# The receipt check **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 18, 2006, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070 "2006-02-18T10:21:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/21 "2006-02-18T22:17:27Z")
I realise why it’s done, and I suppose I wouldn’t put up much of a stink if I was required to open my shopping bags and present my receipt. Even though, I figure by the time I’ve shopped, stood in line, paid and had my items bagged, they are now _mine._ I know, I know - shoplifting is a huge problem, and we all pay. So the store is entitled to do whatever they can legally do to stem the tide. The part I don’t understand is what will it achieve? They check your receipt against what is in the shopping bag, correct? What shoplifter is going to put their stolen items in a shopping bag between checkout and the exit? There’s clearly something I’m missing here. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/22 "2006-02-18T22:30:30Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I don’t mind the receipt checks at Costco. One time they actually noticed we’d been charged twice for an item we’d only bought one of. It was like $12 but we’d spent closer to $250 so we didn’t notice. They refunded the money and sent us on our way. This has happened to us too there. And there’s the time my Dad didn’t realize until then that he had forgotten to use his coupons at the register. The reciept checker kindly told him how he could go to the service desk and have the coupon prices applied to his items right then. It took all of two minutes to have that done. Since I will not ever go to a Wal-Mart, Costco is the only place I’ve been that has reciept checkers. They’ve always been cheerful, polite and quick. It’s never seemed an inconvenience to us in the least. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/23 "2006-02-18T23:32:22Z")
> [@bonobo\_jones](#): > > The part I don’t understand is what will it achieve? They check your receipt against what is in the shopping bag, correct? What shoplifter is going to put their stolen items in a shopping bag between checkout and the exit? Never underestimate the stupidity or sometimes boldness of shoplifters. Some people ARE dumb enough to do that. Or else they’re at a store that thinks like you-put it in my bag. If they can do it without being seen, often times it actually works. Having worked in retail, just when you think you’ve seen the stupidest shoplifter ever, someone else does something even dumber. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/24 "2006-02-18T23:33:54Z")
The Walmart I go to checks your receipt no matter how small the purchase, but they seem to do it randomly. Sometimes I’ll walk right by the checker and she’ll smile and wave me on, other times they will actually look inside my bags and check with the receipt. I don’t like it, it makes me feel nervous, like what if the cashier didn’t ring something up accidentally while sliding ten cans of catfood past the scanner? It’s right up there on the annoyance scale with those alarms that are supposed to catch shoplifters but seem to go off randomly at Kroger. I always seem to be the one that throws the whole system off but they always wave me by so it must happen so often they don’t even care anymore. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/25 "2006-02-19T00:27:02Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > A couple of points to clear up some misinformation from the above posts. Walmart policy says that receipts are checked only when items are not bagged. Then Wal\*Mart is lying - all my items were bagged. > [@](#): > > If there is a line I just walk by and I have never been stopped. I attempted to walk past and was stopped. > [@](#): > > As far as the legal standpoint, till you leave company property, the store employees have the legal right to check your purchases and receipts. Only if they have reason to believe you have committed an offence. ---
**Author:** ![cookeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cookeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookeze)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/26 "2006-02-19T02:42:19Z")
Some crooks work in teams. One thief will buy an item and then hand off the receipt to a partner who is waiting, ready to steal an identical item. It’s not all that hard to get the merchandise past the checkout people. Most places that I have been to, when they check your receipt they also mark it in some way to keep it from being used again. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/27 "2006-02-19T07:06:14Z")
I read through this thread and was all ready to post my “Costco double-charged us but the receipt-checker caught it” story, only to find that \*\*Rhiannon8404 \*\*beat me to it by 12 hours. I firmly believe that the receipt-checkers at the Wal-Mart near my house practice racial profiling. Or at least they used to; we no longer shop there, for a variety of reasons. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/28 "2006-02-19T07:27:48Z")
Our local CompUSA does receipt checking, and i hate it. When i’m there alone, i refuse to submit to it, and just walk past the person doing the checking. When i go with my wife, i usually submit to it, because she doesn’t like us making life hard for the person who has the crappy job. I completely understand this feeling, but it doesn’t mean i have to like the procedure. I can _almost_ understand them checking receipts when the store is really busy. In such circumstances, the chaos of many shoppers all milling around with bags and items must be a shoplifter’s paradise, and checking receipts probably prevents some losses. Still, i don’t like being treated like a criminal, and ignore the request whenever possible. What i really don’t understand is the occasions when the store is virtually empty. On more than one accasion at our local CompUSA, i have been the _only one_ at the cash register. The person who checks receipts stands barely ten feet away, and has literally watched me place my item on the counter, pay for it, and have it placed in a bag by the cashier. The receipt-checker then watches me walk the ten feet to the door, and _still_ asks to check my receipt. On those occasions, i can only laugh as i keep walking. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/29 "2006-02-19T07:37:41Z")
