A bad day at Circuit City

[SUBMAN1]

And here is your answer on the rest of the United States except for Kalifornia (Notice with Costco - you waived your rights when you signed your membership):

Receipt Checks -- You Can Say 'No'

Over the past few months, I've received several e-mails about bad experiences people have had when they've been stopped by security to check their receipt as they're trying to leave a store. A lot of people find the exercise insulting and invasive, especially if they have to wait in long lines. After all, once you buy something, it's your property, right?
This is what reader Tamu Wright wrote recently:

In general, I think it makes honest customers feel like the store is treating them like a criminal, and in my mind it is a very lazy way of trying to find shoplifters. Also, (I am an African-American woman), I have had friends/family members feel embarrassed or humiliated because their receipt was checked but not others who came through the exit before or after them. I have also noticed in the past (not sure if this is true now) that some stores (i.e. Target) has this receipt-checking policy in Prince George's county, but did not have one went I visited a suburban Va. store. Both of these issues, of course, speak to the issue of race/class profiling.

Well, it turns out retailers are allowed to check your purchases and receipt as long as the search is voluntary and they don't do it in a discriminatory way. Some retailers, such as Costco, spell it out as a condition of membership.
According to a piece on this very issue that ran last fall in the NY Daily News:

Retail loss experts explain that the purpose of the bag check is to make sure the cashier correctly charged for all items in the shopping bag or cart. Once this is done, the bag checker makes a distinctive mark on the receipt to indicate that it was checked.

So theoretically, you don't have to submit to such checks unless you're at Costco and don't mind getting your membership revoked.
Many consumers may not realize this or figure it's just easier to hand over their receipt and open up their bag. One question is, do store clerks and security people respect this?
Are you a shopper who has asserted your right not to be searched? What happened when you did?

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thech..._or_check.html

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by StdDev

... but it goes to show that the recipt checker sole purpose is not just to inhibit theft!

Seems to me that he did inhibit theft - theft by the store in this case!

[FIREWALL]

Originally Posted by StdDev

Here in So. Kalifornia we have a retail chain by the name of Fry's Electronics.. it is an absolute candy store for those of us involved with computers. They have many bad qualities and many good qualities.. one of the bad ones is the receipt nazi on the way out..
One Day wifezilla and I went shopping at Fry's.. bought a sh&*t load of stuff.. and on the way out we were confronted by the receipt nazi... Wifezilla hands over the receipt and the guy is staring at it.. then looks in the bag... back at the receipt.. then he announces.. "the cashier made a mistake.. charged you for 10 candy bars instead of one" (they have candy bars on the exit lines). He then took it over to the cashier and got us a return of about $3.50 ! Not a big deal or an exorbitant amount of money.. but it goes to show that the recipt checker sole purpose is not just to inhibit theft!

You beat me to it StdDev K-Mart has them at exits also.

As I see it the asshat ruined his little sisters Birthday.

[lesrae]

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

As I see it the asshat ruined his little sisters Birthday.

Ditto, sounds like a jumped up PITA to me.

[bradclark1]

All I'll say is when my wife was a supervisor at JCPenny in 2005 that one store had $63,000 dollars in theft. Thats one store and for one year. If it's not on camera or the loss prevention person does not 'eyes on' the theft that person walks. A store clerk can't do anything. They have to notify loss prevention. Too many risks for lawsuits.
I'll just deal with it but some checkers attitudes do piss me off.

[Letum]

Originally Posted by The Avon Lady

Warning to Letum: although you've resurrected, you will die again.

[...]

Arise, Letum!

Am I being thick?

I really dont understand what you mean at all.
Please explain.

[The Avon Lady]

Originally Posted by Letum

Am I being thick?

I really dont understand what you mean at all.
Please explain.

You previously said:

Originally Posted by Letum

*dies of quotations*

EDIT: Subman, I have no time right now and may not tomorrow. Quick note: inspecting receipts and bags is not equivalent to arrest.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by The Avon Lady

EDIT: Subman, I have no time right now and may not tomorrow. Quick note: inspecting receipts and bags is not equivalent to arrest.

It is however detaining - and not legal in most states. My other articles should show you that it is a voluntary thing if you want to show a receipt. I never show them anything upon walking out of a store and there is nothing they can do to stop me either.

-S

[Sldghammer]

Ever shop at Costco?

They Mark I eyeball scan your items and your receipt before you leave the store.

And just about every store now scans your items. They do it inobtrousively
via rfd tags.

So you are already being searched electronically everywhere.

[SUBMAN1]

Yes - but with Costco, you waived that right when you signed for your membership. You could probably still walkout without them scanning your items, but you might lose your membership over it.

-S

[sunvalleyslim]

Well subman,
You're probably the same kind of guy that complains everytime you get a ticket. It's never your fault. And you've never commited a vilolation in your life. I think I might have actually stopped you before, or maybe it was your brother