Target requires airtight video proof before it will accuse anyone of shoplifting. Wal-Mart, on the other hand, gets its jollies off by making false accusations against innocent people.

Twitter ^ | May 13, 2025 | https://x.com/DanielAlmanPGH/status/1922462825051480512

[grundle]

Target requires airtight video proof before it will accuse anyone of shoplifting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JtA0eR9kIo

Wal-Mart, on the other hand, gets its jollies off by making false accusations against innocent people:

https://x.com/Mappy6984/status/1921904453122158604

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: crymore; target; theft; walmart

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Sunday my wife and I were doing self-checkout at Walmart when a warning message came up on the screen and it showed a video of me from above doing something that the AI interpreted as suspect. One of the clerks came over and cleared it.

The point is, besides surveillance cameras everwhere includinng the checkout kiosks, Walmart is using AI to flag suspected theft.

We are on the cusp of robocop world.

[Leaning Right]

I must reluctantly defend Walmart here. In the video it appears that a Walmart shopper did not show her receipt upon request. And that set things off.

Just show the receipt. It’s a Walmart rule, and everyone knows it. It’s also 100% a property rights issue. Walmart is private property. They have every right to make their own rules.

Some folks think that rule is intrusive, and demeaning. They well could be right. Then go shop somewhere else.

[4Runner]

I don’t know where the Walmart allegation comes from. It’s not that way where I live. I’ve walked in on couples trying to steal dog collars and leashes in the local Supercenter. They snuck the dog in under a sweatshirt then put it down on the floor fitted it with a collar and leash from the dog aisle when they thought no one was looking (I was). Then they walked the dog out of the store. Nobody was detained for anything. No law enforcement presence anywhere. They got away with maybe sixty bucks worth of stolen goods. Welcome to South America North.

[fireman15]

Well, you will be happy to know that shoplifters rob our local Walmart blind and get away with it. My wife saw a man dressed in a full HIJAB in the woman’s restroom stuffing packages under it. She reported him and the security people said that there was nothing that they could do even though you could see the corners of the boxes showing through.

We followed them into the parking lot and two middle eastern looking guys through their ill-gotten gain in the back of a large BMW.

[Telepathic Intruder]

You either put your hand in your pocket or you took your hand out of your pocket. Who knows what could have been in that hand or in that pocket?

[virgil]

There should be an item limit on self check out. Sometimes people just make mistakes, they forget to ring up something on the bottom rack of the cart or just overlook something. They get distracted. Many times I have saved the cashier from making these kinds of mistakes.

[4Runner]

I've decided showing the receipt is a way for Walmart to crack down on losses due to cashier failure to scan certain large un-baggable items in a shopper's cart.

Sometimes large items in carts will go un-scanned by the cashier with the store losing a lot on the sale. I have no problem showing a receipt for the store to protect itself from employee error.

I don't feel as though it's any reflection on me as the shopper. Also, if all purchases are bagged by the cashier I am never stopped for a check. It's only when there are items too large to be bagged that are visible in the cart that I'll get asked to show the receipt. Which makes sense. .

[PAR35]

General rule of thumb at the big Walmart that I go to is they look at unbagged items in your cart. I’ve never seen them look in a bag. I always scan the unbagged items last, and if they ask for a receipt, I tell them the unbagged items are at the bottom of the list. Last time I was there, I was profiled and he gave a discrete hand signal for me to keep going.

At the Walmart grocery I usually go to, I’ve never seen them check at the exits, although I have seen them detain a couple of people. But I went to one in a richer part of town, and they had a gate at the exit and were checking everyone.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Hand nowhere near pocket. My wife thinks it was because I reached over the shopping cart for something.

[catnipman]

BS: it’s not a walmart “rule” ... there’s no signs posted to that effect ... and it’s ridiculous to claim “everybody knows it” ... Walmart has no legal right to demand to see a receipt, and if they attempt to detain someone who doesn’t display a receipt for something they’ve legally purchased, then walmart can be sued AND criminally prosecuted for kidnap ...

