‘It’s too far,’ fumes Walmart shopper after getting ‘harassed’ & staff checked cart – claims they will ‘avoid’ retailer

WALMART shoppers are raging over the store's cart and receipt-checking procedures.

A particularly disgruntled customer said the checks pushed him to stop shopping at Walmart altogether.

The retailer has always checked receipts as shoppers exit the stores, but the shopper said they have "gotten out of hand."

The customer said they understand the need for in-store surveillance but thought checking carts and receipts in addition to the new measures was too much.

"In my eyes, that's Walmart saying 'We do not trust you' to returning customers who should be valued," they wrote in a Reddit post.

They said they preferred to shop at small businesses where the staff remembered their name and offered more help than Walmart employees.

"Walmart needs to get their act together and respect their customers while implementing methods that do not interfere with the shopping experience to deter stealing," they wrote.

"I will avoid Walmart at all costs in the future."

They claimed the receipt checker was useless because they couldn't see "an old lady at the door" catching someone stealing.

Then, the shopper took a turn.

"When I do have to go, I will probably pocket a candy bar or something for the sole purpose of saying 'f**k you,'" they wrote.

"If you don't respect me, I don't respect you."

In the replies, people said that mentality is the exact reason reason why Walmart checks receipts and carts.

"You feel so entitled to their trust but prove you're exactly the guy they shouldn't trust. Maybe consider that you're not the one in the position to be complaining about this," replied another Reddit user.

The original poster said they were "respecting" Walmart by paying for the items, and the retailer should respect them by letting them walk out without a check.

"If your thought about their anti-stealing measure is to start stealing then they have them in place because of, not in spite of, people like you," commented another.

The Walmart shopper couldn't understand why others didn't feel disrespected by the checks, and claimed it was leading to a "slippery slope" for consumer rights.

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)

STOP OR SHOP?

Walmart implemented receipt-checking to prevent theft and help keep inventory high and prices low, a spokesperson for the retail giant told ABC 10 in February 2019.

However, several shoppers just walk past receipt checkers.

"I don't stop- I keep walking because if you trust me to check my own self out you better all the way trust me," shopper Lacy Mollison wrote in a Facebook post.

Others echoed this, saying stores shouldn't offer self-checkout if they don't trust customers to scan all the items.

A lawyer warned that shoppers and retailers need to be aware of the implications of receipt checks.

Walmart recently changed its self-checkout policy, pushing some shoppers to other stores.