Have you noticed that your local Walmart has started to check your receipts when you walk out the door?
You may question why this has begun to happen — and why greeters at the door don’t stop everyone to check their receipt.
In this article, we explain why Walmart has decided to do this.
Do You Have to Show Your Receipt at Walmart?
You do not have to show your receipt at Walmart, as there is no law that forces you to do so. However, if you do not show your receipt to a Walmart employee, this could lead them to have enough cause to detain you under their Shopkeepers Privilege right.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- While there is no law that says you have to show your receipt, Walmart can legally ask to see it — and can detain you under their Shopkeepers Privilege right if you deny them.
- Walmart checks receipts to help deter shoplifting and theft.
- Often, Walmart only stops customers when their items aren’t bagged.
Below, we explain everything you need to know about Walmart greeters checking your receipt every time you leave the store!
Is It Legal for Walmart to Check Your Receipt?
As Walmart is private property, they have every right to ask to see your receipt before you leave their store. But does this mean you have to show your receipt to them?
No, it doesn’t. You can choose to deny Walmart the right to see your receipt, but this comes with its own consequences.
Why Does Walmart Check Receipts?
Walmart didn’t always check receipts at the door. This is a relatively new practice, though it has been steadily increasing in stores for the past few years.
Walmart began to check receipts at the door before customers leave as a way to try to stop theft. Walmart has a huge shoplifting problem, having reported a $3 billion annual loss. To try to keep people fearful of shoplifting, they’ve begun to have their greeters at the door ask to see receipts.
You may have noticed that the greeters don’t stop everybody. It seems as if they only stop some people from time to time. Some may even think that the people they stop are random. After all, the company has never officially come out to explain Walmart’s receipt policy.
While it does seem that every greeter does their own thing, most greeters will only stop customers if they are trying to leave with an item that is not bagged
For example, let’s say you just bought a TV. Obviously, you cannot put your huge TV in a Walmart bag. When you walk out the doors, a greeter will likely ask to see your receipt to ensure this item — as well as all the other items that aren’t bagged in your cart — was purchased.
What Happens if You Refuse to Let Walmart Check Your Receipt?
You have every right to refuse to let Walmart check your receipt. But this does often come with its own set of consequences.
If you refuse to let a Walmart greeter check your receipt, this could allow the employee to have enough cause to detain you under their Shopkeepers Privilege right. This right legally allows shopkeepers to detain people they believe are stealing for a certain amount of time.
So, if you deny them the chance to see your receipt, things could escalate. You could be legally detained as a result.
Can Walmart Force You to Show Your Receipt?
Walmart cannot necessarily force you to show them your receipt. However, if they detain you under their Shopkeepers Privilege, showing them your receipt may be the only easy way out of this situation.
At the end of the day, it may just be easier to quickly show your receipt to the Walmart greeter at the door!
Conclusion
Walmart can legally ask you to see your receipt before you leave the store. However, you are not legally required to then show it to them. You can deny them this request.
This could result in a Walmart employee detaining you under their Shopkeepers Privilege right, though!
Walmart only started asking to see customer receipts to help keep shoplifting down. On average, greeters will only ask customers to see their receipts if they have items that aren’t bagged in their carts.
