Showing receipts at Wal-mart (or other stores), on your way out. ARGH!

I can't stand it when they do that. It's like they are punishing the honest people. I understand that shoplifting is a big problem, but I should think that shoplifters are going to be a bit more stealthy. I think the main reason they do it is to just get would-be theives thinking about it. I used to work for a major retail store when I was in high school and they had all kinds of fake security codes they would announce just to deter people from shoplifting. Judging from the number of people caught stealing at our store alone, I don't think it stopped much of anyone.

I always thought that was a little odd. But Wal-Mart seems to exibit odd behavior towards it workers and customers every so often. It's just another one of those things we have to get used to. It just seems so unnecessary. Just my opinion. Lloyd

If someone asked me to show my reciept on the way out of Walmart I would just tell them to get a life. What a dumb thing to do. I could have my pocket full of stuff and showing my receipt isn't going to tell them that. I will tell you that if some one tries to chase me down to see my receipt is in for a surprise they won't soon remember. :)

Hey, I started a similer discussion about this here a while back. You are so right! They do not stop everyone but they do me! Expecially this certain woman that works ther. She stops me everytime and lets others go on out. She claims if something is not in a bag then she needs to see the reciept. But I've seen her let others go out with a microave, dog food and other things not in a bag. I mentioned this recently to a lady that was ringing me up about her stopping me at the door and she said that the only reason they are suppose to stop you to see your reciept is if the alarm goes off, that they do not have the right to stop you if it doesn't! Now, whether that's tryue or not I don't know but I' a great mind to say something the next time she stops me. She acts like she hates me for some reason anyway, so what the heck, huh?

Oh slyviekitty, you have just stumbled onto one of my biggest pet peeves! First, I pay for my purchases with a debit card. So that I do not forget to come home and enter the purchse on my register, I wrap the receipt around the card and place it into the wallet slot. I always forget that some moron is going to want to see my receipt upon leaving. So I am stopped on the way out, I have to dig through my purse for my wallet, get out the card, unwrap the receipt for the moron to place a little blue check mark on the corner of the receipt!!! He/she has in no way cross -referenced the items on the receipt with the items in my bag/cart. He!!, I could have a package of stolen gum in there and they'd never know!! Then I have to wrap the receipt back around the card and put it all back into my purse. This makes absolutely no sense to me. One day I was in a really tight squeeze for time and didn't want to be late for an appointment. I just walked rapidly by the person, waved my hand and said, "No stolen goods here, I promise" and continued on to my car. (at a rapid pace) I fully expected blue lights to show up in my rearview mirror a few miles down the road from the reporting me, but no blue lights ever appeared! Surely there is a better way for them to monitor theft?!

I worked at Wal-Mart for a short time and I know that the "people greeters" aren't allowed to look at your items or receipt unless the alarm goes off. If you feel that they are doing it without reason, take it to the store manager, or the owner if there is one. That would be a violation of privacy if they don't have a reason.

i understand what you mean and i am also irritated by their actions... luckily, walmart already closed in my origin country and the place where i live now does not have this policy... yes, we have to show our bags on our way out if we do not purhcase anything from that store... but if we do purchase something and we go through the check-out, then nobody will check your bags... let alone your receipt... you just free to go after you pay... i agree with you... unless the alarm goes off, then they have to go back in again and have the security check their bags...

I've never run into anything like this at a Walmart. Maybe it has something to do with where the Walmart is located, or even with a particular manager and his whims. My Walmarts have all been pretty small town or rural where there isn't much need for security like this.

It depends on the person...unless we not get aware, we can't do nothing...

It's definitely a hassle to have to show your receipts on the way out, sometimes even causing a line towards the exit. They really just skim through the list in your receipt and don't check the bags entirely. It's really quite pointless. I just put up with it but we could definitely do qithout this extra step. I just wonder if indeed the stores have deterred shoplifters this way.

