A WALMART shopper who usually avoids receipt checks switched up their approach and was met with an angry security guard.
Walmart has a security guard to check receipts every night after 8 pm at the shopper’s local store.
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Shopper Micah McDowell used to opt out of the receipt checks but decided to mess with the security guard instead during his 2020 trip.
“For the past few visits, I’ve simply said ‘no thanks’ when the security guard asks to see my receipt,” McDowell said in the post four years ago.
“I’m definitely not handing it over when he stops a line of six people with carts to check their receipts.”
However, the shopper’s most recent visit took a different turn.
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After checking out at the self-checkout, McDowell balled up his receipt into the smallest size possible and walked past the security guard, who was busy with another customer.
“He says, ‘SIR I NEED TO SEE YOUR RECEIPT,'” McDowell explained.
“I say, ‘here you go,’ and drop the pea-sized receipt in his hand, then walk out,” the shopper recounted, adding their own touch of humor to the encounter.
But the story doesn’t end there.
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According to the shopper, the security guard follows him every time he does this, walking out to the front of the store to see which vehicle he gets into.
“Oh, btw he follows me every time I do it. He walks out to the front of the store to see what vehicle I get in. Why? No clue,” McDowell continued.
This incident sheds light on the varying reactions and policies regarding receipt checks at Walmart and other retailers.
While some shoppers comply readily, others, like this individual, choose to assert their right to privacy, resulting in tension with store security.
The shopper’s story, shared with a mix of humor and frustration, resonates with many who have experienced similar situations.
ANNOYED SHOPPERS
Another Walmart shopper shared their experience of being stopped for a receipt check for a $2 flip-flop purchase.
They were in shock and thought a receipt check for a cheap item seemed absurd.
“It’s f**king $2 flip-flops,” the shopper said.
“I hate Walmart.”
Legality of receipt checks and detention
In an effort to curtail retail crime, stores are increasingly turning to receipt checks as shoppers exit.
Legally, stores can ask to see a customer’s receipts, and membership-only stores have the right to demand such checks if shoppers agreed to terms and conditions that authorize it.
Many legal professionals have weighed in and come to similar conclusions, caveating that all states do have specific laws.
Generally speaking, stores have Shopkeeper’s Privilege laws that allow them to detain a person until authorities arrive when they have reasonable suspicion that a crime, like theft, has been committed.
Declining to provide a receipt is not a reason in itself for a store to detain a customer, they must have further reason to suspect a shopper of criminal activity.
Due to the recent nature of the receipt checks, there is little concrete law on the legality of the practice, as it takes time for law to catch up with technology.
Setliff Law, P.C. claims that “there is no definitive case law specifically relating to refusal to produce a receipt for purchases.”
For stores that improperly use their Shopkeeper’s Privilege, they could face claims of false imprisonment.
“The primary law that applies to these types of wrongful detention cases is called ‘False Imprisonment’,” explained Hudson Valley local attorney Alex Mainetti.
“Of course, you’re not literally imprisoned, but you’re detained by a person who has no lawful authority to detain you and/or wrongfully detains a customer.”
It is likely that as altercations in stores over receipt checks continue, more court cases will occur giving clearer definitions and boundaries to the legality of receipt checks.
Walmart shoppers are also frustrated with other policies by the retailer.
A new return policy requires customers to go through the process online.
It includes several steps that must be followed correctly or the return will be denied.
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“Watch out for Walmart’s new return policy,” a shopper warned.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Walmart for comment.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/11812839/walmart-followed-parking-lot-receipt-check-security/