# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/121 "2011-03-26T11:09:06Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > Why do they need to? And who are you tell them what illegal rules they should needlessly conform to? Obviously it is more important for them to stand up for their rights than it was to be inconvenienced. Shame more people aren’t more proactive on illegal issues. _Sigh_ Let me explain this to you simply. The fact that there is no legal requirement to _show_ a receipt **does not mean** that it is illegal simply to ask you to show one. How difficult is that to understand? People who go on about “their rights” seriously have some kind of problem. How about you STFU about your rights and start thinking about your responsibilities, among which are behaving like a sensible member of society and not being an asshole for no reason. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/122 "2011-03-26T17:33:16Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > _Sigh_ > > Let me explain this to you simply. > > The fact that there is no legal requirement to _show_ a receipt **does not mean** that it is illegal simply to ask you to show one. How difficult is that to understand? Do you just not read what I write or are simply unable to comprehend it? I’ve said as much earlier. Never once did I state it was illegal to ask for it. ---
**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 26, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/123 "2011-03-26T17:35:34Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > (To pick an example of this ridiculous attitude at random) > > What you fail to understand is that when you are in their store, you are on _their property_ and are their guest. Their rules, therefore, go. Cite? ---
**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 26, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/124 "2011-03-26T17:39:19Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > _Sigh_ > > Let me explain this to you simply. > > The fact that there is no legal requirement to _show_ a receipt **does not mean** that it is illegal simply to ask you to show one. How difficult is that to understand? The assertion was that it’s illegal to _require_ it (as a condition of leaving the store with the paid for merchandise), which it is. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/125 "2011-03-26T17:40:50Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > If you feel strongly enough to snub store’s policy efforts, you should not be shopping there. Discourage friends and family to not do business there. Do you want to tweet about it? I know someone who can help you compose a tweet. (If you’d like.) > > By all means, flip them off. > > But not on their premises. It’s not like there’s a sign saying “we check receipts” at the entrance, particularly when it’s as random and arbitrary as it is at Target. I actually do make it a habit to avoid stores where this happens, but there’s often no way to know beforehand. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/126 "2011-03-26T18:06:35Z")
> [@j66](#): > > …You can’t accidently drive off without paying. You’d be surprised at how many people will come inside and prepay _in cash_, then drive-off without pumping any gas. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/127 "2011-03-26T18:23:09Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > It’s not like there’s a sign saying “we check receipts” at the entrance, particularly when it’s as random and arbitrary as it is at Target. I actually do make it a habit to avoid stores where this happens, but there’s often no way to know beforehand. This is a good point. The last time i was asked to show my receipt was in a Best Buy. As usual, i smiled, said “No thankyou,” and just kept going. When i got to the store entrance, i looked to see if there was a sign indicating that entry to the store was conditional on your willingness to show your receipt. There was no such sign, which actually surprised me. So, assuming you’ve never been in a Best Buy before, how the fuck are you supposed to know that, once you’ve completed the transaction by handing over your money in exchange for your goods, you’re going to be confronted at the door and asked to show proof of the transaction that you just undertook 30 seconds ago and twenty feet away. I think that one of the most annoying things about this whole policy is that, even if you comply with their request, it’s painfully clear that what they’re doing is completely useless. On the occasions when i used to stop (before i got sick of it), not one receipt checker made any decent effort to ensure that the items in my bag matched the items on my receipt. They gave a cursory glance at the receipt, an even more cursory glance into the open shopping bag, and sent me on my way. I remember thinking, on more than one occasion, that i could have had a whole bunch of unpaid-for merchandise hidden under my real purchases, and they never would have had a clue. It’s security theater, the retail equivalent of not allowing nail scissors through airport security. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/128 "2011-03-26T18:50:19Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > when you are in their store, you are on _their property_ and are their guest. Their rules, therefore, go. Legally, you are an invitee. The retailer may indeed ask you to leave the property, but may not demand something of you to be _allowed to leave._ ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/129 "2011-03-26T22:40:53Z")
No matter what you think of the people who’s posted to this thread so far, at least none of them [“snap kicked [the checker] in the nuts [and] grabbed a pressure point.”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=435232) ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/130 "2011-03-27T18:59:10Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > How about you STFU about your rights and start thinking about your responsibilities, among which are behaving like a sensible member of society and not being an asshole for no reason. Since when is it my responsibility to waste my time submitting to a voluntary receipt check? To what purpose? My responsibility is not to walk out of the store with unpaid merchandise. As long as I am doing that, then my responsibility is fulfilled. If I haven’t stolen anything, then the receipt check is useless. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/131 "2011-03-27T19:29:48Z")
