Costco shoppers have to give employees a receipt when leaving stores — but expert says Walmart shoppers have the right to stop by

SHOPPERS are fed up with having to show their receipts after checking out at retail stores or supermarkets.

As stores like Walmart and Target continue to ask customers to show their receipts after checking out, customers are now posting on the social media platform Reddit to express their anger.

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A since-deleted post from a Canadian shopper titled “Do you allow store staff to check your bags and receipts?” has received hundreds of comments, with most users saying they refuse to show their receipts.

“I wouldn’t do that,” one customer responded.

“Unless I’m just picking up two things at self checkout and it seems faster than stepping on the floor, but usually we’re making big purchases and I’m not wasting my time while they check out 100+ items,” they continued.

“I’m spending five figures a year on groceries and if you’re going to waste my time and treat me like a possible criminal (especially if it’s because you don’t want to pay for a cashier and therefore I’m already doing more work), then I’ll shop at another place.”

Another shopper echoed Redditors’ sentiment, commenting that store employees already follow you while you shop, so there’s no need for them to check your receipt when you’re done.

“No… they corral you through a gate like cattle, the one next to me still has someone directing you through the gate, then there are the walkers following you as you do your shopping, finally you get to the self checkout …and there’s another employee hovering over you as you scan your items.”

“If they’re going to arrest you for shoplifting, they’ve had plenty of opportunities to do so, I’m not going to miss being treated like a shoplifter for the fourth time in a single shopping trip.”

Some shoppers have unique methods to avoid the dreaded receipt checks.

“I just walk past them, and if they get in front of me, I start signaling to them the few random things I know, and they usually just sigh and get out of the way,” said one crafty shopper.

“If they don’t, I keep walking around them until I leave the store.”

Dozens of shoppers say they simply keep walking when asked to show their receipts — and legally, they can.

“Customers must agree to present their receipt for examination when leaving the store,” said Martin Qiu, a professor at Wildfrid Laurier University. Yahoo News.

Retailers like Walmart and Target are not legally allowed to force customers to show their receipts after checking out.

In the United States, buyers are not required to show a receipt at non-member stores; however, if the buyer is suspected of shoplifting, they must show the receipt to a store employee if asked.

The store’s ability to detain customers suspected of shoplifting is known as Storekeeper Privilege.

However, membership-based stores like Costco or Sam’s Club are legally allowed to require customers to present receipts due to signing terms and conditions with their members.

Although you are not legally required to show your receipt at Walmart or Target, lawyers advise shoppers to do so.

“I would say, show your receipt. It’s a very simple thing to do,” said the Los Angeles lawyer. Camron Dowlatshahi told The US Sun.

“If you haven’t stolen anything, it’s relatively simple to do.”

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.

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)