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Respectfully, you missed the whole point. The Walmart employee is a civilian and not empowered to make a non-felony criminal stop. When he attempted to he became the criminal as he was initiating an assault. To wit the “customer” was well within his rights to defend himself from a potential threat. Had the Walmart employee tried this on an armed individual he may well be more than just unemployed.

Moreover, ask yourself what gives you the right to check anybody’s bag/possesion/property/etc? A Walmart vest? Once a customer has moved past the cash register what is in those plastic bags is the customers property and not subject to search without probable cause unless determined by Law Enforcement. It can get more complicated than this but that’s the simple explanation.

Again, reverse the role. You just made a lawful purchase and are walking out to your car. Somebody tries to stop and harass you in the parking lot under the guise of checking your bags. What are you going to do? Submit to some stranger and forgo your rights just because they have a Walmart vest? Only if you are a sheeple.
Unfortunately too many citizens have been conditioned to submit to ANY perceived authority, including Walmart.

I have a feeling your whole thought process is based on a presumption of guilt. Remember, the electronic tags and exit alarms give false alarms over 99% of the time. Is this justifiable cause? The answer is a resounding no! These machines are simply intimidation devices. Anybody who submits to one is a sheeple.

Personally I think the greeter position is a total waste. The money they spend on harassing good customers should be spent bagging our groceries and bringing carts in from the parking lot to prevent door dings. However, stores justify the greeters by saying that they are the first step in loss prevention. By meeting people at the door, potential thieves are supposed to be made aware that they are watched and not just blending in. Hence they are supposedly less likely to shop-lift. This may have been true 20 years ago but these days shoplifters are de-sensitized to greeters and basically ignore them. Really what criminal is going to be intimidated by a 70-year-old greeter who should be at home relaxing in retirement?

I spent 10 years in Retail including some big box stores, Loss Prevention in those same stores and Law Enforcement. My opinions are based on what I learned on the job, company policies and basic human nature. Remember criminals by definition don’t respect your laws.