[mass55th]

"Just show the receipt. It’s a Walmart rule, and everyone knows it."

We have B.J.'s Wholesale Club in my area...central NY State. In every B.J.'s I've shopped at for over 40 years, no matter where I've been, you always have to give your receipt to the person at the exit, so they can check off the number of items in your cart.

We have very little crime where I live, but even the Walmart here has shut down its self-checkout aisles, and closed every other machine in their larger self-checkout area.

The local Marketside 32 (Price Chopper) store has two sections for self-checkout, but they usually only have one of them open, even if there are lines.

[Jeff Chandler]

The receipt check only occurs at the Walmarts around here that are in the sketchier areas. The closest Walmart does not. It is also clean and nice. Ten minutes away is the Walmart with armed guards. The started that after somebody got shot.

[beaversmom]

I feel sorry for the WM guy. He is just trying to do his job. The customer sounds like an a-hole. Talking about the guy losing his job. The guy doesn’t make that much. Leave the guy alone. Show your frickin’ receipt and quit recording every damn interaction so you can get your 15 minutes. Makes me mad this constant need to try to humiliate people that are peons just like “you”.

[catnipman]

here is what grok3 says:

“can walmart demand a receipt for something a customer paid for upon exist and if a person does not comply, can walmart legally detain them?”

Walmart, like other retailers, can request to see a receipt when a customer exits to verify purchases, especially for high-value or unbagged items, as part of their loss prevention policy. However, this is not a legal mandate, and customers are generally not obligated to comply unless specific state or local laws apply.

If a customer refuses to show a receipt, Walmart’s ability to detain them is limited. Under U.S. law, retailers can detain a person only if they have probable cause to believe the individual has shoplifted, based on the “shopkeeper’s privilege” doctrine, which varies by state. Probable cause typically requires direct observation of theft, such as seeing the customer conceal an item or bypass payment. Refusing to show a receipt alone does not constitute probable cause for detention in most jurisdictions.

If Walmart detains a customer without sufficient evidence, they risk legal consequences, including claims of false imprisonment or civil rights violations. However, if a customer is suspected of shoplifting and probable cause exists (e.g., security footage or employee observation), Walmart can legally detain them briefly to investigate, contact law enforcement, or recover stolen goods, depending on state laws.

In practice, Walmart’s policy often involves asking for receipts at the door, but escalation to detention is rare unless there’s clear evidence of theft. Customers can politely decline to show a receipt and leave unless confronted with a specific accusation backed by evidence. If detained, customers should remain calm, avoid physical resistance, and request clarification of the reason for detention while asserting their rights.

[catnipman]

BJs, Costco, and Sam’s Club are membership stores that can be utilized only by members who purchase an annual membership and show said membership card to enter, and these stores are otherwise NOT OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. ... period ...

There’s a laundry list of contractual “rules” members are required to follow to maintain their membership, and showing their card to enter and their receipt to exit are a couple of those rules ...

[mass55th]

"BJs, Costco, and Sam’s Club are membership stores that can be utilized only by members who purchase an annual membership and show said membership card to enter"

I've been a member of B.J.'s for over 40 years, and have never had to show my card upon entering. Of course you have to scan your card before you can check out, but they've always asked to see your receipt upon exiting.

[Leaning Right]

> Walmart has no legal right to demand to see a receipt… <

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. I see it as a property rights issue. Not much different than some fancy restaurant requiring male customers to wear a suit and tie.

About the kidnapping thing. It’s a brief detainment that in most states a shopkeeper is legally allowed to do. And I’m okay with that. Your mileage may vary.

You do make a fair point regarding the signage. The more signs clearly stating company policy, the better.

[NorthMountain]

For some odd reason, the Wal*Mart exit guards never ask me to show a receipt ... even when they’re demanding it of others.

[Morgana]

This is why I always us the cashier and never self check out at wally weird. That way if there is a mistake it’s their fault.