Receipt checking - yes/no?

[Feign]

So how does everyone feel about this awesome invasion of privacy? This has been a good discussion topic on another forum I'm a member of, thought it would make sense for not-quite-idle-banter here too.

Got stopped last night at the Columbus Wal-Mart (10th St location) walking out with my merchandise.

Now to be fair, I was walking right out and of course the system dinged me. I have two small bags in my hand and the door guy starts to get in my path telling me that he needs to see my receipt. By the time I'm five feet from the door he's firmly planted himself right in the middle of the automatic doorway.

"The receipt's in my wallet and I am free to walk right out these doors."
"You can't leave until I see your receipt."
"Sir, this is illegal detainment and you cannot do this."
"You are free to walk around me if you want, there's nothing stopping you."
"Sir, this is illegal detainment and I'm going to ask you one more time to get out of my way." My right hand had the bags, my left hand went to the small of my back starting to pull my shirt up.
*steps out of the way* "This is the second time you've done this! It's harassment!" blah blah blah
He almost put his meaty paws on me at that point. He would have been fully notified that his hands on me constituted assault and that I would retaliate in self-defense with the firearm I was carrying. You'd be hearing about this in the news if that would've happened.

I knew that would have been taken the wrong way. I should clarify that there would have been much advanced warning before the thing came out of the holster along with clear instructions that would happen if his hands would have stayed on me.

Otherwise my bags would have been dropped to the floor and I would have been calling the police first and foremost. But any kind of scuffle at that point and it being loosed would only have been a deterrent. I swear I don't have a Rambo complex! I'm not toting a firearm around to feel more manly or tougher. :/

Anyway, they're not getting another cent from me, ever. I'm done with this gestapo ****. I was yelled at a few months ago when the system dinged me and I kept right on walking out. The guy at that store almost ran to the second set of doors then stopped. I'm glad he knew his limitations.

Soundslikejosh said this in my bank carry thread:

It's amazing what happens when you allow people to take advantage of you.

I refused to be treated like a common thief starting last year.

 

[Pami]

The alternative is that they raise their prices to make up for all the stolen merchandise that walks out the door. How does the doorman know you didn't stuff something down your pants and "forget" to give it to the cashier? Your refusing to stop and just check your receipt and bags just proves your guilt in his eyes. *shrug* They're protecting their merchandise, and it only takes a few seconds (usually) to let them be sure you didn't walk out with something you haven't paid for.

 

[abnk]

Were you also offended when they scanned everything to ensure that you are not paying less than the correct value?

 

[bigcraig]

I honestly can't believe folks get bent out of shape over this.

 

[Pete-FWA]

Asking to check a receipt used to irritate me. I, too, thought I was being treated as a thief though I certainly wasn't one.

If you know much about retail, you know the volume and value of shoplifted merchandise can be staggering. With huge stores the size of Wal-Mart, it's very tough to police every lane all the time to stop shoplifters.

Also, how many of us have walked out after paying in full only to have the security alarm sound because an alarm tag on our goods was accidentally forgotten or reactivated? Mistakes happen

It takes me but a few seconds to open my bag or flash my receipt and keep walking. While it is intrusive, I don't give much of a thought to it any more. I do it to help the store keep their costs down.

It's along the same lines as agreeing to employment-related drug screening. I'm sober and clean, always have been, but I know so many who are not and who cost their employer and those around them through their indiscretions. While it is annoying, I'll live if I'm asked to submit for one of these tests.

Both are indicators of where our society is going and how we are failing ourselves. If we can't raise children and regulate ourselves to be upstanding members of society, those decent members are forced to accept the burden of consequences. Drunk driving crashes, increased cost or vastly less access to potential goods purchased (imagine if it was all behind security glass), as well as theft and violence due to illegal and legal drugs and their trade are some of these burdens.

 

[TomN]

He almost put his meaty paws on me at that point. He would have been fully notified that his hands on me constituted assault and that I would retaliate in self-defense with the firearm I was carrying. You'd be hearing about this in the news if that would've happened.

Yes and we'd probably be visiting you in jail. See here's the deal....

