Walmart Steals Your Cart Because You Won't Let Them Check Your Receipt

[Carol]

You are correct that the Fourth is a stricture on the government, but tort law applies a similar correction to private entities that conduct 'unreasonable' searches and seizures. Let's say they decide they think you stole something, but did not witness you steal it.

(snip)

I know a lot of cops think store owners can pretty much do what they want to customers - they can't. The rules of probable cause apply to them just like anyone else.

Except...cops don't enforce tort law.

 

[Archangel M]

Just another legal point. The Fourth Amendment applies to criminal law, but not civil law, as affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1855 in the Murray v. Hoboken Land. So while a private entity could still be sued (you can ALWAYS be sued), anything illegal they may find could still be used by the police. Other than that its between "all a yall" (barring any ancillary arrests).

Citizen Arrest laws vary widely from state to state so Im not prepared to make any comment reagrding the legalities of any store detaining or arresting...

 

[Jade Tigress]

Do that many Walmarts check receipts? None of them around here do, just the wholesale clubs. I do recall the Walmart when I was living in NC checking receipts though. I do most of my shopping at Target anyway, they never check receipts.

Sorry, but I believe your own story conclusively proves exactly the opposite of your conclusion.

Oddly enough, that store employee was trying to do you a favor. I received a Winter coat for a present that did not have the anti-theft device deactivated. I learned this only when it began setting off alarms as I was entering other stores.

Sometimes, its worth following what our sensei and sifu teach... just walk away.

I bought my daughter a winter coat for Christmas and when I checked out the clerk told me to cut out a sewn in tag on the inside of the coat to prevent it from setting off alarms. I don't think my daughter cut it off but she doesn't set off any alarms, lol.

On the very few occasions that something I purchased has set off an alarm, I have just kept walking and was never stopped.

 

[Joab]

They never do that at my Walmart, and greeters arn't supposed to do that. The Greeter was going against company policy.

 

[jks9199]

The one I tend to shop at has someone checking receipts sometimes... I don't know what their rational for stopping someone is, and I don't recall being stopped myself. Best Buy does... but their line is usually big/expensive. Of course, I just bought a video camera and walked out without being checked at all...

 

[Cryozombie]

I bought my daughter a winter coat for Christmas and when I checked out the clerk told me to cut out a sewn in tag on the inside of the coat to prevent it from setting off alarms. I don't think my daughter cut it off but she doesn't set off any alarms, lol.

My new coat had one of those as well. They probably ran it over the magnetic pad and deactivated it... the little tabs inside stuck together. I cut mine out so I could take it apart and see what kind of tag it had inside.

 

[Jade Tigress]

My new coat had one of those as well. They probably ran it over the magnetic pad and deactivated it... the little tabs inside stuck together. I cut mine out so I could take it apart and see what kind of tag it had inside.

I was wondering about those. It looks like a regular clothes tag.

 

[MJS]

You may have missed my comments regarding wholesale stores like Sam's and BJ's. When you join them, you agree in writing to allow yourself to be searched. So that gives them the right to do it. It's in the agreement you signed.

However, let's take a different retailer, like Fry's or Best Buy. They do the same thing, but there is no preexisting agreement between customer and retailer.

To answer your question - they do their thing and I do mine. I don't care if they station people at the exits and 'ask' for your receipt. Well, actually, I do wish they would not do it, but they certainly can do it if that's their policy. Should they actually physically stop me? No.

Yeah, I may have missed the earlier comment regarding Sams/BJs..I was a bit late to this thread and didn't go back to read every post. Usually the only time I've seen the greeters at Walmart stop people are the real busy days, such as Black Friday. Yesterday my wife and I stopped into Walmart to get something. On our way out, the alarm went off. We knew we paid for what we had, but we stopped anyways. Surprisingly, nobody came over to us. We waited a few seconds, and then kept on walking. Nobody yelled, chased after us...nothing.

My old man said that I was one who never knew how to pick his battles. I get that - it's a flaw. I realize that I can't fight every battle. I like to think I've learned to let some little things go.

In the case of the great 'let me see your receipt' debacle - really, it's not some major issue. They ask to see my receipt, I say no thank you and keep steppin'. They sometimes shout stuff after me. That's pretty much it. Been doing it for years. And I actually think things have changed somewhat - I seldom get the yelling anymore.

Well, looks like AA addressed this with his post. IMO, I really don't think that they're violating any of my rights. Now, had the buzzer went off, like it did yesterday, and someone did come over, and wanted to look at my bag, and receipt, I'd stop and let them do it. If we think about it, the buzzer going off, is their probably cause to stop me. In that case, we should stop. But, as I said above, I've yet to be stopped by anyone leaving except from the situations I listed.

