You saw me at the register so why the hell do I gotta show my receipt?

[VComps]

Well, yes and no - once you buy your stuff from the store, all nice and paid for - it's now no longer their merchandise, it's your property. Searching the bag is no different than them demanding to go through your pockets.

I think what gets on my nerves with the whole receipt checking thing (again, as has been mentioned, Sam's Club & Costco are a different kettle of fish since they're private members' clubs) is that they are, in essence, telling me to prove that I'm not a thief.

Uh, no, sparky, that's not the way it works here. I don't have to prove that I'm not breaking the law. You have to prove that I am. I just hate that attitude that some retailers have that every customer is a thief unless proven otherwise.

Um, end of rant.

[jjllbb]

Some people are so silly.

I always just smile, say "no thank you" and keep walking.

Ariana do you mean you wouldn't show the receipt if the employee asked you to?

Bright Star, what do you do if a customer refuses to show you the receipt and tries to walk past you?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I can only speak for myself, but I think I'd show the receipt. Although I can't remember being asked to do this in years.

I certainly wouldn't get all bunged up and go off on the door person who's just doing as his/her managers directed.

If you weren't to show the receipt, I can't imagine the door greeter doing anything as a matter of policy, unless the store's hankering to write out a humongous check to somebody as a result of the false arrest lawsuit they'd then be facing.

[EricKei]

Uh, no, sparky, that's not the way it works here. I don't have to prove that I'm not breaking the law. You have to prove that I am. I just hate that attitude that some retailers have that every customer is a thief unless proven otherwise.

Um, end of rant.

Fair enough ^_^

I'm sure from their point of view, however, refusing to show the receipt is tantamount to refusing to show your ID to a cop who pulled you over (effectively an admission of guilt)...Yes, many megacorps are indeed just that full of themselves. Keep in mind that these people make the doorpeople do this stuff, knowing that those who write these policies will never, ever have to do it themselves...or take that (theoretical) risk.

< / 's advocate >

[fma_fanatic]

At Sams & the other warehouse membership places it is a condition of your membership to allow them to check your bags on the way out.... but at a regular store, the ownership of the product conveys to me as soon as I pay for it.

You have no right to search someones personal property without their consent. I never do it... Even if you post a sign it does not trump the Constitution. Sorry!

Even so... whenever I see this being done the guy with the yellow pen is just marking receipts without even looking so what's the point!?

The problem is, I have yet to see someone at Sam's honestly check for every single item I purchase when I hand them the receipt. Case in point, SO and I went today. I handed over the receipt and he just drew a mark on it and handed it back to me. No looking, nothing.

Yet I was questioned thoroughly when I went in earlier in the week to pick up a prescription my doctor called in, receipt stapled on the bag. I finally had to tell them to either let me go or get a manager because I was going to be late getting back to work from my lunch break.

[greensinestro]

Why people get so upset to show a receipt when it just takes a few seconds boggles my mind.

It's for the same reason they get upset when carded for alcohol. Even if they are over 21 and have nothing to hide, they still like to give someone a hard time, like in your case.

[fma_fanatic]

See, I don't mind showing my receipt. I just think (and yes this is probably going to be SC mentality) that if you're going to require it, do the job. Just don't position someone there to pretend to have some authority to draw a squiggly line or act as if it's a huge deal to look at things.

Someone else mentioned Fry's. My ex was notorious for refusing to stop when it came to leaving the store. He'd breeze right past the cavity checkers (as he called them) and ignore them when they'd call to him. It got to the point where I would wait at least a couple of minutes after he went in. I did not in any way want to be associated with him because of his behavior.

[Anriana]

Ariana do you mean you wouldn't show the receipt if the employee asked you to?

Correct. I don't shop at membership stores so I have no obligation to waste time with letting my purchases be checked, so I just keep walking.

[Gravekeeper]

Put me in the 'I don't see why stopping for 3 seconds to get the receipt marked is such a big deal to people" category. They're just doing their job. We of all people should be able to understand and sympathize. -.-

The only places that do that around here are Costco, Best Buy and Futureshop ( But only when they're really busy ).

I can understand why with all 3 to be honest. With Costco it'd be ridiculously easy to hide something and walk out with it. Same goes for Best Buy and Futureshop. They tend to have very big stores with very small items that are extremely expensive.

Still, its corporate policy. I'd never blame a front line drone for corporate policy.

