COSTCO CAN ASK FOR for your receipt on the way out the door because Costco is a membership retailer. As a Costco member, you agree to the paper pat-down. The Target store in Glendale Galleria, on the other hand, is not a membership store. Anyone can shop there. But Target still posts guards to check receipts at the exits. How it went down today:
Rent-a-cop: "May I see your receipt, sir?"
Me: "I don't have to show it."
Rent-a-cop, pointing to my 35-pound tub of cat litter: "If it's not in a bag, I need to see your receipt."
Me: "This isn't a membership-based retailer."
Rent-a-cop, figuring no one's stealing a 35-pound tub of cat litter: "OK, you can go."
There's no reason to put up with it, fellow Target shoppers. A New Mexico Walmart ceased its receipt-checking practice when one of their customers complained. And, truthfully, I don't think the Glendale guard's heart was in it. Maybe he knows deep down that no one has to comply. |
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12 comments:
One look at the political contributions made by Target and its executives is enough to prep one for a global police state. Bravo to you for your firm (yet presumably polite) defiance!
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Tell more. I'm really interested in this. Best Buy makes you show the receipt too and they're not membership. How does the membership thing factor in?
Best Buy is one of the worst. Here's an article about their receipt-checking practice, and an excerpt explaining why they shouldn't be doing it:
"But this verification step is purely voluntary. Merchants basically have two rights covering people entering and exiting their stores. They can refuse to let you enter the premises and/or to sell you anything, and they can place you under citizens arrest for attempting to leave the premises with any property that you haven't paid for. But the second you hand over the appropriate amount of cash, they lose all rights to the items. They can't legally impair you from leaving the store with your property."
Here's another summary from a law enforcement officers forum:
"To show the receipt is a case of voluntary compliance. Once you have checked out, as in payed for the merchandise in your cart, you're good to go. Unless the loss prevention agent, or other store employee,is prepared to make a case of theft against you, he/she has no right to block your exit from the store, or from the parking lot."
Or maybe it was because who in their right mind would steal 35 pounds of cat litter...I'm just sayin.
True, the cat litter probably doesn't top the loss prevention issue list...
Maybe you could try to understand that it's a theft prevention strategy for Target, and Best Buy, and many other stores; and a different issue from the membership situation. Unfortunately, stores like these suffer significant revenue loss to shoplifters and not all product can be protected like DVD's, etc.
Just something to think about.
How is that my problem? How is that the problem of anyone who isn't stealing? Lots of retailers figure out ways to control shoplifting without interrogating customers on the way out the door.
And then there's this little gem.
Maybe Target will target you?
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As a former employee of one of the aforementioned companies, I can say that a large part of the receipt verification process is to ensure that you are charged for what you buy. With 5+ years of cashier experience and a lot of loss prevention experience, I know that customers often get charged multiple times or get overcharged on large items like TVs or computers because the model number was used instead of the barcode.
I dont feel that these companies are trying to become a police state as mentioned by a previous comment. They are covering their own behinds as well as yours so that there is no problem in the future if you come back and say "Hey, last week I was overcharged for this item." Its hard to make a case after the fact.
Corporations aren't all evil.
They told you they do this to prevent overcharging? They do this to prevent a customer from giving them too much money? I somehow doubt that the rent-a-cops at the door have an encyclopedic knowledge of store pricing.
OMG, years ago Target in Pasadena nailed me for this, I couldn't find the receipt and the guard "escorted" me back to the cashier to verify the purchase.
They were rude!
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