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After having been 'victimized' by the Walmart security system, (we've all heard it beeping when we leave the store with our purchased goods) I'd finally had enough. I promised myself months ago I was not going to be stopped ever again to prove I paid for my merchandise. I don't steal and I don't appreciate having to PROVE myself honest before I can leave the store. I made my way out of the Mukwonago, Wisconsin Walmart last Sunday after ringing up a few items in the electronics department, one of which was a $34.00 DVD player in a box. As I approached the exit I thought to myself, here we go, the bell and whistle machine is going sound off, convict me of shoplifing and I'll be chased down by the greeter who will demand that I fumble for my receipt. What Tony the greeter didn't know was this customer was no longer willing to be treated like a lemming. Sure enough as I passed Walmart's Checkpoint Charlie the alarm sounded and Tony the greeter was in hot pursuit. 'Sir, sir, SIR' he said several times. I ignored his ranting and continued on my way. As I neared the second set of sliding doors Tony started yelling. 'I need to see your receipt!' 'Can I see your receipt?' I turned around looked him directly in the right eyeball and said, 'NO, you can't!' Making the foolish assumption that my answer would end this rediculous event I again went about the business of walking to my car, box and bag in hand, receipt in wallet. My ansering 'NO' to his request that I produce a receipt was an apparent insult. I can only assume Walmart has trained all of Wisconsin to comply with THEIR policy and I must have been the first person that ever refused to prove that I'd paid for my merchandise. Tony was now screaming at me, 'Stop, STOP!' I continued walking as a great number of Sunday afternoon shoppers stopped in their tracks to watch the Tony Show. I felt that I would tolerate his yelling 'stop' but then he crossed the line. Tony began yelling 'THIEF THIEF!' I spun on my feet and immediately admonished him. I'm not a thief Tony, I'm a man that has had it up to his throat with Walmart's faulty security system and poorly written policy. I'm NOT showing you a receipt and I'm NOT going to tolerate you calling me a thief. Leave me alone I said. Again, one more failed attempt to get the Walmart lion off my back. He then began yelling out to the assembling crowd, 'He's got electronics! He's not stopping!' Having previously worked in the field of retail loss prevention I am well aware of the fact that citizens often and without request, charge in (sometimes violently) to assist in apprehending shoplifters. This became a real concern for me as I looked about and saw several Walmart patrons taking more than a passive interest in me. Innocent though I was, the only thing the patrons heard was 'THIEF' and 'He's got electronics!' I knew then it was time to turn myself over to the Walmart Police Department, whomever they might be. I felt I was left with limited choices. I was going to walk back into the store of my own accord, be tackled by the Good Samaritan shoppers or be dragged back in by the soon charging team of the Walmart Militia men. Did I fail to mention that Tony had reentered the store quickly? Yes indeed. He was falling back to fortify troop support. I felt it was in my best interest to go back inside and throw myself at the mercy of the Walmart Court. As I entered of course EVERY eye was on me and, you guessed it, the security system announced my arrival. After some looking I found Tony and diplomatically but firmly insisted on speaking with the manager. I was not leaving until I did and Tony walked away, returning about five minutes later with a manager in tow. JP was his name, according the the tag dangling from his neck. I asked JP if we could discuss my concern in a private area and he shrugged his shoulders but agreed. I was marched to the other end of the store where we had to pass by yet another greeter and, of course, another security system. You know where this is going don't you? BEEP, BEEP - Criminal Alert - Criminal Alert! Shoplifter approaching...stop em, drop em and roll'em for his receipt! By this time my humility had been stripped to the point that all I had to offer was a sheepish look. The greeter at this set of doors gave me that deep stare that says, 'We got you, you shoplifting cad! Three Walmart cheers for JP!' Once inside JP's office I gave him a brief rundown of what had transpired. Without provocation he told me that he'd spoken to Tony and Tony admitted calling me a thief and said, 'he shouldn't have done that.' No kidding! I informed JP that I had no choice but to return to the store for several reasons and I articulated them in this order. 1. I had openly, loudly and very publicly been called a thief by his staff. 2. Walmart shoppers were eyeing me up for the kill. 3. Tony returned to the inside of the store quickly, my perception being that he was going to get reinforcements. 4. I feared that even if I did make a 'clean escape' from the parking lot I very well could have been stoped down the road by police and detained further. 