Don’t tolerate retail receipt checks
Not everyone minds being shepherded through a receipt checking blockade in supermarkets and retail stores. Many folks, in fact, will gladly turn their receipts and the contents of their shopping carts over for inspection, according to a recent Havelock Scoop poll.
Eight of 19 respondents said they “gladly” show their receipts when asked. Another eight said they participate, but don’t like to do so. Just one said he or she refuses all bag and receipt checks — an answer more people should give.
Blogger David Pelfrey wrote an excellent essay on receipt checking — a growing practice among retail stores. A portion of it is excerpted below; click here to read the full post.
Here’s a scenario that is familiar to anyone who has ever set foot in Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite-Aid, or any of a dozen other major retailers. After you have made a purchase, collected your bags, or packed everything into a shopping cart, you head for the exit. Just as you approach freedom an alarm sounds (usually a sequence of ugly, electronic grunts) and a robotic voice (always female) announces: “Please return to the checkout.” Other customers immediately look in your direction, and an employee begins to approach you. What’s your next move?
If you possess an ounce of personal pride or perhaps two ounces of fortitude, then the 100 percent correct move is to proceed immediately out the door. Why? There are many reasons, chief among them being that rational adults should not instantly obey mechanical voices (unless that voice instructs us to exit a burning aircraft). Also, if you haven’t stolen anything and therefore do not require interrogation, there is absolutely nothing that should compel you to linger post-transaction. It’s depressing enough simply being there in the first place.
Another good reason to make a quick exit is that you aren’t being paid to assist some giant retailer with its security measures. You aren’t part of the team, and you didn’t clock in. The clearest reason for leaving the store, however, is that there exists absolutely no legal obligation to remain there, and the store has no right to detain you.