‘You clearly misunderstand me,’ fumes Walmart shopper over receipt check for $20 haul – ‘it’s safe to bet I paid’

SHOPPERS are becoming increasingly frustrated with in-store shopping experiences as retailers nationwide implement new security measures.

Walmart is the latest store to face a barrage of complaints, as customers complain about having to show their receipts to a store employee before leaving with their purchases.

Getty

Getty

As shoplifting and petty retail theft continue to escalate at high-end department stores and discount retailers alike, many stores have rolled out new security policies to keep shoppers – and products – safe.

One of the ways stores are combatting would-be thieves is by checking customer receipts before they walk out the door.

The concept is simple — once a customer pays for their purchases at a cashier-manned register or self-checkout kiosk, they simply have to show their receipt to an employee stationed near the store’s exit.

The employee then looks over the receipt and glances over the customer’s purchases, ensuring the items match up.

One Walmart shared her experience with receipt checks on X , in a scathing “letter” addressed to the budget store.

“Dear Walmart,” Texan in AZ, also known as @MemestealingBot, began their message .

“If you think you need to check my receipt for $20 worth of containers, you clearly misunderstand me,” they wrote.

“If I am walking out without paying, look for two carts, one filled with meat, the other booze,” they continued.

The shopper was jokingly admitting they wouldn’t be stealing basic, everyday essentials like containers to organize their home, but instead, expensive items like alcohol and steak.

“Until that point it is remarkably safe to bet that I paid! Geez!!!”

Many shoppers are frustrated at the new policy for a variety of reasons.

Some customers believe receipt checks are a waste of time, adding unnecessary time to their shopping trip.

Some shoppers claim it makes them feel like a “criminal” even when they didn’t do anything wrong.

Others believe they’re unfairly targeted for the checks based on their race, ethnicity, or general appearance.

Legality of receipt checks and detention

In an effort to curtail retail crime, stores are increasingly turning to receipt checks as shoppers exit.

Legally, stores can ask to see a customer’s receipts, and membership-only stores have the right to demand such checks if shoppers agreed to terms and conditions that authorize it.

Many legal professionals have weighed in and come to similar conclusions, caveating that all states do have specific laws.

Generally speaking, stores have Shopkeeper’s Privilege laws that allow them to detain a person until authorities arrive when they have reasonable suspicion that a crime, like theft, has been committed.

Declining to provide a receipt is not a reason in itself for a store to detain a customer, they must have further reason to suspect a shopper of criminal activity.

Due to the recent nature of the receipt checks, there is little concrete law on the legality of the practice, as it takes time for law to catch up with technology.

Setliff Law, P.C. claims that “there is no definitive case law specifically relating to refusal to produce a receipt for purchases.”

For stores that improperly use their Shopkeeper’s Privilege, they could face claims of false imprisonment.

“The primary law that applies to these types of wrongful detention cases is called ‘False Imprisonment’,” explained Hudson Valley local attorney Alex Mainetti .

“Of course, you’re not literally imprisoned, but you’re detained by a person who has no lawful authority to detain you and/or wrongfully detains a customer.”

It is likely that as altercations in stores over receipt checks continue, more court cases will occur giving clearer definitions and boundaries to the legality of receipt checks.

Still, when pressed to discuss their new policy, a Walmart spokesperson said it was the store’s “intent” to “check every receipt,” as reported by ABC affiliate 10News San Diego .

Walmart’s reasoning was that receipt checks, among other policies, help prevent theft, which “keeps inventory high and prices low.”

“Theft is an issue. It’s higher than it’s historically been,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said during an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box .

“We’ve got safety measures, security measures that we’ve put in place by store location,” he added.

McMillon also warned that shoplifting, if “not corrected over time,” will lead to higher prices and more store closures, even at Walmart.

The U.S. Sun reached out to Walmart for comment, but did not hear back from the retailer at this time.

Receipt checks aren’t the only measures Walmart has implemented to combat theft.

The retailer recently implemented a new policy for its self-checkout kiosks , limiting transactions on all machines to 10 items or less.

Walmart said it hopes to make shopping more convenient for customers, and limiting the number of items per purchase helps speed up self-checkout orders and wait times.

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 )

However, the store has also drawn criticism for not appropriately staffing cashier-manned registers, leaving many customers with large orders waiting in long lines .

And, despite limiting transactions to 10 items or less at self-checkout lanes, many customers find the majority of kiosks closed – even during peak shopping hours – as there are reportedly not enough employees to monitor them.

While long lines and receipt checks are more of an annoyance, shoppers seem to agree that one security measure trumps the rest.

Some stores, including Walmart, have resorted to locking items behind plexiglass displays , causing customers to have to flag down an employee in order to access everyday essentials like shampoo or deodorant.

Even customers who order items for curbside pickup or delivery aren’t immune from the security measures.

Last month, one Walmart customer shared how one of the items in her recent pickup order – a pack of razors – was still locked in a clear display case , rendering the purchase useless unless she returned to the store.

Still, despite the store’s efforts, it remains unclear how these policies are preventing or reducing shoplifting statistics.