5. My professional position is high profile and I'm very recognized in the community. Being tagged in public by Walmart staff as a thief (if the wrong person saw the incident) would potentially be very damaging to my career. I had absolutely no choice. Walmart won! My dignity removed, my options limited, I had to submit. Never mind that I paid for my merchandise. Forget that once an item is paid for the property is 100% the buyers property, Walmart still would not let me out the door without a fight. I informed him in no uncertain terms how very upset I was. I was forced by Walmart to now clear my name as best I could. Interrogate me, strip search me, do what you must in order to document that I was in fact NOT a thief. JP told me that their security system is often 'set off by credit cards in a wallet.' My response was, you're kidding me aren't you? You're stopping people when your secrity system sounds off and you KNOW that it malfunctions? 'Well' he said, 'it does catch shoplifters.' I asked him this question. Taking into account all the times your security system beeps, what percentage of shoppers are found to have merchandise they have not paid for. 'Forty percent' was his immediate retort. A figure that I am certain he fabricated but non-the-less I ran with it. So assuming Walmart stops 100 people and 40 of them have products in their cart that have not been paid for, 60 of those 100 people are honest people being harassed, humiliated and detained based solely on the fact that their security system is beeping. That's absolutely outrageous! After telling him that I though it was rediculous that credit cards were the cause of my setting off their system he directed me to walk through the security system without my merchandise. I complied and of course, no beeps. JP asked me to produce a receipt and inspected my purchse. 'Yup' he claimed, 'it's all there!' I was impressed with his ability to match words on a receipt with actual products. 'It had to be the DVD player' he said. 'The sensor must not have been deactivated.' He looked for the sensor on the outside of the box and in an apparent epiphany blurted, 'oh yeah, they put them on the inside of the box now. That can't be deactivated.' Walmart is selling products that are sold with sensors on the inside of the box. Without opening the box the cashier cannot deactivate the sensor and still Walmart sells products they KNOW will set off the security system. Why? It's quite simple. They are dumbing down the American shopper to the point that most people honestly believe they are obligated to stop when the machine is beeping. One of my coworkers actually told me they had 'no idea' they didn't have to stop when the alarm went off. They thought they'd 'get in trouble' if they didn't immediately comply with Walmart staff. This seemed an unbelievable statement to me but actually, Walmart makes CERTAIN you get in trouble if you don't stop! How did our society get this beaten down? After obtaining a security clearance from JP I felt as though I might qualify to work in Area 51. You know, hang out with the guys that take apart fallen UFOs and dissect deceased aliens and all that. But instead, I set my sights to the lofty goal of just getting off Walmart property. I was now very late for my daughter's birthday party. I was released with my merchandise but Walmart still owes me. I want what THEY stole from me. Dignity, reputation and time for starters. Just before leaving I asked JP if he was going to create some type of report outlining the incident. 'Yeah, if you want me to' he blurted. JP, if you're reading this, I don't care if you make a report but I think your corporate office will wish you had. I think it's in YOUR better interest to get YOUR version on paper because mine is, and it's going to be examined by an attorney. I found this web site, [redacted], while researching what it takes to sue the Walmart empire. From what I can tell, it's not easy. I like the fact that Walmart likes thinks they can intimidate when it comes to filing a legal claim. It makes the process much more challenging and you know what they say, if it were easy everyone would do it. I may not make a huge punitive dent in Walmart's wallet but when the dust settles they will know that THIS American is tired of their antics. I wonder if Walmart's policy is 'MADE IN CHINA!'
Ok so you refused to show your receipt to prove that you did in fact pay for something and even after all the screaming you still kept walking to your car...Sounds like you really had something to hide, If you had really worked in Loss prevention you wouldn't mind having to show your receipt cause you know they are only doing there jobs. You showed poor judgement on your own and to sue Wal-mart for your own stupidity is just crazy I hope a judge says case dismissed to you...Your acting like a toddler and you need to grow up. I show my recepit all the time even if the alarm doesnt go off that way I know there is going to be no problems with me leaving the store. Alarms are sometimes messed up and thats not walmarts fault.
Why be such an ###? Just show your stupid receipt and go on with your day. You are wasting your energy getting upset about something so stupid. No one automatically thinks your a thief. Other stores have the same kind of alarms system but people always want to ### about Wal-mart.. Get a life please!
It IS demeaning to have to show a receipt considering there are cameras everywhere monitoring the store. It is ridiculous and insulting.
