A WALMART shopper has lashed out at the chain after a less-than-ideal experience at the supermarket.
She criticized the chain over the store’s layout and became furious when asked to show her receipt.
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The shopper, known only as Coco, was surprised to notice the store had been reorganized, according to a post on Xold Twitter.
She said she couldn’t find some items.
Coco revealed that she needed to scan her purchases to ensure she left the store quickly.
Walmart greeters asked her to show her receipt, which seemed to be the final straw.
“Walmart acting like a clown,” she raged.
Receipt checks are a common policy at sister stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club, but they have started to appear at some Walmart stores.
The idea of a receipt check has left some customers incandescent with rage.
Some buyers feel they are being treated like criminals when asked to show the piece of paper.
Customers complained that they did not sign up to have their receipt verified.
This is because Walmart does not have a formal policy on the matter.
As there is no uniform policy, debate has arisen over whether buyers must show their receipts.
One defiant customer boasted that he walked past the receptionist when asked if he had a receipt to hand.
Another buyer, also against receipt verification, stated that he pretends to be on his cell phone so as not to have to comply with inspections.
Costco and Sam’s Club shoppers must comply with requests to show their receipts or they may lose their membership privileges.
Costco says inspections happen to ensure customers are charged correctly.
Legality of receipt and detention checks
In an effort to reduce retail crime, stores are increasingly turning to checking receipts as customers leave.
Legally, stores can ask to see a customer’s receipts, and members-only stores have the right to demand such checks if customers agree to the terms and conditions authorizing them.
Many legal professionals have evaluated and reached similar conclusions, warning that all states have specific laws.
Generally speaking, stores have Retailer Privilege laws that allow them to detain a person until authorities arrive when there is reasonable suspicion that a crime, such as robbery, has been committed.
Refusal to provide a receipt is not in itself a reason for a store to detain a customer; she must have additional reasons to suspect a client of criminal activity.
Due to the recent nature of receipt checks, there is little concrete legislation regarding the legality of the practice, as it takes time for the law to catch up with technology.
Setliff Law, PC states that “there is no definitive case law specifically relating to the refusal to present a receipt for purchases.”
For stores that misuse the Retailer Privilege, they may face charges of false imprisonment.
“The primary law that applies to these types of wrongful arrest cases is called ‘False Imprisonment,’” the local Hudson Valley attorney explained. Alex Mainetti.
“Of course, you are not literally arrested, but you are detained by a person who does not have the legal authority to detain you and/or wrongfully detains a client.”
It is likely that as store altercations over receipt checks continue, more lawsuits will occur giving clearer definitions and limits to the legality of receipt checks.
Sam’s Club bosses are rolling out technology that ensures checks are seamless.
Previously, a worker would have to look at a receipt as well as the items in shopping carts.
The chain uses artificial intelligence to verify that items were purchased correctly, rather than an employee looking at a receipt.
Shoppers pay for goods using in-house scan-and-go technology and cameras scan items as customers pass through a gate-like portal.
Bosses hope to roll out the technology to more than 600 sites by the end of the year.
“I’m extremely proud of our team’s innovation and dedication to deploying this member experience technology at scale,” said Todd Garner, chief product officer at Sam’s Club.
Shoppers admitted they’d love to see other chains take pages from Sam’s Club’s playbook.
Some have called on Walmart to implement the technology in its stores.
But not everyone seems to be a fan of the new receipt verification software.
A Lawyer’s Top 5 Receipt Checking Tips
Los Angeles attorney Camron Dowlatshahi spoke with The US Sun about receipt checks and a customer’s rights and options when asked to show their receipt.
- There has been a lot of debate surrounding the legality of a retailer asking to see your receipt, but if it’s in the store, it’s completely legal. “Apparently there is nothing illegal about this. You are still on the company premises and the reason for doing this is to avoid theft”, confirms Dowlatshahi.
- However, if they’re kicking you out of the store, that changes things, Dowlatshahi said. “Location is important,” he explained. “If you’re outside the store, you’re in the parking lot and they come and start accusing you of stealing and that you have to show the receipt, I think it’s a little bit of a different situation because now you’re in your way.”
- Although customers can say no to receipt checks, it can cause problems if you do so and the store suspects you of stealing. “You might say no, maybe it will create an unnecessary hassle for you because now you might have the police coming to your house and following up,” Dowlatshahi said.
- If you’re being blocked from leaving a store because you refused a receipt check, you may have legal action – but the store must have detained you for a long time. “Let’s say it’s for hours, that’s certainly false imprisonment, and they didn’t have any impetus to do it,” Dowlatshahi explained. “If a client has been emotionally traumatized by being detained for false imprisonment, I would definitely encourage [them] process.”
- “I would say, show your receipt,” he concluded. “It’s a very simple thing to do. If you haven’t stolen anything, it’s relatively simple to do,” the lawyer advised.
(According to Camron Dowlatshahifounding partner of Mills Sadat Dowlat LLP)
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
