‘Ask the next person,’ says Walmart shopper who claims ‘behavior’ means she was never asked to show her receipt

A WALMART shopper learned how to avoid being stopped for receipt check after becoming fed up with the policy.

Walmart customers have been questioning the controversial theft prevention strategy since it began appearing in stores years ago.

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Retailers began asking customers to show their receipts more often after self-checkout kiosks became more popular.

Now, many shoppers say they’re tired of having to check out and then prove they did the job correctly by showing receipts.

Some have said that the entire process makes them feel like criminals, while others have complained that it is simply a waste of everyone’s time.

And for some shoppers, all the hassle has left them turning to competing retailers that don’t institute receipt checks.

A client recently shared how she avoids the entire situation by behaving in a way that discourages checkers from talking to her, she claims.

“The hubs will only self-check for a few items. And we both refused to stop to check the receipts,” TrikeRacer (@trike_racer) shared in X.

“They have cameras everywhere. They checked us. We paid. That’s all. But no one ever asked,” she added.

And she said she thinks she knows why.

“I’m sure my behavior says, ‘Ask the next one.'”

MORE BUYERS upset

Other shoppers on the social media platform said they agreed.

TrikeRacer’s comment was in response to another customer’s post about Walmart’s receipt verification policy fatigue.

“I went to Walmart and checked out. Dude clocks clues like a hawk and watches what you scan on a phone”, MtnGirlbarefootGardening (@linda16675729) explained in the initial post.

She knew what to answer.

“I said no!’ (Hubs had it), I kept walking and the husband showed her.

And when the buyer’s husband asked her why she was upset, she had a clear answer to that question too.

“They can’t have it both ways. Either you trust me to do your job OR you do it yourself. But don’t question my integrity,” said user X.

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.”
3. 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.
4. 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.”
5. “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)

RETAIL THEFT WORTH BILLIONS

Business leaders and economic experts have debated whether retail theft is on the rise or is simply a consistently large problem – but the results are the same.

Retail leaders estimate that shoplifting is responsible for more than $112 billion in losses every year, according to data from the National Retail Federation.

Several national retailers have taken important steps in recent years to limit retail shrink, a category or product loss that includes theft.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon noted that theft rates at Walmart alone were “higher than historically” and called it a significant “issue” facing the industry heading into late 2022.

“Prices will be higher and/or stores will close,” he said in an interview with CNBC Scream Box.

Walmart is one of 19 other retailers that together closed nearly 3,000 stores in 2023, according to data collected by Business Insider.