And, as others have noted, I could submit to a body cavity search if they requested it. Either is an invasion of my privacy. I didn’t agree to have myself or my possessions searched when I entered the store (and, remember, once I have paid for the items, they are my property, not the store’s), nor, to the best of my knowledge, was there any posting at the entry that a receipt check might be required.
Granted, nothing prevents them from asking to see my receipt, but, as far as I can tell, they have no more *authority *to do so than any other member of the public. If a stranger stops me in the middle of the parking lot as I’m loading my car, do I have to show him my receipt, too?
Not to put to fine a point on it, but you did shoplift. And it was intentional. And your motivation for doing so wasn’t to save a buck, but to save face.
A more honest man would have ate crow and went back into the store to pay.
What do you mean by ‘be a dick about being asked?’ exactly? I just say ‘no thanks’ and continue walking, which doesn’t even slow me down, but some people here think that’s a dick move. If I hand them the receipt, then they have to poke around in my cart or mark through items, which takes time. It’s even worse when there’s a line for receipt checking, so I’ll have to wait even longer to leave the store with my property.
I disagree. Taking the item was accidental. Had I noticed it while at the counter, I’d certainly have paid for it. Since I didn’t see it till I was at the car, and under the circumstances, I chose not to re-enter the store. Had I not had an incident with the checker, but was pressed for time, I’d probably have done the same thing. I fully intend to pay for the item at the next available opportunity, something a true “shoplifter” would not do. If you want to be absolutely technical, I didn’t realize that I had the item at any time when I was in the store subsequent to paying for my other stuff. What if I had gotten home before I realized I had it? Would you also then accuse me of intentional shoplifting?
Yes, exactly this. I didn’t give the checker a hard time at all, until he started to get huffy with me. I just said “no” when he asked to see my receipt and kept on walking. Even after he took an attitude, all I really did was to disagree with him and then, in the face of his continued huffiness, invite him to call a cop if he wanted to. I didn’t insult or threaten him; I realize he is just doing his job, but I disagree with the whole policy.
I’m replying to this again because my 5-minute limit on editing the other post ran out. I just wanted to add that the value of the item was a factor in my decision, too. Had I accidentally walked out of the store with a big-screen TV (not that that would be a likely scenario) or some other expensive item, I’d have gone back to rectify the matter immediately. For a $2.72 can of grill spray, I felt that coming back a couple of days later would not likely be an undue inconvenience on the store.
“Can I see your receipt” is hardly on par with “Bend over and spread 'em!” But I’m sure you’d be entertaining to watch as you overreacted to a simple request.
First off, let me be clear, I’m not looking to nail you to the cross. I’m sure you’re a fine person. But facts are facts. You took something that wasn’t yours. You were made aware of it while you were still in the parking lot. And you still chose to take it. That is shoplifting. And you intentionally did so.
No amount of rationalization is going to change that.
I walk into Sam’s to buy a large case of Diet Coke. I make my purchase, then, carrying the thing on my shoulder, have to wait in line for 10 minutes for somebody to verify my purchase… unlike every other store in the country?
Hell no, I don’t wait in that circumstance. I’m not paying a $50 yearly “guest fee” to be inconvenienced.
If I had opened with that line, I’d agree. By the time I said it, I was simply responding in kind. He was getting pretty huffy and seemed unusually peeved that I had questioned his obvious authority. My initial response was to simply say “no” when he asked for my receipt. Had he left it at that, I would have, too.
See, now, I’d see that as different. I’m a member of BJ’s, not Sam’s, but, same idea, I guess. As it happened, right after I left Wal-Mart the other day, I went to BJ’s to pick up some more stuff. And I have no problem allowing them to check my receipt there, because that’s the deal that you agree to when you join the club. I’m not a member of any “club” with Wal-Mart, nor was I given any reason to believe when I walked in that I’d be expected to show anyone my receipt when I left with what was now my property.
If he didn’t realize what he had done, I would agree. But he did. So it was intentional. Sure he didn’t mean to leave the store with it. But just because he made it out of the store with the merchandise, doesn’t mean all bets are off and he can act with impunity.
Do you really think his defense of: “Well, I was going to pay for it a few days later” would hold up in court?
I don’t see it as being any more or less irregular for me to have walked back into the store right then (yesterday) and pay for the item, or if I do the same thing tomorrow. Shoplifting, if you want to be technical, would have been when I left the store with the item, not when I drove out of the parking lot. I had no intent of stealing the item when I walked out of the store; I still don’t. Now, I’ll agree that it might have looked bad, had the guy actually called a cop as I invited him to. But that would have been the case the minute I walked through the door. Since I got to the car with my item before realizing it, how is that different than if I had only noticed the item after getting home?
Obviously not, but that would have been the case if the checker had had a cop standing by to grab me the minute I walked out the door, even before I realized I had the item. My intent to pay would have been irrelevant even at that point. In fact, even if I had allowed the checker to see my receipt and if he had failed to notice the item, it wouldn’t have changed the legality of the situation. Once I was out the door, whether by 20 feet or 20 miles, the deed was done. The best I could do was , at some point in the reasonable future, to admit the mistake and offer to pay for the item. It doesn’t strike me as a moral issue whether that point was a few minutes later before leaving the parking lot, or a few days later on my next trip to the area, particularly where the item concerned was of minimal value.
It isn’t. Even if you hopped on a plane, flew half way across the country, and THEN noticed you didn’t pay for the item, it’s still shoplifting.
Bottom line is, it is your responsibility to NOT leave the store with items you didn’t pay for. And if you do, you’re liable. Regardless of intent.
That being said, if I myself, made it all the way home with a can of spray paint, I would just shrug it off. And I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it either.