A WALMART shopper has hit out at the store over its self-checkout policy which has left them furious.
This Walmart shopper said an extra anti-theft measure added “insult to injury” to his shopping experience.
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Cheryl Mosley (@CMosley2023) shared their complaints on X, formerly Twitter.
This customer stated that he felt that purchasing through self-checkout made him feel like an employee.
They also complained about a second policy they experienced after purchasing their products.
“@Walmart, if I am forced to work a shift (as a consumer) trying to check myself out at the end of my grocery shopping “experience”, DO NOT add insult to injury by demanding that I show my receipt as proof of purchase of a cart full of groceries,” Cheryl said in the publish.
“#unsatisfied customer.”
Receipt checks are a measure certain stores have taken to control theft and ensure customers pay the correct amount for items.
This practice has led retailers to place an employee between the checkout and exit of the store.
Shoppers were then asked to display their proof of purchase for the employee to check along with the products purchased.
The US Sun previously reported on the series of complaints coming from other customers about this measure.
One user X even shared how they avoided receipt checks.
“You actually don’t have to show your receipt to the doormen at Walmart,” Tyler Drama (@tylerdrama) posted on X.
“They never ask for them, you just show up and voluntarily hand over your receipts.
“Legitimate lines of people ready to hand over receipts without ever being told.
“You know you paid, keep moving.”
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.
Legal experts have joined the debate over receipt verification, US Sun previously reported.
Attorney Alex Colangelo revealed that stores like Walmart do not have the legal right to do receipt checks.
“Police officers have the power to arrest… but store security guards and loss prevention officers are ordinary people,” he said.
“They have much more limited powers of arrest under the penal code.
“They may ask you to show them your receipt and you may allow them to do so consensually.”
He explained that subscription-based retailers like Costco may impose receipt checks because customers agreed to them when they signed up.
The US Sun has reached out to Walmart for comment.
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