A LAWYER has stressed that Walmart workers can't force shoppers to comply with receipt checks unless they have a crucial excuse.
Receipt checks were implemented at the retail giant as an anti-theft measure to curb rampant shoplifting rates across the United States.
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Walmart CEO Doug McMillon noted in December 2022 that theft rates were already at a "historic high" for the company, leading them to make receipt checks part of a few adjustments in 2023 and 2024.
Shoppers haven't necessarily been too fond of the checks, however, with several taking to social media to call out employees waiting to confirm their purchases near the exits of store locations.
Many have refused to stop for the checks, with some arguing they're not legally required to do so, and many lawyers have confirmed customers' suspicions, per Legal Definitions.
In most cases, shoppers aren't required to stop for a receipt check at Walmart and can not be forced to.
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Additionally, those who respond and permit employees to check their receipts are also subsequently allowing them to search their bags, according to the legal site.
The only scenario in which staff at Walmart could detain a shopper is by using a law that many states have called Shopkeeper's Privilege.
To claim they used the law to detain a customer, employees must have had prior suspicion of shoplifting through other behaviors or actions they exhibited for probable cause.
This could be witnessing a shopper stick an item in their pocket without paying or changing the barcodes on merchandise.
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Failure to comply with this law could result in shoppers being banned from the store entirely.
It's important to note that if a staff member at Walmart doesn't have probable cause to detain you, it would be illegal for them to do so.
When invoked, the Shopkeeper's Privilege also must be conducted on store grounds, and customers suspected of theft can only be held for a reasonable amount of time before police arrive.
The basic answer to the receipt check is, without probable cause to establish Shopkeeper's Privilege, a receipt check inquiry can be refused legally at Walmart.
Even so, many lawyers have stressed that despite knowing your rights in the situation, it may not be in the best interest of shoppers to deny the receipt check.
There's always the possibility a customer could be illegally detained, or that they could be banned for causing a scene to do a Walmart location being private property, according to Legal Definitions.
Police could also come to investigate after a shopper leaves who refused a receipt check and, if later found guilty of committing a crime, they could face serious consequences.
STOP OR GO?
As The U.S. Sun previously reported,Michigan-based attorney Steve Lehto (@stevelehto) explained in avideo on YouTube that there's another reason shoppers shouldn't waste their time refusing a receipt check.
Lehto argued that shoppers trying to refuse a receipt check as a way of sticking it to companies like Walmart would be better off heading to a different retailer if they truly wanted to stand against the policy.
"You walked out that door and you 'taught that guy a lesson' because you don't want to start in that long march down the road to leftism, socialism..." Lehto said.
"But Walmart's got your money."
"All that happened is you went into a store whose policies you disagree with, and you gave them your money," he added.
"You are a sheep."
Still, some members of law enforcement, like Texas Constable WayneThompson, have also confirmed that receipt checks are not required at Walmart, saying customers can "walk on by."
“There is no law (penal code) that allows a store to demand you show your receipt,” the constable told CBS affiliateKHOU.
Again, that's with the exception of Shopkeeper's Privilege.
It's also important to note that at membership-based stores like Costco and Sam's Club, shoppers must comply with receipt checks due to it being in the terms and conditions of membership agreements.
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For more related content, check out The U.S. Sun's coverage of why Sam's Club shoppers are rejoicing over a recent policy change that could seemingly end receipt checks.
The U.S. Sun also has the story of a Costco shopper who says they're "done" with receipt checks, but there's a catch.
