legal guardian shall be jointly and severally liable with the minor to the merchant for the retail value of the merchandise if it is not recovered in a merchantable condition, or to a library facility for the fair market value of its book or other library materials.

A merchant, a theater owner, a person employed by a library may detain a person for a reasonable time for the purpose of conducting an investigation in a reasonable manner whenever the merchant has probable cause to believe the person to be detained is attempting to unlawfully take or has unlawfully taken merchandise, attempting to operate a video recording device within the premises of a motion picture theater without the authority of the owner, unlawfully remove or has unlawfully removed books or library materials from the premises of the library facility.

 

[StageLeft]

Yeah but I can't find the alabama counterpart to that law

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Yeah but I can't find the alabama counterpart to that law

Look here and here.