‘I feel humiliated,’ rages Walmart shopper after being ‘treated like a thief’ – workers didn’t even ask for her receipt

A WALMART shopper has lashed out at the big box chain after they were ‘treated like a thief’ during a recent visit.

The customer added the retailer was a shadow of its former self, and pointed to the failure of its anti-theft policies.

Alamy

“Over the years I’ve watched the customer service at various Walmarts turn from warm, welcoming, helpful to a pitiful, grimy, insulting, rude and disrespectful torcher,” the user wrote on Facebook.

“Especially the Clackamas, Oregon location.

“Treating everyone like a thief is wrong! Arguing with a customer about whether I had 15 items ( I had 17) but the point is there were 5 open self check out lanes and the other lanes had lines a mile long.

“Then the audacity to ask me to stop again while there is a line after the check out to just get out the door so they can check everyone’s bag. I feel humiliated and embarrassed that I even spent my money here.

“Walmart was built from nothing to what it is today on the values and service they once provided.

“If you don’t care then you might as well start selling your stocks. I’m not the only customer who feels this way.”

Walmart customers have recently been met with new shopping experiences as anti-theft measures ramp up.

Retailers have begun implementing receipt checks and locking up items to discourage stealing.

The Council of Criminal Justice conducted a report last year that found shoplifting incidents increased dramatically in major cities.

Between January 2019 and June 2023, reports of theft rose 64% in New York City and 61% in Los Angeles .

A report from the National Retail Federation echoed a similar claim, citing “unprecedented levels of theft,” in a study on retail crime.

Major retailers like CVS , Target , and Walgreens have also begun receipt checks and locking up items behind plexiglass to decrease theft.

The U.S Sun has reached out to Walmart for comment.

MORE ‘WART WOES

Meanwhile, one Reddit user critiqued another unpopular anti-crime measure.

“Wal-Mart pickup left the security box on my wife’s razors,” he wrote , sharing a photo of a box of Gillette Venus razors in a clear display box.

“If you can’t get it off try asking the people over at r/shoplifting,” one user jokingly commented.

“Hit it with a mallet so that it strikes the lip of the grey plastic opposite the hinge. it will just pop open,” another user advised.

“All right stop, hammer time!” another user joked.

Top 5 receipt checking tips from a lawyer

Camron Dowlatshahi, a Los Angeles attorney, spoke to The U.S. Sun about receipt checks and customer's rights and options when it came to being asked to show your receipt.

1. There has been a lot of debate around the legality of a retailer asking to see your receipt, but if it is within the store, it is completely legal. “There’s seemingly nothing illegal about that. You’re still on the company’s premises and their reason to do it is to prevent thefts,” Dowlatshahi confirms.
2. However, if they are chasing you out of the store, that changes things, Dowlatshahi said. “Location matters,” he explained. “If you’re outside of the store you’re in the parking lot and they come and start accusing you of theft and that you have to show your receipt, I think that’s a bit of a different situation because now you’re on your way.”
3. While customers are allowed to say no to receipt checks, it may cause issues if you do and the store suspects you of stealing. “You can say no, maybe it creates an unnecessary hassle for yourself because now you may have the police come to your house and follow up,” said Dowlatshahi.
4. If you are being barred from leaving a store because you refused a receipt check, you could have a legal case — but the store must have held you for a long time. “Let’s say it’s for hours, that’s certainly false imprisonment, and they didn’t have any impetus for doing so,” Dowlatshahi explained. “If a customer has been emotionally traumatized by being held for false imprisonment, I would definitely encourage [them] to sue.”
5. “I would say, show your receipt,” he concluded. “It’s just a really simple thing to do. If you didn’t steal anything, it’s relatively simple to do,” the lawyer advised.

(According to Camron Dowlatshahi , a founding partner at Mills Sadat Dowlat LLP )

Even a former employee stepped up to help, sharing their tips for getting the item out of the locked case.

“Coming from a previous Walmart employee, on the back side of the box (the one with the two notches) you should be able to put a magnet on it and slide the tab to open it,” they wrote.

“It’s stupidly simple,” they added.

“A hammer was my choice of extraction,” one user revealed, nearly putting an end to the hammer jokes.

“Smashy smashy!” another user chimed in, not ready to back down from the hilarity of the situation at hand.

Anti-theft measures rolled out by retailers

Retailers across the US and Canada have rolled out strategies designed to combat theft. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of measures that have been implemented at stores.

• Locking items in cabinets.
• Security pegs.
• Security cameras.
• Signs warning about the impact of theft.
• Receipt scanners.
• Receipt checks.
• Carts with locking technology