A WALMART customer raged against the store’s controversial receipt checking policy.

The customer shared his short answer, which allowed him to avoid having to stop with the staff.

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Receipt checking is a measure introduced by many retailers to protect against theft.

This is an employee who stands between the checkout area and the exit.

Buyers could then be stopped and asked to show their proof of purchase.

The employee then checks the receipt and the items purchased before letting the buyer go.

Gus (@DodgerGus_) explained why he would never participate in this action in the business.

“It is against the law to hold you against your will @Walmart, that is kidnapping,” Gus claimed in a post on X.

“And no, I don’t have to show you my receipt.”

Gus also shared with other shoppers the four words he used during encounters with receipt checkers at Walmart.

“If you are reading this, just leave. They cannot detain you or take you into custody, it is against the law,” he added.

As The US Sun previously reported, different stores have different laws regarding the right to check receipts.

Shopkeepers are protected under US law by what is known as shopkeeper’s privilege.

This means that stores have the right to detain suspected shoplifters on their premises if there is reasonable suspicion of theft.

However, simply refusing to show the receipt is not enough to deter a customer.

“There must be an actual reason to believe that the person has stolen or is attempting to steal,” explain the experts at Legal Match.

A lawyer’s 5 best tips for checking receipts

Camron Dowlatshahi, a Los Angeles-based attorney, spoke to The US Sun about checking receipts and the rights and options customers have when asked to show their receipt.

1. There has been a lot of debate about whether it is legal for a retailer to ask for the receipt, but if they are in the store, it is perfectly legal. “There seems to be nothing illegal about it. They are still on the premises and their reason for doing it is to prevent theft,” confirms Dowlatshahi.
2. But if they chase you out of the store, that changes things, Dowlatshahi said. “Location is important,” he explained. “If you’re standing outside the store, in the parking lot, and they come and start accusing you of theft and say you have to show your receipt, I think that’s a little bit of a different situation because now you can leave.”
3. Customers are allowed to refuse to check receipts, but if you do and the store suspects you of theft, it can cause problems. “You can say no, but you might be causing unnecessary trouble because the police will have to come to your home and investigate,” Dowlatshahi said.
4. If you are prevented from leaving a store because you refused to accept a receipt, you could take legal action against it – but the store must have detained you for a long time. “If let’s say it lasts for hours, then that is certainly false imprisonment and they had no incentive to do it,” Dowlatshahi explained. “If a customer has been emotionally traumatized by the false imprisonment, I would definitely advise them to sue.”
5. “I would say show your receipt,” he concluded. “It’s very simple. If you didn’t steal anything, it’s relatively easy,” the lawyer advised.

(According to Camron Dowlatshahi, founding partner at Mills Sadat Dowlat LLP)

“A merchant cannot invoke his shopkeeper’s privilege to prevent someone from doing so without good reason.

“This requires sufficient suspicion, not just a hunch or suspicion.”

MEMBER RULES

Despite this law, buyers are required to show their proof of purchase at certain retailers.

Customers of member stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club agreed to a receipt check when registering to visit the warehouses.

“To ensure all members are correctly billed for merchandise purchased, all receipts and merchandise are inspected as they leave the warehouse,” Costco says on its website.

This approach has not angered all warehouse buyers, with one describing it as “great.”