What Asda (walmart) do in the UK is put a strip of asda tape round the item you have bought so when you are seen leaving the store they can see from some distance that you have infact paid for this item as it has a green and white tape wrapped around it sporting the name of the store.
"5. My professional position is high profile and I'm very recognized in the community" You, my dear, deserve nor merit any professional position in any job anywhere after your behavior. The implication by one who brushes passed the alarm, ignores requests for proof of purchase multiple times as you admitted is that the person stole the merchandise. That's called rationality, which is a feature some primates, like yourself, seem not to possess. The simple questions: Why would you not let them see your receipt? What if you had walked out of there and stolen an expensive piece of merchandise? How would they know if you had not stolen something? Showing a piece of paper is more ethical than letting the situation escalate into a dramatic hissy-fit. You are childish and volatile and melodramatic and absolutely under no circumstance a professional in anything on the planet earth to put it mildly.
I was not shopping at WAL MART, ellen67, someone else started this post.
Walmart is being ripped off a lot...it makes it hard on honest people, but look at it from their perspective. Thieves are causing prices to sore and if you were a thief they were doing the right thing.
It seems to be a them or us instead of customer and employee. It once was, customers were treated with respect and they did apprecite it. Shopping was pleasant. . Now we are glad to make it out of any store without a hoard of [censored]ted security personal on your tail. I Now use the internet as much as possible, This happened after a local contractor mistakenly took a carpenters pencil from Home
Depots counter used it and walked out with it in his order. They chased him, arrested him, and (as if they had to ) ban him from the store for a year. Which hit the local news. Horrific I think. That seems to be the trend in everything we do.
Ever get an appologly from a bank for their mistake? It is mentaly damning to the gerneral public and it is working. Three big cheers for the man who stood up to to the inept security system at one of the richest stores in the world.(with their money fixing should not be a problem) but I think they like it that way, a ruse to keep the patrons in line. We all need to grown a backbone or we will be run over like a steam roller. Shame on the people who believe your dignity doesn't matter. The lack of it for ourselves is unmeasurable.
I had the best story how Walmart cost me hundreds of dollars because of a CASHEIR, I purchased 3 one gallon jugs of SHELL OIL for my Diesel pickup while my wife and I were in the store also buying food. So as to not put the 3 one gallon jugs in the carriage I put them on the bottom, so we finish our food shopping and when going through the line I take one of the jugs out from the bottom TELL THE CASHIER that I have THREE OF THESE NOT JUST ONE and she nods her head and scanned the oil. So we pay for our food and oil at the tune of over $300.00 PLUS DOLLARS so we walk out the door and I has JUMPED by the DOOR GUARDS, he said I didnt pay for my oil and I told him I did and told him what I did. So we look at the recepit and low and behold the ticket only showed one gallon charged, so I said OK no problem I will pay for the other two but I said AGAIN to the door guard I had told the woman who had to be close to 70 Years OLD. That wont work because now I am a theif, we went back to the cashier asked if I did tell her I had three NOT ONE and she just looked stupid. Even my wife told the guy we told her THREE GALLONS but they didnt care, the cops were called I go to jail had to post bail of $500.00. I go to court tell them what happened but they didnt care, it cost me 6 months probation at $56.00 per month, $425.00 fines plus the one day in jail and a SHOPLIFTING COURSE and now I have a record. Then I get some lawyer for Walmart wanting to charge me another $600.00 because in Florida they can charge up to 10 times the amount of the cost of the item taken. I never had a record or even a ticket to this day and I am 56 years old, Walmart SUCKS and they didnt care they caught them a crook. So from this day forward Walmart will NEVER SEE another dime of my money and I never paid that lawyer the $600.00, if they want it they will have to come to my door to get it but be ready for a fight.
this is ludicrous. you are a public official but are only indignant about measures to inhibit thieves who drag society down. All bc you're too proud to pull out your receipt. I think you stole it too. your high profile position is probably garbage man. you fool. life is full of irrational, unfair, unexplainable hard to swallow truths and occurrences the absolute very least of which is what you describe above at needless and mundane length. you should stop shoplifting or produce your stupid simple receipt and avoid all that. They simply forgot to demag. the sec. tag, you brain of festering pork. You will have a very difficult life as you are.