[Mordecai]

Put me in the 'I don't see why stopping for 3 seconds to get the receipt marked is such a big deal to people" category. They're just doing their job. We of all people should be able to understand and sympathize. -.-

The only places that do that around here are Costco, Best Buy and Futureshop ( But only when they're really busy ).

I can understand why with all 3 to be honest. With Costco it'd be ridiculously easy to hide something and walk out with it. Same goes for Best Buy and Futureshop. They tend to have very big stores with very small items that are extremely expensive.

Still, its corporate policy. I'd never blame a front line drone for corporate policy.

Well said. I'm not gonna lie, I'd prefer if I could just walk out and not have my bag checked, but I understand why the policy is there and I know the person checking the bags didn't come up with the policy. If it truly was that big of a deal to me, I'd just shop at a different store.

[TimmyHate]

A lot of people are mentioning legality - if a store has a clearly posted policy stating that bags etc can be checked, then you have to abide by those terms to be on the store grounds. It is private property and they can set whatever requrements. They CANNOT demand you to strip or do any kind of physical search (or infact physically restrain you) but they can impose conditions on you being on their grounds.

Disclaimer: IANAL and this is my interpretation of the legality/not.

[thelong1]

Put me in the category of not giving a damn about showing my receipt or having a bag checked too. I'm not stealing anything, I have nothing to hide, I don't feel that my precious ownership rights are being infringed upon, I can spare the 3 seconds and the person asking is only doing their job. I don't get pissed off at the guy at McDonalds for asking me if I'd like fries with that or if I'd like to get the large size, even when I didn't order the fries or the large size. It's their job and those of you who breeze on by or just say "no thank you" are giving them a hard time when they are trying to do their job. It's the same entitlement bullshit that everyone who frequents this site deals with on a daily basis. If the 105 year old woman who checks the receipts at the local Walmart I go to had a computer I'm sure she would be posting about SC's who give her a hard time when she asks to see their receipts. Sorry about the rant but this is the most hippocrital thread I've read on this site yet. We are here to support people who work in customer service and hopefully learn ways we can be better customers ourselves.

[Anriana]

. I don't get pissed off at the guy at McDonalds for asking me if I'd like fries with that or if I'd like to get the large size, even when I didn't order the fries or the large size. It's their job and those of you who breeze on by or just say "no thank you" are giving them a hard time when they are trying to do their job.

No, giving them a hard time is doing what the person in the OP did. Unless you're going to argue that saying "no thank you" to someone at McDonald's who asks you if you want fries is giving them a hard time too?

It's the same entitlement bullshit that everyone who frequents this site deals with on a daily basis.

No, it would be entitlement if I said "Do you know who I am? How dare you ask for my receipt?" or "I'm so important! Weren't you watching when I checked out at the register?" Declining something I'm not required to do is not hypocritical entitlement bs - would you also like to argue that turning down extended warranty plans and score cards is hypocritical because it's not supporting retail workers who may depend on me saying "yes" to keep their job?

[Pagan]

I hope the guy enjoyed whatever the hell he lifted, cause I sure as hell didn't set off the door.

He didn't necessarily steal anything. Sometimes cell phones set those things off. My jump drive did it one time. And sometimes they just go off by themselves. Heard one going for almost 10 minutes at work the other night.

The problem is, I have yet to see someone at Sam's honestly check for every single item I purchase when I hand them the receipt.

You should come shop at the one I go to. They always look, make sure things match up, and don't take much time. And they are all some of the nicest people I've run into.

[Mordecai]

No, giving them a hard time is doing what the person in the OP did. Unless you're going to argue that saying "no thank you" to someone at McDonald's who asks you if you want fries is giving them a hard time too?



No, it would be entitlement if I said "Do you know who I am? How dare you ask for my receipt?" or "I'm so important! Weren't you watching when I checked out at the register?" Declining something I'm not required to do is not hypocritical entitlement bs - would you also like to argue that turning down extended warranty plans and score cards is hypocritical because it's not supporting retail workers who may depend on me saying "yes" to keep their job?

Saying "no thanks" to someone suggestive selling is a bit different than refusing to allow an employee to check your shopping bag, especially if it's at a store that requires it, like Sam's Club or Fry's. This isn't a case of someone trying to keep their sales quota up, they're making sure that you have everything that you paid for. I'll say this again: If you don't agree with a store's policies, don't shop there.