WALMART shoppers are increasingly furious about the receipt verification policy the retail giant is enforcing.
One customer in particular expressed his frustrations on social media about the issue.
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“I know the few hurt the lives of the many, but I hate being held hostage by Walmart door receipts,” said one X/Twitter user. shared along with a link to a US Sun article covering the same subject.
The practice of checking receipts as customers leave the store is not new, but it has become more controversial in recent times.
Walmart says this policy is a necessary measure to prevent theft and ensure all items are properly scanned and paid for.
However, many customers feel that the inconvenience and perceived invasion of privacy outweigh the benefits.
WHAT IS THE POINT
Walmart’s receipt verification policy aims to prevent losses, which include losses from theft, fraud and administrative errors.
Retail theft is a significant problem, costing businesses billions annually.
Walmart argues that receipt checks are a simple way to stem these losses without implementing more drastic security measures that could raise prices or inconvenience customers in other ways.
And while shoppers are not required by law to present receipts at any retail store, refusing to do so may provide the store with grounds to detain you, for Business Insider.
CUSTOMER REACTION
Despite the logic behind the policy, many customers express their displeasure.
The comparison to being “held hostage” highlights the intense frustration some feel when asked to stop and present their receipts.
This sentiment is shared by numerous users on social media platforms, who share similar experiences of feeling unfairly targeted or unfairly delayed.
“Public service announcement from someone other than me”, Donie (@DoniThDon_) tagged Walmart in a tweet last year.
“Now you almost exclusively do self-checkout. Last time I was there, the lady checking receipts at the exit was stopping everyone.”
They then explained that they chose not to join the line of people who had their receipts checked before leaving the store.
“So I skipped the checkout line and left,” the shopper added.
A Lawyer’s Top 5 Receipt Checking Tips
Los Angeles attorney Camron Dowlatshahi spoke with The US Sun about receipt checks and a client’s rights and options when it comes to being 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)
“I heard her saying ‘Sir, Sir’ as I continued walking. I simply raised my hand above my head and waved my receipt as I gently walked out of the store.”
The user also wrote in his post that the retailer must have a certain degree of trust in its customers who use self-checkout.
“Or you can move your cashiers back into place so they can resume position,” they said.
COMMON PRACTICE
Receipt checks are standard practice at member stores like Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Customers of associated stores are required, by the terms and conditions of their membership, to show their receipts.
On the other hand, non-member stores like Walmart and Target have no legal basis to request to see your receipt after the transaction is complete.
US Sun previously interviewed Camron Dowlatshahi, a Los Angeles-based attorney, about customers’ rights regarding receipts after checkout.
Dowlatshahi explains that while stores have the legal right to ask you to verify your receipt, customers have the right to refuse to show it.
The requirement to present a receipt only arises if the store invokes Retailer Privilege, which allows stores to detain shoppers suspected of shoplifting.
Although customers are not legally required to show their receipts, Dowlatshahi advises them to consider doing so.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