I’ve never had the receipt checker go through individual bags at Walmart. They do however stop people with physically large purchases - electronics and furniture and whatnot. On the other hand, I’ve had other experiences with Walmart employees (acting presumably under the aegis of the corporation) attempt to confront me with some pseudo-policing bullcrap. Usually I just ignore them and walk away. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/30 "2006-02-19T08:10:21Z")
Here in the U.K., stores have the ability to exclude people, and would likely do so to people who do not cooperate. Essentially, they’re choosing to not sell to that individual. Is this not the case in America? ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/31 "2006-02-19T09:04:22Z")
I was getting shoes earlier at Walmart. The alarm kept going off and the checker was checking everyone who set the alarm off. The line to exit was about 12 people deep. Everyone was wating for their turn to be checked because like sheep what one person does everyone does. I did not want to be bothered waiting so I went out the manual door to the shock of some people on line. Some of the people followed me once they saw me break from the herd ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/32 "2006-02-19T09:05:54Z")
Gad, I hate this policy. I used to belong to Sam’s Club and regularly refused to show my receipt. One time… I actually called the “checker” on it. I’d purchased ONE memory card (tiny card, HUGE frickin’ packaging) and nothing else. Sam’s Club Checker - May I see your receipt? Me - Why? SCC - I need to check it. Me - Why? SCC - We check everyone’s receipt. Me - Why? SCC - It’s our policy. Me - Policy? Does it serve a purpose? SCC - To…make sure you haven’t overpaid. Me - Do you know how much a SD memory card costs? SCC - No. Me - Then, how will you know if I’ve overpaid? Do you scan the item? SCC - No. Me - Then, no. I’m not going to dig the receipt out of my wallet just to have you mark it with your hi-lighter and send me on my way. SCC - All of the other shoppers here do. Me - My mom used to regularly ask me “If all your friends jumped off a bridge…” SCC - Well, still, I need to see your receipt. Me - \ Sorry, no. SCC - Well, you’ll really need to speak to the manager. Me - No… I really don’t. Yes, I know she was just a company drone doing her job. But jeez, she didn’t even know WHY she was doing her job! Management seemingly just dropped her in front of the door with a yellow marker and told her “paint every receipt going out of this door”. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/33 "2006-02-19T10:44:22Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Here in the U.K., stores have the ability to exclude people, and would likely do so to people who do not cooperate. Essentially, they’re choosing to not sell to that individual. Is this not the case in America? Nope. What, they would have an employee standing at the front door turning away people who looked like shoplifters? Can you say “racial profiling”? A store can refuse to sell liquor and porn and such to minors, because that’s the law. I have seen small stores that have signs posted “no more than two students at a time.” Seems these are little stores near high schools. But in the OP’s scenario, the items have already been paid for and the store is merely confirming it. Actually I’ve been doing a little googling “shoplifting demographics” and it’s interesting, though I haven’t found a comprehensive enough site to post here. Based on skimming some articles: \*Racial profiling is _extremely_ common (shopping while black.) \*A black/other ethnic minority is actually no more likely to shoplift than white people. \*Women and men are pretty equally represented. \*Younger people are more likely to shoplift. \*But not if family members - parents, spouses - are with them. \*Being unemployed, clinically depressed and/or having an anxiety disorder is a common theme. \*Few people shoplift things they really need, like food for the family. Does this sound about right to those of you who work retail? I live in a really racially polarized area - SE Michigan. A Walmart recently opened in a very upscale city, and a big worry amongst the Ken and Barbie suburbanites was the store attracting “people from Flint.” Which is local code for “black people.” I’m curious, now, what behind-the-scenes security policies that Walmart has… ---
**Author:** ![jbarro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@jbarro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbarro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/34 "2006-02-19T13:50:33Z")
Often my husband and I go to Costco (warehouse store like Sam’s club) and don’t buy anything. As we walk out the door past the long line of people waiting like sheep to get their receipt checked, I always think that I could easily be shoplifting something small in my jacket as we walk out (not that I would, but it would be the best option for a real thief). ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/35 "2006-02-19T14:31:23Z")
Three stories to relate. One night at Adequate Purchace we were checking out at a register that was, I kid you not, 10 feet from the door. It was late and a weeknight. We were the only customers near the front of the store. The receipt checker guy was at the door, bored out of his mind, and watched the entire transaction (a couple of CDs) I pay, stuff the receipt in my pocket and head for the door. He stops me and asks for my receipt. WTF? Do you think I shoplifted something in the 4 steps I just took? :wally Last Christmas I stopped at Sam’s Club and bought a few things. The cashier rings me up, and I notice on the screen that I was double charged for a package of strawberries. I mention this and she subtracts one package of strawberries. I pay and head for the door. The guy at the door looks at my receipt and it says **7 Items** he counts and gets 8. He counts again and get 8. I look at receipt and see that Ms. Einstein at the register forgot to charge me for the Garth Brooks bos set of CD that my daughter wanted for Christmas. I was escorted over to the customer service area where I had to pay for the box set. I asked to see a manager and unloaded on him that 2 errors in an 8 item sale is a 25% error rate, and Ms. Einstein was probably costing him money. If I had kept my mouth shut, he would have seen an item count of eight, and I would have had a box set of CDs for the price of a box of strawberries. My favorite story is about Home Despot when I went to remodel my bathroom. We were not going to replace the tub, because we thought it would be too expensive. When we got to HD we discovered that cast iron tubs were about 1/2 of what we thought, so we changed our mind. We bought a tub, vanity, top faucet, wood, flooring, plumbing supplies, and a whole bunch of shit. We had a flat cart with the bathtub, vanity top and some other stuff, plus two other carts. We proceed to the checkout. Items get totalled, and I write a check. Cashier calls for manager approval due to the size of the check. The store manager comes over and approves the check. As we finish up, the store manager goes over and takes over receipt checking duties for the RC guy. Break time I guess. Anyway we come trundling up, and he greets us, marks out receipt and off we go. On the way home, my wife gets looking at the receipt and notices that the cashier forgot to ring one item. The bathtub. