# Walmart receipt checker foiled! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 14, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607 "2011-03-14T01:22:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/21 "2011-03-14T04:59:33Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Poor put upon **Dio**. The whole world is against him. What the fuck is this shit? I don’t feel put upon. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/22 "2011-03-14T05:01:29Z")
> [@that\_darn\_cat](#): > > So, vote with your wallet. Don’t shop there. Works for me. Works for me too. I don’t go there unless I have absolutely no choice (those occasions generally being when I’m in my wife’s Bumfuck, Nowhere hometown and there’s nowhere else to go). ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/23 "2011-03-14T05:02:37Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > Brit here, with a couple of questions about receipt checking. Do they go through your bags checking off the items? And do they ever discover an error in your favour and give you some money back? > > Edited to add: Is it just Walmart that does thsi and do they have prominent signs in the store explaining that your receipt may be checked? Nope, and that’s part of what makes it stupid and makes me ignore it. They glance at your bags, draw a line down the rcpt and it’s done. Likely they’re looking to make sure you didn’t somehow go back to electronics and slip a big ticket item in your bags of shampoo and disposable diapers or something (though as I said, that’s what security cameras are for). ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/24 "2011-03-14T05:02:55Z")
How do they know you’re not stealing it unless they double check the receipt? ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/25 "2011-03-14T05:05:39Z")
Too many scumbags try to walk out without paying. Simply presenting receipt is quick, easy, and helps discourage theft of this kind. Which ultimately helps keep prices down - since costs of thievery are ultimately and eventually passed on to the consumer. And also, like many have already said, why hassle some poor soul trying to do their thankless job? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/26 "2011-03-14T05:06:09Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > And don’t be so snooty since you’re shopping at Wal Mart instead of Tiffany’s. Reasonably certain you can’t get toilet paper at Tiffany’s… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/27 "2011-03-14T05:08:21Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > Sheesh, man, I can tell who never worked a joe job in his life. Guys like you that want to stick it to the man, why don’t you stick it to the man instead of some poor schlub trying to get by life on minimum wage. Why you feel so freaking entitled since it ain’t about you? And don’t be so snooty since you’re shopping at Wal Mart instead of Tiffany’s. How is simply walking by them “sticking it to them?” I’ve never been rude to them. I know it’s not their fault their store has a douchebag policy. And who said Walmart is “the man?” Walmart is a store, not some symbol of authority. That’s what makes it douchey for them to be such officious pricks to their customers. Why should I pay to be insulted? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/28 "2011-03-14T05:10:47Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > Too many scumbags try to walk out without paying. Not my problem. > [@](#): > > And also, like many have already said, why hassle some poor soul trying to do their thankless job? Who’s hassling them? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/29 "2011-03-14T05:15:34Z")
I worry about the mall cops. They have little training and they’ve been known to lock people up in stockrooms while they wait for the real cops to show up. There’s been some lawsuits over the treatment by mall cops. A lot of states have given them arrest authority. I wouldn’t piss one off just for the heck of it unless you like the smell of pepper spray. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/30 "2011-03-14T05:16:32Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > What do they need to see my receipt for? Fuck that, I blow right by them. I have no legal obligation to even acknowledge their existence. If they think I’m stealing somnething, they’re welcome to call the police. I don’t appreciate being treated like a criminal as a paying customer, though and I don’t have time for the hassle. I know you know receipt is requested to simply affirm you actually paid for item (the op mentions a tv set). So why do you ask “what do they need to see my receipt for”? What right does a store have to protect themselves from shoplifting? If you owned the store that customers would often walk out from without paying for television sets, what methods would you implement to attempt to prevent this? I like the idea of keeping costs down. Making it difficult for businesses to protect themselves from theft is no way to do this. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/31 "2011-03-14T05:31:02Z")