Everybody has a line of privacy that annoys them when someone steps over it. For some, after going to a store and purchasing something, they think it is an intrusion when a person on the way out wants them to prove they paid for the items they have. The idea that you have to prove you did not steal something is insulting. If you don’t mind showing the doorman your receipts, go ahead and do it. But understand others feel a degree of violation. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/132 "2011-03-27T19:51:32Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Everybody has a line of privacy that annoys them when someone steps over it. For some, after going to a store and purchasing something, they think it is an intrusion when a person on the way out wants them to prove they paid for the items they have. The idea that you have to prove you did not steal something is insulting. > If you don’t mind showing the doorman your receipts, go ahead and do it. But understand others feel a degree of violation. That’s fine. For me its a greater violation that the cost of shoplifting is passed along to me in terms of higher prices and I don’t mind a store taking steps so that cost is minimized, even if it means someone looks at my receipt or in my bags. I still don’t shop a WalMart though - but that has more to do with the quality of my WalMarts. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/133 "2011-03-27T19:55:07Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > That’s fine. > > For me its a greater violation that the cost of shoplifting is passed along to me in terms of higher prices and I don’t mind a store taking steps so that cost is minimized, even if it means someone looks at my receipt or in my bags. > > I still don’t shop a WalMart though - but that has more to do with the quality of my WalMarts. A large share of shoplifting is stuff going out the back door by workers and management. Do you really think door checkers are stopping a lot of shoplifters? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/134 "2011-03-27T20:21:36Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > A large share of shoplifting is stuff going out the back door by workers and management. Do you really think door checkers are stopping a lot of shoplifters? QFT I worked in a music store. The lower level managers knew the inventory process and exploited it to steal all kinds of shit… a lot more shit than would ever be taken by some high school punk who just wanted a free copy of _Rio_ by Duran Duran. The only thing the receipt check stops is the one idiot who is dumb enough to load up his bag with unpaid stuff and then submit to a receipt check. I guess it also deters a few thieves from using the “load up your bag” technique, causing them to resort to other means such as load up you pockets, socks, and under your jacket techniques. ---
**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:** [March 27, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/135 "2011-03-27T20:35:53Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > For me its a greater violation that the cost of shoplifting is passed along to me in terms of higher prices and I don’t mind a store taking steps so that cost is minimized, even if it means someone looks at my receipt or in my bags. As a few people in this thread have noted, though, the receipt checkers never actually do a thorough comparison of the items on the receipt against the items in your possession. It’s rarely ever more than a cursory glance and a pencil check. It’s security theater, not actual security. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/136 "2011-03-27T20:39:24Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > For me its a greater violation that the cost of shoplifting is passed along to me in terms of higher prices and I don’t mind a store taking steps so that cost is minimized, even if it means someone looks at my receipt or in my bags. The cost of their anti-shoplifting measures are also being passed on to you. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/137 "2011-03-27T23:42:06Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > As a few people in this thread have noted, though, the receipt checkers never actually do a thorough comparison of the items on the receipt against the items in your possession. It’s rarely ever more than a cursory glance and a pencil check. It’s security theater, not actual security. They’re trained to scan the bag for high ticket items then verify they’re on the receipt. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/138 "2011-03-28T00:00:36Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > The cost of their anti-shoplifting measures are also being passed on to you. Just sayin’. Yep, and apparently they think its more competitive (i.e. adds less overhead) to have receipt checkers than let things walk out the door. Since I know a lot of people who work for some of the aforementioned companies, and I know the analytical rigor that goes into it, I’m thinking they are probably right. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/139 "2011-03-28T00:28:58Z")
I’m quite surprised at (what appears to be the general board consensus of) “just show them the receipt - it’s not _that_ inconvenient”. This seems at odds with the normal principled stance of this board, regardless of the trivial or common-sensical nature of the violation of rights (if indeed rights are violated in this case). I expected the SDMB would be more or less wholeheartedly on the side of the rights and freedoms of the exiting shopper. Weird ---
**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:** [March 28, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607/140 "2011-03-28T00:54:02Z")
I’m also a little surprised at how many people on this board not only show their own receipt, but get all pissy at the idea that someone else might not want to show theirs. It’s even worse when those of us who don’t want to show the receipt get accused, without any evidence, of being abusive and causing trouble. I do neither of those things; i simply smile, say “no thanks,” and keep walking. That is, pretty much by definition, just about as unabusive and trouble-free as you can be in this situation. I will add that, as someone who refuses to show his receipt, for me it’s not really an issue of rights, as such. It’s simply an issue of convenience, and not wanting to be treated like a criminal by the very people that i’ve just handed my hard-earned money to. It would become an issue of rights if they physically tried to prevent me from leaving, but until that happens, it’s largely a matter of principle and convenience for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walmart-receipt-checker-foiled/574607.md?page=8)