MANY shoppers are posting on social media about their disdain for receipt checks happening in big box stores.
With an uptick in those rebelling against the policy, especially at Walmart stores, lawyers are advising customers of their rights.
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Costco and Sam’s Club require shoppers to comply with receipt-checking policies when opting into a membership.
Customers sign documents legally binding them to present a receipt and are therefore used to the policy, despite some complaints.
But at non-membership stores such as Walmart and Target, shoppers are often enraged by the policy with some quietly dodging the rule, and others going so far as to film their refusal and walkout.
And frustrations are not exclusive to the States.
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Shoppers in Canada vented over receipts on a Reddit forum after one user asked “Do you let store staff check your bags and receipts?”
“Personally, I haven’t done anything wrong, so I’m not stopping or subjecting myself to any check,” one user wrote, as reported by Yahoo News.
“I won’t be rude to the retail staff just doing as instructed, but I’m also not playing along.”
Meanwhile, a user on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, said they “waved it at [the Walmart associate] and kept going,” when asked to show her receipt.
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“No offense to old ladies forced to work at Walmart, but if the store doesn’t want people stealing things they shouldn’t have self-checkout,” they continued.
Another Redditor said they’d let an associate check their receipt because they “hate confrontations.”
“I feel like if I were to refuse it would lead to more of a hassle than what it’s worth versus me just saying ‘yeah sure, go ahead,'” they wrote.
For those concerned about compliance, Toronto-based business lawyer Daniel Tsai that detainment for not showing a receipt is legally forbidden, reported Yahoo News.
“If you haven’t done anything wrong and they can’t confirm with video cameras or eyewitnesses…and they detain you without consent, that’s false imprisonment,” he told Yahoo News. “It can’t be a hunch or a suspicion.”
Top 5 receipt checking tips from a lawyer
Camron Dowlatshahi, a Los Angeles attorney, spoke to The U.S. Sun about receipt checks and customer’s rights and options when it came to being asked to show your receipt.
- There has been a lot of debate around the legality of a retailer asking to see your receipt, but if it is within the store, it is completely legal. “There’s seemingly nothing illegal about that. You’re still on the company’s premises and their reason to do it is to prevent thefts,” Dowlatshahi confirms.
- However, if they are chasing you out of the store, that changes things, Dowlatshahi said. “Location matters,” he explained. “If you’re outside of the store you’re in the parking lot and they come and start accusing you of theft and that you have to show your receipt, I think that’s a bit of a different situation because now you’re on your way.”
- While customers are allowed to say no to receipt checks, it may cause issues if you do and the store suspects you of stealing. “You can say no, maybe it creates an unnecessary hassle for yourself because now you may have the police come to your house and follow up,” said Dowlatshahi.
- If you are being barred from leaving a store because you refused a receipt check, you could have a legal case — but the store must have held you for a long time. “Let’s say it’s for hours, that’s certainly false imprisonment, and they didn’t have any impetus for doing so,” Dowlatshahi explained. “If a customer has been emotionally traumatized by being held for false imprisonment, I would definitely encourage [them] to sue.”
- “I would say, show your receipt,” he concluded. “It’s just a really simple thing to do. If you didn’t steal anything, it’s relatively simple to do,” the lawyer advised.
According to a Walmart worker, a receipt is only required if a shopper has something in their cart that is not in a shopping bag.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Walmart in a request for comment.
FROM ANTI-THEFT TO ANTI-SHOPPING
Walmart shoppers are railing against other anti-theft measures the store has implemented, including locking items on shelves behind plexiglass and installing security gates fitted with scanners.
One shopper even said that the uptick in anti-theft measures has made them go out of their way to avoid shopping at the store.
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“I literally drive an extra 10 minutes now just to avoid nasty Walmart,” the customer said.
Others say they’re taking their business to Amazon where they can avoid the receipt checks and crowds that come with in-person shopping.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/11119711/walmart-shopper-receipt-check-lawyer-theft/