What’s the legality on this at a grocery store?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was grocery shopping. Spent $200 on groceries, had them bagged and was making my way out the store when the greeter shouted for me to stop. I didn’t make the correlation that he was speaking to me, so he ran and followed me into the vestibule of the store where he demanded to see my receipt, said he had to see my receipt to prove I paid for the soda at the bottom of my cart. I couldn’t remember in which bad I stuffed the receipt, but he made me stand there until I found it, then scanned the receipt for the sodas. It was so bizarre. I had a $30lb roast and a weeks worth of other meats in my cart valuing so much more, yet I was accosted over $16 worth of soda.

I had to run to pick up my kids, but I so badly wanted to speak to a manager (I’m not a Karen, but this was a little humiliating.) I’m over it now but I’m wondering the legalities of forcing me to stand there and search my bags for a receipt? It seems like an odd practice.

The only time I've seen this done and/or stopped is at Costco or Wal-Mart. At both places the person is placed right at the door and you really can't pass them without realizing they want to see your receipt. If the store doesn't have that system set up and they are just spot-checking then I think this employee went too far. Plus, if all your stuff is bagged then they should give you the benefit of the doubt.

It wasn't bagged. The soda was in the bottom or underneath her cart. Also, am surprised that DCUM being DCUM, no one has commented to ask who still drinks soda.

[Anonymous]

Here's some more case law from Florida:

https://casetext.com/case/archer-v-wal-mart-stores-e-lp-1

[Anonymous]

I’ve had this happen to me, at a store I went to nearly every day. The guy comes running out, saying I didn’t complete my transaction. I held up my receipt and he apologized and walked off.

There is some fuzzy legal stuff around this, called shopkeeper’s privilege.

[Anonymous]

So many people these days playing lawyer. I'm a paralegal, not an attorney. We had a client - a male, 22 years old - insist that his arrest was unlawful because "he was never read his rights". I asked him if the police asked him any questions. He said, "does it matter?". LOL

[Anonymous]

People - this is a troll thread.

Do not respond to it.

[Anonymous]

Be mad at the shoplifters who make this necessary not the poor people forced to try to stop them. Also who is embarrassed at the grocery. Check my receipt, audit my self scanner, I don't care. Weirdly sensitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was grocery shopping. Spent $200 on groceries, had them bagged and was making my way out the store when the greeter shouted for me to stop. I didn’t make the correlation that he was speaking to me, so he ran and followed me into the vestibule of the store where he demanded to see my receipt, said he had to see my receipt to prove I paid for the soda at the bottom of my cart. I couldn’t remember in which bad I stuffed the receipt, but he made me stand there until I found it, then scanned the receipt for the sodas. It was so bizarre. I had a $30lb roast and a weeks worth of other meats in my cart valuing so much more, yet I was accosted over $16 worth of soda.

I had to run to pick up my kids, but I so badly wanted to speak to a manager (I’m not a Karen, but this was a little humiliating.) I’m over it now but I’m wondering the legalities of forcing me to stand there and search my bags for a receipt? It seems like an odd practice.

Oh sweet one, you are a Karen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous[b wrote:]Once you pay, you own those items. Him attempting to stop you or stopping you could be deemed false imprisonment. If they think you stole something, they chose call the police. He should have asked the cashier first whether she rang them up. [/quo[/b]te]


False. She's on private property. They have every right to detain if they think a theft has occurred. Stop playing lawyer on the internet

You should, actually.

—Paralegal who just consulted an actual lawyer

You should consult the same lawyer about providing legal advice to someone when you are not a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

This happened to me recently (for the first time ever.) I was stopped at the door and asked for my receipt.

Later I realized it was probably because I was using my own reusable shopping bags.

[Anonymous]

If this happened to me I would say "oh sorry, didn't know you were talking to me hang on, sure let me find that receipt for you because I'm sure people walk out of here without paying for stuff all the time." And I would have dug around, handed over the receipt in a pleasant fashion, smiled and wished them a good day, and gone on with my life like any normal well adjusted person would do.

It must be exhausting to be you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If this happened to me I would say "oh sorry, didn't know you were talking to me hang on, sure let me find that receipt for you because I'm sure people walk out of here without paying for stuff all the time." And I would have dug around, handed over the receipt in a pleasant fashion, smiled and wished them a good day, and gone on with my life like any normal well adjusted person would do.

It must be exhausting to be you.

This. I can't believe there are three pages of responses supporting the OP, like nerve of employee to realize within 30 seconds of completing a transaction that they might have made a mistake and just want to double check. What's wrong with people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's legal. They did not force you to stand there. You could have just gone about your way

Only he did. He kept his hand on my cart and blocked me exiting. I’m sure he was assigned this task but I wonder if he took it too far.

But was he actually stopping you from leaving? Did you ask him to move, and he refused? Did you start to move your cart and he pushed back on your cart? Just because he was positioned in front of your cart and had his hand resting on your cart does not mean he was forcing you to stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see the big deal in this, if on store property. But I like proving people wrong. Dude here's my receipt. Check it. And I will roll my eyes and smirk at you when you feel like your attempt at badassry was thwarted by me being in the right. Byeeeeee.

+1 seriously what is the big deal. You are on store property and he’s verifying something you are about to exit the store with is indeed your property. Hand on the cart which is his employers property is far from detaining you. You seem to be looking for trouble.

[Anonymous]

If a store I frequented did this I might let it go once. The second time I’d vote with my feet.

If places are worried about shoplifting due to self checkout…maybe uh, hire some cashiers! I don’t want to check myself out anyway!

[Anonymous]

In loss protection it’s what they call a “bad stop” and LP people often lose their job over it.