Unless this guy was Godzilla sized, him physically restraining you would not give you a reason to pull out your firearm. Were you in fear of your life? Did he have the means or intention to either severely harm you or kill you? Did he have a deadly weapon? Using deadly force to counter a guy putting his hands on you to restrain you would be a huge no no!

But I have to agree with your other points. Just not that one.

 

[Hiram Abiff]

That only happened to me once! From that point foward I understood their policies I know what the alarm means, I stop and wait for instructions. Seems like a no brainer to me

 

[Feign]

The alternative is that they raise their prices to make up for all the stolen merchandise that walks out the door. How does the doorman know you didn't stuff something down your pants and "forget" to give it to the cashier? Your refusing to stop and just check your receipt and bags just proves your guilt in his eyes. *shrug* They're protecting their merchandise, and it only takes a few seconds (usually) to let them be sure you didn't walk out with something you haven't paid for.

Guilt is nothing an $8/hr employee at the entrance/exit should be able to determine. I give a damn what a door babysitter thinks about how I'm carrying a few bags or what he should do after the little RF id tag blares the little alarm. The one thing he cannot do is prevent me from leaving the store without 100% assurance that I have indeed stolen something.

The only way they can legally stop you from exiting store is with concrete proof of either a loss prevention employee having eyes on you if you decide to stuff something down your pants and "forget" to give it to the cashier or video surveillance of every second thereafter.

Were you also offended when they scanned everything to ensure that you are not paying less than the correct value?

Of course not. I'm not a thief. I paid for my merchandise (which makes it mine at that point, not theirs) and attempted to walk out. Why would I be irritated about them scanning the barcodes? If the price was too high or too low I wouldn't have gotten a particular item.

Scanning UPC barcodes does not prevent me from the leaving the store. A disgruntled older man attempted to. That's a huge problem for someone without a badge.

I honestly can't believe folks get bent out of shape over this.

I can't believe that some people don't get bent out of shape when the innocent are presumed guilty!

Asking to check a receipt used to irritate me. I, too, thought I was being treated as a thief though I certainly wasn't one.

If you know much about retail, you know the volume and value of shoplifted merchandise can be staggering. With huge stores the size of Wal-Mart, it's very tough to police every lane all the time to stop shoplifters.

Also, how many of us have walked out after paying in full only to have the security alarm sound because an alarm tag on our goods was accidentally forgotten or reactivated? Mistakes happen

It takes me but a few seconds to open my bag or flash my receipt and keep walking. While it is intrusive, I don't give much of a thought to it any more. I do it to help the store keep their costs down.

I understand a company's measures to keep shrinkage down, I really do. I don't abide by their policies simply because I choose not to. I own a firearm and carry it whenever possible (in a bank from now on too! haha) simply because I choose to. There's some correlation there.

It's along the same lines as agreeing to employment-related drug screening. I'm sober and clean, always have been, but I know so many who are not and who cost their employer and those around them through their indiscretions. While it is annoying, I'll live if I'm asked to submit for one of these tests.

I'll hem and haw a little bit about mandatory drug screening by employers but I do give in to those, even though I'm strongly against any sort of policy governing what I do with my off-time. This is hypocritical of my view concerning receipts but I realize that while I do choose to fail a drug test my options are extremely limited at that point.

Both are indicators of where our society is going and how we are failing ourselves. If we can't raise children and regulate ourselves to be upstanding members of society, those decent members are forced to accept the burden of consequences. Drunk driving crashes, increased cost or vastly less access to potential goods purchased (imagine if it was all behind security glass), as well as theft and violence due to illegal and legal drugs and their trade are some of these burdens.

Agreed. Ol' Dad put the fear into me with a leather belt when I stole $20 from a kid across the street. Never again!

 

[Feign]

Yes and we'd probably be visiting you in jail. See here's the deal....

Unless this guy was Godzilla sized, him physically restraining you would not give you a reason to pull out your firearm. Were you in fear of your life? Did he have the means or intention to either severely harm you or kill you? Did he have a deadly weapon? Using deadly force to counter a guy putting his hands on you to restrain you would be a huge no no!

But I have to agree with your other points. Just not that one.

I knew that would have been taken the wrong way. I should clarify that there would have been much advanced warning before the thing came out of the holster along with clear instructions that would happen if his hands would have stayed on me.