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/36 "2006-02-19T15:16:07Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Here in the U.K., stores have the ability to exclude people, and would likely do so to people who do not cooperate. Essentially, they’re choosing to not sell to that individual. Is this not the case in America? Yes, they can. Any store can ask you to leave and not return. If you come back anyhow, they can charge you with trespassing. > [@GrizzRich](#): > > Gad, I hate this policy. > > I used to belong to Sam’s Club and regularly refused to show my receipt. Now while I understand your feelings, you signed a membership agreement when you joined Sam’s Club. I’m sure there’s a clause in there requiring you to cooperate with the receipt check. It’s when it’s done at non-membership stores that I object, since I’ve never agreed to it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/37 "2006-02-19T15:55:33Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > Now while I understand your feelings, you signed a membership agreement when you joined Sam’s Club. I’m sure there’s a clause in there requiring you to cooperate with the receipt check. It’s when it’s done at non-membership stores that I object, since I’ve never agreed to it. I don’t think there is such a clause. [Here’s the membership agreement.](http://www.samsclubcanada.ca/conditions.htm) The only mention I can find of receipts is in regards to returning merchandise with or without one. Cool. My next trip to Sam’s will be interesting, just so’s I can make a point. And while I can find several sites which claim that Costco does have a personal search section in it’s member agreement, [I can’t find one.](http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:iD4-41azBCMJ:www10.americanexpress.com/canada_ss/can_en_cards_c_cards_ss/pdfs/apply_costco_cr.pdf+costco+member+agreement&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&client=firefox-a) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/38 "2006-02-19T16:03:57Z")
Oops, wrong link. (Too many tabs up at once.) [Here’s the Costco Welcome Brochure (PDF!)](http://www.costco.com/Images/Content/Misc/PDF/WelcomeBrochure05.pdf), which its website says includes “the Privileges and Conditions of membership”. While I’m not reading all 25 pages, I don’t see anything applicable in the small print at the end, nor in the Table of Contents. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/39 "2006-02-19T16:09:30Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I don’t think there is such a clause. [Here’s the membership agreement.](http://www.samsclubcanada.ca/conditions.htm) The only mention I can find of receipts is in regards to returning merchandise with or without one. > > Cool. My next trip to Sam’s will be interesting, just so’s I can make a point. > > And while I can find several sites which claim that Costco does have a personal search section in it’s member agreement, [I can’t find one.](http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:iD4-41azBCMJ:www10.americanexpress.com/canada_ss/can_en_cards_c_cards_ss/pdfs/apply_costco_cr.pdf+costco+member+agreement&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&client=firefox-a) The membership agreement for Sam’s Club in the US has the following clause: > [@](#): > > **Membership is subject to any and all rules adopted by SAM’S CLUB, and these rules may be amended from time to time without notice to or consent by the Member.** Membership Cards are non-transferable. Sales tax will be charged on Membership where applicable. **Memberships may be terminated at SAM’S CLUB discretion.** while Sam’s Club Canada has the following: > [@](#): > > **Your acceptance of Membership constitutes your agreement to comply with all SAM’S CLUB™ Canada conditions and regulations.** You acknowledge that these conditions and regulations may be amended from time to time without notice to, or consent by, the Member. You further acknowledge that SAM’S CLUB retains the right to refuse any sale in its sole discretion. Membership and Member cards are non-transferable. Sales tax will be charged on Membership fees where applicable. **Memberships may be terminated at SAM’S CLUB discretion at any time, without notice.** The Costco Welcome Brochure has the following paragraph: > [@](#): > > **Accurate Receipts** At the warehouse exit, you will be asked to show your receipt. This practice is a double check to ensure that the items purchased have been processed correctly by our cashiers. This is our most effective method of maintaining accuracy in inventory control. It’s also a good way to see that our members have been charged properly for their purchases. I wasn’t able to find the membership contract online, but I suspect this clause is included in it. My point is that when you join these membership warehouses, you’re explicitly agreeing to their terms and conditions, which is different from walking into a conventional store. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070/40 "2006-02-20T01:47:29Z")
Receipt checking is a make-work program for homeless people. I only see it at Home Depot and Best Buy. In neither case does anyone ask to actually see my items – which are usually stuffed into a bicycle saddle bag. At both those stores, the cashiers are also located a floor or two below the entrance, so there’s plenty of opportunity to grab something else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-receipt-check/345070.md?page=3)