Looprane, I very much enjoyed your story; although I am so sorry you had to endure all of that nonsense. My local Walmart knows me, so everytime that sensor goes off, I am waved on through. However, if I had to endure multiple alarm "checks, " I would have acted in the same manner you did...but I would have let the public bring me to the ground in the parking lot and then sued Walmart and won. :) Until they post a visible policy stating "you cannot shop here unless you agree to stop at the door if the alarm goes off, " then you do have the legal right to keep on walking. Good for you, Looprane. Wish America had more citizens like you.
take me to jail-then I will sue you for bothering me
I used to work for WALMART and I know how they try to think and believe me it really isn't to good. An employee had just did her shopping (I was behid her) the manger came running up and hollard at the cashier "B O B, B O B, which stands for bags on botton" she had already paid for eveything including the BAGS ON BOTTOM the employee went up to the customer service and got her money back and the manger fired her right then.
Vanz LLC, Nov10 Series01
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This is the most recent info. I hope it is helpful
I recently was in a Walmart, came with the bus from my seniors community. I wanted to purchase a double fan for my bath room
I reach for one and all the fans fell on top of my head knocking me to the floor. The fall itself bruised my right thigh. For my pain and suffering I was given a bottle of water and a capsule of Advil
Perhaps because I was not hysterical they assumed it was staged.
In stead of taking the high road perhaps I should have sued them
Someone name Jeremy called, to ask if I was okay what he really wanted to know was I going to sue. I thought they were a cool company. but you know what you live and learn
Jim52,
Though I don't agree with all your thoughts of Walmart, that was freaking creative! Cool!
I also refuse to prove to the people at walmart that I an not a theif! After waiting in line for 20 minutes to check out I WILL NOT wait in another line to prove that I waited in the first line. I am officially quitting walmart...I will not let them steal any more of my dignity or time.
omg is this thread still going?
Every now and again i pop in and see the same threads going for weeks and weeks and weeks with the same sad people posting in them (me included lol) going on and on and on.
Wow! I’m impressed by the amount of comments that support Walmart in the ops story. Either Walmart have been very successful at brainwashing their customers or the people that they pay to comment and blog have been busy. Yes, corporations do hire people to comment on sites that affect their reputation.
The question is not whether it is reasonable for stores to detain you and search your property (the bag containing your purchases). The question should be whether the store has the legal right to detain and search you. This legal right comes from laws and court decisions not from popular support. Each state has its own laws and they must comply with the US Constitution.
After doing a little research, I have come up with the following:
1. In order to detain you, the store must have 'probable cause' that you have stolen something.
2. Many states have accommodated merchants by passing laws that include 'electronic gate failure' as 'probable cause'.
So, the state says it's ok to search you based on 'electronic gate failure' that's known to be highly inaccurate
Let's look at the US Constitution.
Bill of Rights - Amendment IV
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
So the faulty gate’s electronic beeping is reasonable cause to detain and search you. Here's an idea, Walmart forces all cars to exit through a gated guard shack. Suspected shoplifters are determined by a camera/computer using facial recognition patterns and/or the gut feeling of the guard. An accuracy rate of 6 or 7 percent should be good enough for probable cause. If you fail you and your car are thoroughly searched. The guard scatters the car’s contents on the ground and you’re left to put it back.
Let's write that into state law and then amend the constitution. Or, based on the comments here, maybe we should do away with the constitution and develop a system where corporations make all the rules. Oh wait, we already have that.
It is easy, if you don't want to show your receipt, shop somewhere else. I was asked to show a receipt for a fish aquarium I had purchase. So, I showed the greeter my receipt, and went on my way all within a minute time. I know their habit of asking to see your receipt and kept it out, for that reason. Wow, that was easy! The idiot who made this complaint is stupid, caused his own drama, and should feel like a world class jerk for the scene he created. He got the attention he craved, and missed his daughter's party. All I can say, he is a giant ###, and got what he deserved. Stores, have the right to protect themselves from theft. I like Walmart prices, and I can afford to shop there, get more and stretch a buck. I can buy more school clothes for my kids, and buy myself something pretty also. Why should I be offended that they want to check my receipt? I am thankful for the prices at Walmart, especially in this economy! I am not like the idiot whom is a stuck up ###, that feels his ### don't stink! Anyone could be a shop lifter! A mom, a businessmen man, a teenager. If checking the receipts keep their prices low, then who cares! I cannot believe that anyone could defend such a ###!