When we lived in Cali they did that only when we had a full cart with big items. He in South Carolina I haven't had to show a receipt unless they forgot to run an item over that thing so then it sets off the buzzing thing. But to me is no big deal. My husband worked for wal-mart for 6 years so I know a lot of stuff gets stolen and stuff so whatever they have to do.

I think unless they suspect you of stealing, they shouldn't be checking your receipt as you go out the door. I mean you just paid for the stuff, what, two minutes ago? That would have been the time for the cashier to check the bottom of the basket and any suspicious bulges in your pockets. But truth be told, I would rather they check my receipt than have the security sensor go off and an extremely rude person pounce on you. I quit shopping at Walmart for a long time because every time I went out the door with my purchases their alarm went off and I was detained and treated like a criminal until they could figure out that their ill-trained cashiers had forgotten to remove a security tag. At that point they would hand me back my receipt and send me on my way, no apology or anything. So as annoying as the marker wielders are, I prefer them to the door gestapo.

In some states they can not do that - they can only request (unless you are at a membership store like Sams) But here in Oklahoma they can request but you can deny it. Most people just do not know the can. Now - if you deny - they may assume that you are stealing - especially a brutha like me - so I go ahead and let them check.

I did the door at Sams Club for a few months, and it was on the membership application that you had to show your reciept. Most times we couldn't catch everything, but after you've done it for a while, you can recognize when people have forgotten items at the register, or have too many things in the cart. Also, people will take carts up (since things aren't bagged, it's easier) and hang out near the front, then try to say that the person with the receipt went to get the car. We caught people trying to steal all sorts of stuff this way, even giant screen TV's! I agree that it's a pain, and doesn't seem very useful, but we usually ended up helping people out rather than causing them problems.

I've never had that happen to me in Walmart, but, they do it in Costco. It drives me bonkers!! I refuse to stand in a line where the little marker guy has to put a line down my receipt. There is no way he's checking each and every item compared to the receipt. I walk right by the line with my stuff, if he wants to chase me down through the parking lot to see my receipt, more power to him. As you said, if the alarm goes off, well stop and check me. If not, leave the paying customer alone. Do they think this stops shoplifting? No way. OHHH, you've touched a nerve with me.

i hate this also. i have actually seen the door greeter standign there chatting with her little old lady friends and the door alarm goes off and she keeps chatting! I watched as the small group of teenagers walked out. I always feel like they single people out when they do the reciept checking also. I can understand around Christmas and holidays but not every single time. If i walk in and out buying 1 item i dont want to have to show you my recipet every single time...and what if you had things in there you did not want people to know about? I once had Christmas presents in my cart and some were for my husband...wo was standing right next to me. well she looked at the recipet and starting going thru bags...saying oh you must have a watch in here to have set the alarm off....i just looked at her like WHAT THE h&ll!!!!! Gee thanks you ol'geezer!

LOL... I have seen this alot at Wal-Mart also. Usually only during busy times like Holidays, Black friday shopping, couple weeks prior to Chrismas, etc. I agree, they have those things that beep when you go through if it wasn't fixed at the register. That is enough security. It's a major pain when you have already put your receipt away- dig it out- show them- have them not even look in the bags.. It's a pain!

I have seen this alot in walmart, but the only time I was actually stopped, and what most people are stopped for are larger items like TV's, gaming systems, anything a bit larger than most items. I agree that there's really no point to doing this unless the alarm goes off, but oh hell it's embarrassing when the person at the cash doesn't swipe the product right and it goes off..lol. That has happened to me 3 times now! I paid for it, dig out my reciept, and they take everything that has a little bar on it and go back and reswipe it until you stop setting off the alarms.

hi, don't ever get embarassed when somebody stop you and look you receipt if you have paid the things you bought in the store because they just doing their job they don't want also to their job if their supervisor if your not doing your job well.

but seriously, do they ever catch anyone stealing things this way? Seems like they just check random's people's receipt, and if they dont' chech what's in the bag I just don't get it.