 

[GBlues]

Here is my problem with Wal-Mart. They treat you like a thief the moment you walk through the doors and then rob you blind at the cash register. In fact in my home town, at the customer service desk is a big sign for the employees to read that says and I quote, " All returned meats and frozen foods must be returned to the shelf immediately". What in the sam hell are they thinking????? You don't know what the person returning that food has done to that meat. Come on. Furthermore, Wal-Mart is no cheaper than any other place, and many times more expensive, excessively so. A good example of this is you can go do price checking on video games, and many times wal-mart for 6 months or better is selling a video game for $59.95 when at best buy it's going $29-39.95, cause it's on the platinums list, ( which means it's sold more than a million copies). Wal-Mart cheaper? Nah not really. For Groceries? Not really often times there meat makes me sick, so I don't buy my groceries there anymore. I buy from somebody else. Like Safeway, I don't get diaherria from the meat, and the quality is far better. I save more money on toilet paper buy shopping at Safeway than I ever could buying Groceries at Wal-Mart.

As far as them stopping me to check my reciept. I DON'T. Unless my wife is with me. I tell them point blank, "No, if you think I stole something call the cops.....I'll Wait." Once I have paid for it, they do not have the right to check my reciept, or my items in my cart, unless they think I stole something. And then buddy you better be able to prove it. There are 2 things I will not put up with. Being called liar, or being called a thief. I am neither, and I will not be treated like either. I paid for it, it's mine now. Should I show them the reciept for the clothes that I walked in wearing on my back also?? No, it's not there business anymore unless they feel that I have stolen something. I have had them try to stop me, and I don't let them. Put your hands on me, and it gets broke. Period. Not playing around with communist *******s. Wal-Mart is going to get somebody hurt. They try to stop me every single time I buy dog food. Apparently it gets stolen out here quite a bit. Not my problem, I paid for mine.

I am 30 years old, and I have had this problem with walmart since I was 18....hmmm...maybe it was the long hair in those days.

 

[MJS]

Wow...all I can say is, there must be some rough WalMarts around, because as I said in another post, I have yet to be stopped when I was walking out. Again, the only time is usually during the busy season, ie: Christmas, Black Friday, etc. I was there this weekend picking up an item with my wife. We walked out, the buzzer went off, but we both knew we paid for it, we stopped for a few seconds, nobody came, so we kept walking.

 

[Archangel M]

All I can say is...why in hell do you shop there in the first place? I raise an eyebrow evertime I hear about how much someone HATES something then goes on to describe what happenens EVERY TIME THEY GO there.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Oh, I don't have any of these problems because I don't shop at any of those receipt check places. *shrug*

 

[Jade Tigress]

I just saw this story on the news a few minutes ago. I'll post a link if they get it posted on their website.

It was a video caught on security camera of a Walmart greeter being punched. He was outside walking towards a car and another man walked past him and clocked him a good one. The greeter went down and it was reported that all the bones on the left side of his face were broken.

Why did the guy punch the greeter? He was mad that he was asked to show his receipt upon leaving.

 

[Gordon Nore]

I just saw this story on the news a few minutes ago. I'll post a link if they get it posted on their website.

It was a video caught on security camera of a Walmart greeter being punched. He was outside walking towards a car and another man walked past him and clocked him a good one. The greeter went down and it was reported that all the bones on the left side of his face were broken.

Why did the guy punch the greeter? He was mad that he was asked to show his receipt upon leaving.

speechless

 

[crushing]

I don't shop at Walmart. Partly because of their business practices and partly because of the customers they do draw.

 

[Jade Tigress]

I don't shop at Walmart. Partly because of their business practices and partly because of the customers they do draw.

Like these?

 

[MJS]

My wife and I went to our local WalMart on Black Friday. No, we didn't get there early, we went out around 9-10ish, and it was still packed. I did notice 2 uniformed police officers standing at the exit doors though, along with the small group of greeters that were checking your bags, sales slips, etc. as you walked out.

I'm sure, due to the childish and violent antics of some, this is now necessary, to have the PD there. I'm not complaining. Personally, I think its a good thing. If it deters some clown from doing something stupid, then I'm happy to see them there.

 

[celtic_crippler]

Greeter gone wild...

 

[Flea]

I haven't Shopped The W in years, and the receipt-checking has a lot to do with it. I just don't see any reason to alienate customers in such a profound way as to assume they're criminals. Especially timing it so closely to paying for merchandise, and making the insult a customer's final impression of the company at the end of the transaction.

On my big cross-country road trip I broke with the tradition a few times - when you don't know the layout of a small town and you have to cover 350 miles before bedtime, it's just more practical. I was pleased to note that I wasn't ambushed at the door a single time. Is this a change in corporate policy, or are they just getting lazy in the small towns?

 

[Touch Of Death]

Walmart Steals Your Cart Because You Won't Let Them Check Your Receipt

Lisa says a Walmart greeter grabbed onto her cart and and wouldn't let her leave because she refused to let the greeter check her receipt. That, my friends, is not legal. Sure, it would make life a lot easier if people just acquiesced to the receipt-checking, but it's not the law. It is against the law, however, to unlawfully detain a customer. Here's Lisa's account: More »

I know someone whom steals groceries like this all the time. He beats the system by pretending to check the reciept himself as he walks out. I say let walmart check your stuff!
Sean