Those of you who are siding with Wally World, shold get back to your loyalties and suck up to Chairman Mao. Wally World has been ripping you off, killing your children, babies and pets with their poison from China...and yet you clowns support them. Nothing short of running Wally World out of America altogether is acceptable now. Those of you in the know, well you know what to do...and those of you who think if you've done nothing wrong...you shouldn't have to worry, get in back of the bus. .
I bought a Coleman bad took it back the day after we bought couldn't find the receipt and showed were I paid for it on my phone and the manager Charles that was the policy but there was a black woman returning underwear and underwear was taken out of box and black and they gave her money back but they refused to give me my money back I am extremely upset never hAd problem with wal Mart before. This bed was 100 dollars.
Ach so!
I was hassled for a receipt back in 2004. I had a back injury, was seven months pregnant and had a sleeping toddler with me. They wanted me to produce a receipt for an item the cashier didn't bag. There are days when fishing for a receipt thrown into a diaper bag is easier said that done. IIt took me a while to find it. Other people couldn't exit the building and the exit filled with people. It was night and the other exit was cloed. The backlog of customers made the area unsafe. They had boxes piled up around the exit and had another exit chained off. I called the fire chief and they were cited for a fire code violation the next day.
I have never forgotten this experience and rarely shop at Wal-mart. The quality of their merchandise and customer service is NOT worth the hassle.
Now, as the years have passed, I have become a community activist. I have had people contact me to tell me that they have been threatened with arrest for failing to produce a receipt upon demand. I have noticed the sheer numbers of police officers standing around Wal-mart. I have read that Wal-marts tend to use our local police department as its own personal security force. They call police on a dime and I have actually heard a police chief claim that failure to produce a receipt is probable cause for shoplifting. It is not. Calls to the Corporate office always go unanswered. As a community activist, I am finding myself making several calls to Wal-mart per year. I want an explanation as to why my neighbors are being hit, cursed at and threatened with arrest for not having a receipt handy upon exiting Wal-Mart stores.
The solution is an easy one. Wal-mart needs to post signs at the entrance and on the cashier stands to warn customers of their demand to see receipts at will. This will prevent busy people from throwing them into purses and pockets. Wal-mart also needs to hire a real security team rather than asking local municipalities to take the liability stemming from false detentions and arrest. Wal-mart must stop wasting precious public resources in order to profit at everyone else's expense.
My biggest wish, at this point, is for this stupid retailer to go out of business. May their demise be swift.
Similar to Your story but not as bad. The Wal-mart where I usually shop sometimes and sometimes Doesn't have greeters. They never asked Me for one because I went there for groceries and always got bagged in check-out.
But one day they had their computers on sale and I wanted a New one. Spent about 45 mins. comparing prices and specs. Finally, Box in hand I go to Check-out, Pay for my computer and put it in my cart. She goes oh wait, let me put this sticker on (that walmart flowery logo)
.
So Now, I'm heading for the door (forgot to say that when I got the receipt I dropped it into the hole in the box that they use for a handle)
greeter says can I see your receipt? It's in the box, (and I'm not opening it till I get Home. New Computer you know?) It's in the box it has a sticker. I Need to see your receipt. So I dug around, Was able to find it and showed her my receipt.
I got home, set up my new computer and, Wait a minute!
I don't have to show you my receipt. I was So mad, both at her and myself. Grr
Fast forward a couple of years, to yesterday in fact.
Had to get some smokes so I go in, buy my smokes and throw them and my receipts in my backpack and hey while I'm here might as well pick a few groceries. Got a cart and went got some groceries. Whent to checkout, Paid for my groceries got bagged and threw my receipt in one of the shopping bags.
Head for the door. A big ole security guard is standing there. May See your receipt?
Looked him Straight in the eye and said nooo. He tries to get in front of the cart but I'm Leaving. I need to see your receipt. No you don't
His boss's office is right next to the front door so he runs in and they run out? What's going? You're not seeing my receipt.
He says, well which register were you? THE FIRST ONE (literally).
So he's looking in my cart, trying to see if I STOLE something. I told him, (Look if you're accusing me of stealing? Call the cops. I'm leaving.
You guys aren't cops. Even though he's in a uniform. You can't stop me, you can't Try to stop me, and you Can't detain me.
Know why? When the cops show up, you're gong to jail. Assault, kiddnapping, and false imprisonment. And I Will file charges.
Walked out of that store like a Boss.