Questioning Authority at Virginia Walmart
 

Receipt? I Don't Need to Show You No Stinkin' Receipt!

I purchased the TV with my debit card at one of the rear registers about 20 feet away, and walked to the front of the store carrying the box in both hands.

I made it through the first set of doors into the front atrium of the store, but before reaching the outer doors I heard a man say "Sir?" I turned and faced Tony, the receipt checker.

Tony: May I see your receipt?
Me: No thanks!



Clearly, the story might be different if he had a chainsaw down his britches. :cool:

There was an episode of Law and Order starring Robin Williams you need to see.

The question is whether to be a sheep or be a human. It sounds like you are pushing the envelope to the human side.

I've given up on Wal-mart.

I've can't say I've ever seen them checking receipts at any Wal-mart I've been too. I know Sams Club used to do this (they might still).

Several thoughts come to mind:

- this is why I buy online
- the guy was being a jerk...how hard is it to show receipt? What a drama queen
- 99 out of 100 people who resist showing a receipt have none.
- store is protecting itself, and workers were doing as they were told

This is why I never shop at Walmart, if I did I would simply ignore the receipt guy. Why shop at a store that treats its customers like criminals/has enough criminal customers to warrant such a policy.

OTOH I know someone who is in charge of security at a Walmart, doing what the receipt checker did in this instance was against company policy. They are supposed to let you walk out and call the police, who will get there to late to do anything. Than review the security footage and discover you purchased it and wasted everyone's time.:D

Much may depend on the level of shoplifting prevalent in a given area. I have driven through places it would appear a good policy would be to keep the doors basically locked. Letting people in and out or the operation would be picked clean.

Here if you have a piece of paper in your hand that resembles a reciept even they never examine it. Personally I find few goods I want to purchase at their stores anyways.

If I want the equivelant chinese goods I usually source them from the orient myself and have them mailed to me. This habit started long ago when wal mart wanted 20.00 for memory chips. I got them for .60 cents each from the orient. Wally world probably paid .20 cents at that time for the ones they retailed for twenty dollars as they buy in huge volumes.

Their is something detrimental to this high of a margin on products in the long haul I suspect. Just for starters it enables too much wealth transfer in my opinion.

National statistics kind of indicate this has and continues to be an issue. This is also perhaps the reason that about 70 percent of gnp is based on retail currently in the United States.

This excess greed is an open invitation for the chinese themselves to get a handle on direct retail in the states. It is only a matter of time in my opinion. Companies like wal mart will have made it innevatable as well in my opinion.

I think I come from or lived through a time of more ethical behaviour in retail. We realised everyone had to live. The average consumer watches his or her country suffer by these extreme markups.

Most are unaware of just how cheaply chains like these get much of their products to resell. I doubt the average employee is made aware either. Certainly not the consumer.

We as a family make X dollars a year. How we dispose of it is probably just as important as how we make it. For example it is observable that the rich generally have made a nice recovery from the recession. The average working person has not done nearly as well.

We as a family do have an obligaition to support the general economy. We do not have an obligation to be financially bled to death to enable this though.

This is about the only way the dollar has any value left in my opinion. Just paying the going price for almost everything no longer makes sense to me. Certain things are unavoidable as to cost but many are not. Wall mart and other simular outlets are not wise places to get good value for the dollar in my opinion. In someways I see it as an abuse of the free enterprise system.

I agree with everything except buying on-line, I keep my dollars in my community.
Although I would NEVER set foot in wallmart I do agree with you on the drama queen part, the person was doing his JOB and I don't see what the big deal is about showing a reciept. If your proud of yourself for fighting back against that EVIL reciept checker, you might want to reevaluate your life.

I don't know what state law is here. We get our receipts checked at Sam's Club and Costco before being allowed to leave. I only shop WalMart when oil is on sale or sometimes to buy ammunition in a pinch, but I've never seen anyone being checked except in cases where an alarm goes off.

I like the consumerist generally, but this kind of seems like a made up issue.

The few times I have bought anything at a Walmart, I felt dirty, went home and took a shower, and spent the rest of the day reprimanding myself . . .

Seriously, I feel like Walmart represents the worst of America, but don't get me started . . .

I would think the average person who shops at wallmart would be a perfect candidate for a checking of a reciept, should really come as now suprise to this person.

I've never been to a Walmart, but a friend that has said he never felt so thin or smart.

I can get cheaper and better at Fleet Farm.

I'd have told the SOB to wait there til we verify the tapes and cashier tape. Could be a few hours. 'Do you want to wait or show me the freaking receipt?'. Your choice.

There is so much BS in the world. This was a battle hardly worth fighting in my opinion. There is a lot of theft and there are mistakes. When I shop at Costco they check my receipt. There have been a few occasions where the cashier missed an item and a few when I was over charged. The mistakes were corrected and I was on my way.

Personally I'd have made this guy wait for hours before he left. I am pretty sure the state law allows for a merchant to verify the purchase before leaving the store. Other wise, Wal-mart and any other store could loose their shirt with people swapping merchandise before they leave.

Normally if they are checking receipts it is because the store has a shop lifting problem. In other words, the store is situated in an area where losers and shoplifters regularly go to walmart to steal. The receipt checking action might indicate that you may be sharing the shopping aisles with criminal types who might not hesitate to shoplift your car, your wallet or your purse.

Check the walmart notices when you step foot on the their premises, they are responsible for NOTHING, including your personal safety.