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Is it legal for a retail store to stop a customer and demand the
receipt? Costco, Pace, CompUSA, Fry's, and Walmart are stores in
my area that require me to stop and wait in a small line to confirm
the receipt I was just handed.
Technically, it's my property. If I buzzed right on by I can think
of no law that I broke. But what if I were stopped and tackled or
something? Isn't there some type of illegal detainment law? Would
that fit the bill? Should I go bait companies for a nice settlement?
<just kidding>
I'm curious more than anything else. Strictly speaking, I think
the retailers are actually breaking the law themselves. But it's
doubtful anyone would ever go through the trouble of calling them
on it.
I've never had an employee tackle me. I did have one give me a
really hard time about walking around with property I purchased.
My wife and I had split up. She was inside the store with the
receipt when I went looking for her. I literally had to ask for
the cops myself before the bushy tailed employee would back down.
Crazy stuff..
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Is it legal for a retail store to stop a customer and demand the
receipt? Costco, Pace, CompUSA, Fry's, and Walmart are stores in
my area that require me to stop and wait in a small line to confirm
the receipt I was just handed.
I suspect it's not (in the sense that they do not have the legal
right to FORCE you do that), but I don't make a big deal of this
(and I'm fairly sure that ASKING you for the receipt is not illegal).
However, I won't *WAIT*. I just head out the door. If they stop
me and ask to see my receipt, I'll show it to them (it's probably
in my hand with the bag, in plain view, anyway). If they stay with
the guy at the head of the line, I'll go right through without
getting stopped (maybe a third of the time). If they go after me
and abandon the guy at the head of the line (happened maybe twice),
several people in line will probably walk on by. Usually, there's
no line, and if they approach me I'll let them see the receipt for
the 10 seconds or so it takes.
What gets me is the number of times they DID look at the receipt
and didn't look at what I was carrying. Several times I have
purchased some large storage boxes. EVERY TIME I have also purchased
something else, put into the box (cause the storage boxes take both
hands to carry) I had to remind both the cashier to ring up the
stuff in the box, and the door checker didn't look in the box to
see if I had a quarter million in processors and memory sticks in
there. What were those door checkers supposed to check, again?
Technically, it's my property. If I buzzed right on by I can think
of no law that I broke. But what if I were stopped and tackled or
something?
If they yelled at me to stop, I'd stop. If they complain that I
went right past their sign, what sign? Oh, the one with all the
people blocking view of it? Here, look at my receipt. I still
won't WAIT. If they tackle me BEFORE asking me to stop, expect
a lawsuit.
Isn't there some type of illegal detainment law? Would
that fit the bill? Should I go bait companies for a nice settlement?
I think they're in trouble if they TACKLE you. You could easily
hurt someone from scrapes, twisted ankle, or whatever. And I will
stop if they just ask me, personally. I've never had one ask me
to stand in a line.
<just kidding>
I'm curious more than anything else. Strictly speaking, I think
the retailers are actually breaking the law themselves. But it's
doubtful anyone would ever go through the trouble of calling them
on it.
I believe ASKING for a receipt is not illegal. Intimidating you
into standing in a line is probably not illegal. Forcing you to
stop (tackling, using handcuffs, etc.) is. The only times I was
actually FORCED to stop was when they managed to block the exit
with a large line of shopping carts (one guy trying to push and
guide about 30 feet of carts) and the other when someone's refrigerator
got stuck in the door ruts. I don't think they checked my receipt
either time. The blockage only lasted a few minutes.
Semi-related stupid questions:
You find a Fry's employee in your living room wearing a ski mask,
at 2AM, holding your DVD player and the crowbar he used to break
in your front door. Do you have the right to stop him from leaving
(by, say, blocking the door, tackling, or threatening him with your
Doberman)? Can you legally force him to leave behind his crowbar?
Do you have to ask for the receipt for the crowbar first?
You are in an auto accident with a Fry's truck. Fault is, well,
arguable. The driver refuses to identify himself, show a driver's
license, or give insurance info. He tries to leave. Can you legally
hold him (using means beyond telling him that leaving the scene of
an accident is illegal) until the police you called on your cellphone
arrive?
Gordon L. Burditt
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Kevin wrote:
Is it legal for a retail store to stop a customer and demand the
receipt? Costco, Pace, CompUSA, Fry's, and Walmart are stores in
my area that require me to stop and wait in a small line to confirm
the receipt I was just handed.
Technically, it's my property. If I buzzed right on by I can think
of no law that I broke. But what if I were stopped and tackled or
something? Isn't there some type of illegal detainment law? Would
that fit the bill? Should I go bait companies for a nice settlement?
<just kidding>
I'm curious more than anything else. Strictly speaking, I think
the retailers are actually breaking the law themselves. But it's
doubtful anyone would ever go through the trouble of calling them
on it.
I've never had an employee tackle me. I did have one give me a
really hard time about walking around with property I purchased.
My wife and I had split up. She was inside the store with the
receipt when I went looking for her. I literally had to ask for
the cops myself before the bushy tailed employee would back down.
Crazy stuff..
Legally they can "request" you do so.
If you wished to leave the store without stopping and being checked, that is
your privilege.
Remember, they are not officers of the law and have no right to "tackle" you
once outside the store. This could be assault and battery on their part.
Many companies require you to submit to a vehicle search upon exiting the
property.
As a security guard, I did just that at many locations.
If any one decided to go by me, there was nothing I could do about it
legally.
That would have been up to the company to decide what action to take.
So what's the harm in taking another minute or so to let some minimum wage
employee check your receipt?
Hell, you have a shopping cart full of stuff, he's not gonna sit there and
go through each and every item while a dozen people are waiting behind you.
It's a minor nuisance you can live with.
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So what's the harm in taking another minute or so to let some minimum wage
employee check your receipt?
Hell, you have a shopping cart full of stuff, he's not gonna sit there and
go through each and every item while a dozen people are waiting behind you.
It's a minor nuisance you can live with.
I have had to wait in line at Sam's while the checker did exactly
that to a whole flat cart full of stuff- they are supposed to do an
item count on every person leaving, and some do exactly that. Slowly.
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