And Diogenes, when you say “not my problem” in response to people who waltz out without paying, you’re failing to acknowledge costs of theft eventually trickle down to the honest consumer. And you’re an honest consumer since you paid for the item. Money saved by thwarting theft does not simply stack up in business coffers. Businesses attempt to keep costs down - in pursuit of competing with other businesses. Anyone who says “not my problem” when referring to theft does not understand businesses or how they operate. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/32 "2011-03-14T05:37:20Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > I know you know receipt is requested to simply affirm you actually paid for item (the op mentions a tv set). So why do you ask “what do they need to see my receipt for”? What right does a store have to protect themselves from shoplifting? My transaction ahs been completed. The recepit is my property, not theirs. They are not entitled to hassle me about it at the door. If they think I stole something, they can call the cops. > [@](#): > > If you owned the store that customers would often walk out from without paying for television sets, what methods would you implement to attempt to prevent this? Those buzzer things seem to work pretty well, and I have no problem with being watched by security as a I shop. > [@](#): > > I like the idea of keeping costs down. Making it difficult for businesses to protect themselves from theft is no way to do this. I don’t give a shit about their costs, nor do I have any obligation to make things easier for them. It’s not my job to assist them with their own security. I’m not their employee. Their security is not my problem. Walmart is a blight on the earth anyway. I wouldn’t piss on one if it was on fire. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/33 "2011-03-14T05:40:18Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > And Diogenes, when you say “not my problem” in response to people who waltz out without paying, you’re failing to acknowledge costs of theft eventually trickle down to the honest consumer. > And you’re an honest consumer since you paid for the item. Money saved by thwarting theft does not simply stack up in business coffers. Businesses attempt to keep costs down - in pursuit of competing with other businesses. > > Anyone who says “not my problem” when referring to theft does not understand businesses or how they operate. How they operate is also not my probem. I don’t care about their costs. I am not stealing from them, and I am not interested in being hassled at the door. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/34 "2011-03-14T05:44:34Z")
Okay. We can agree to disagree then, and move on from here… ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/35 "2011-03-14T06:48:17Z")
FWIW, I got the impression that **Dio** ’s “Not my problem” was directed at the receipt checker’s worry about getting nagged by higher management. Costco opened here in Busan about 2 years ago and when I signed up with them, one section of the application for membership had a blurb about agreeing to having receipts checked against merchandise on the way out. They were open and up-front about it, and it’s a membership store so I wasn’t perturbed. On top of that, when you buy a big-ticket item, they label the daylights out of it just like all the other stores do–you’ll be lucky if you’re not blinded by the plentiful fluorescent psychedelic straps put on the thing. What’s gotten me wondering is when did Wal-Mart become a membership store? ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/36 "2011-03-14T06:55:14Z")
CostCo is infamous for this bullshit. My problem with it (besides them looking through $300 at a glance as if they can see if I have contraband) is that there’s a fucking LINE to get OUT of the store! And I don’t mean at the registers, I mean that there’s the slaughterhouse line full of moo-cows that need to get out of the way. I hate shopping and crowds, and by the time I’ve paid for my $300 worth of groceries I want to get the fuck out of there, and I hate the bullshit excuses at that point. I walk by and leave, they can ban me from shopping there for all I care. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/37 "2011-03-14T06:59:47Z")
Two things: 1. They are checking the receipt to make sure that the cashier actually charged you for the stuff rather than just letting his friends through with a TV and ringing up a lollipop. I don’t want to be inconvenienced because they can’t trust their own employees. Maybe if they paid them a decent wage they’d be more honest. 2. I really hate when the checker doesn’t properly disable the security devices and the door beeps when I walk out with my purchase. That’s when I just keep going. I’m not going to wait around when they fuck up. Frys is particularly obnoxious. Once you go past the cashiers you are in a roped off area so it is pretty obvious that you have already paid for the shit in your bag. It makes my first point more clear. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/38 "2011-03-14T07:01:06Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > What’s gotten me wondering is when did Wal-Mart become a membership store? Just after Noah saw the rainbow. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/39 "2011-03-14T07:25:28Z")
> [@that\_darn\_cat](#): > > So, vote with your wallet. Don’t shop there. Works for me. This quote needs to be reemphasized. If you don’t like a store’s policy, shop somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/40 "2011-03-14T07:26:03Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > 1. I really hate when the checker doesn’t properly disable the security devices and the door beeps when I walk out with my purchase. That’s when I just keep going. I’m not going to wait around when they fuck up. > . Maybe it would make you feel better knowing that they write down the cashier number when that happens, and the cashier gets in trouble. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607.md?page=3)