Otherwise my bags would have been dropped to the floor and I would have been calling the police first and foremost. But any kind of scuffle at that point and it being loosed would only have been a deterrent. I swear I don't have a Rambo complex! I'm not toting a firearm around to feel more manly or tougher. :/

 

[abnk]

Why would I be irritated about them scanning the barcodes?

I don't know...because it's one of the checks they have in place to prevent theft.

Scanning UPC barcodes does not prevent me from the leaving the store.

Okay. Next time, just throw the correct cash per the advertised stickers on the cashier's counter and try to walk out of the store. After all, they are yours; you paid the correct price them.

 

[Feign]

I don't know...because it's one of the checks they have in place to prevent theft.



Okay. Next time, just throw the correct cash per the advertised stickers on the cashier's counter and try to walk out of the store. After all, they are yours; you paid the correct price them.

You're arguing semantics in a really distasteful way.

The transaction wouldn't be completed (nor started) on either side at that point. Just tossing money at them does not signify anything other than someone trying to be a dick for whatever reason.

 

[SilentWarrior1]

If I may... I'd like to point out a few things.

The greeters at Walmart are simply doing their jobs. That's part of what they're PAID to do. You getting angry at them doesn't help them do their jobs. A vast majority of these people are older, some being veterans.

Machines can be faulty, and some things don't scan correctly. This is why I often carry the reciept out in my hand, so I don't have to dig for it. They look into the bag, check the reciept and see I paid for everything. I'm on my way. Takes less than 5 seconds.

I can understand being upset for someone trying to enter your personal space. I'm pretty anal retentive about that, too. However, unless someone is coming at me with a weapon, I can't see any justification to draw mine. Granted, I will try to diffuse the situation... first verbally, then physically if necessary.

However, I've found that most things like this can be avoided with a smile and a few moments of your time. 30 seconds to a minute isn't worth going to jail over.

The idea of preparedness is to avoid confrontation if at all possible, and to be prepared to confront if avoidance isn't possible. We train for the worst, hope for the best, and strive to maintain a middle ground at all times.

 

[indyninja]

you were going to draw down on the receipt checker at wal mart. dude come on :wtf:

 

[Feign]

you were going to draw down on the receipt checker at wal mart. dude come on :wtf:

Way to miss the point entirely. Just ignore that part, I all ready clarified that.

 

[abnk]

You're arguing semantics in a really distasteful way.

The transaction wouldn't be completed (nor started) on either side at that point. Just tossing money at them does not signify anything other than someone trying to be a dick for whatever reason.

I guess I was being a bit sarcastic, but don't take it personal--I wanted to make a point.

The policy is there to avoid misunderstandings in addition to theft. Baggers can throw something in there that belonged to the next customer (happened to me before), you could have something that you forgot to scan (also happened to me before), etc.

Lighten up.

 

[RogerB]

I honestly can't believe folks get bent out of shape over this.

 

[bigcraig]

Sigh.....

Some folks need to drink decaf.

 

[Feign]

I guess I was being a bit sarcastic, but don't take it personal--I wanted to make a point.

The policy is there to avoid misunderstandings in addition to theft. Baggers can throw something in there that belonged to the next customer (happened to me before), you could have something that you forgot to scan (also happened to me before), etc.

Lighten up.

I couldn't tell, sorry if I sounded brash at all. As always text isn't the best medium for nuances in communication.

I understand the policy but when I've done nothing wrong why should I be subjected to it? I certainly don't agree to a search when I purchase items legally and the store owner (short of a membership agreement which can be breached by either party) cannot require a search of my bags when I do decide to leave unless I have indeed broken the law and there is irrefutable evidence that I have done so.

 

[Fenway]

Let's keep this discussion respectful. It seems like this is a hot thread. Feign is welcome to his opinion and so are other members. Let's convey our opinions in a nice way.

In the Sig v Glock thread I welcome blood

 

[Gryphon]

My wife and I have walked out of WalMart and the scanner alarm sounded. We just walked back in so the employee stationed at the exit could make a cursory examination of our packages.

BTW, at Sam's an employee stationed at the exit checks off every item purchased on the receipt with a highlighter before any customer can leave.

As long as customers are treated with courteous respect and not manhandled, my wife and I do not object to this minor inconvenience.