Wal Mart Weirdness

[RPBrown]

In another twist to this, I set off the alarm going in. Empty handed, armed and a cell phone, none of which were purchased at this store and several years old. So how effective are the alarms.

[stevie_d_64]

In another twist to this, I set off the alarm going in. Empty handed, armed and a cell phone, none of which were purchased at this store and several years old. So how effective are the alarms.

Sometimes those inventory control devices are embedded in your shoes...And could set off a system either in that store or another one if its set just right...

At least thats what I have heard...

[Renegade]

What exactly is supposed to be the purpose of the mark on your receipt?

1) To prevent buy a TV, take it home, come back, get another, walk out, if someone says anything, show them your receipt.

2)To prevent cashiers from not ringing up big ticket items for their friends.

[Renegade]

In another twist to this, I set off the alarm going in. Empty handed, armed and a cell phone, none of which were purchased at this store and several years old. So how effective are the alarms.

In my entire lifetime I have never seen one go off and the person was detained as a thief. In my area, they do not even stop people when they go off, and I do not stop and no one comes after me. Of course, there are still a lot of well-trained sheep who come back in.

[barres]

In the Walmart here in Huntsville, there is an old man who routinely sits by the entrance/exit through the garden department. He has, on several occassions stopped me, and other customers, to "verify our receipt" before we have reached the scanners (or whatever they are called), much less exited the premises.

If the alarm goes off while I'm exiting the store with my merchandise, I'll stop and let them verify that it was a mistake. I try to be a nice guy, most of the time. But I decided a while back that the last time that old man stopped me without the alarm going off was the last time he would stop me without an alarm.

[rgoldy]

While I sympathize with BARRES sense of invasion of privacy when he is stopped by the Walmart employee, I would ask that he be understanding of an old guy trying to make some bucks to supplement his retirement who is likely following the instructions he was given. For one thing, that might be me in a few years.....
Just smile and be nice. I am sure he does not mean anything personal toward you.
If you have a problem with the policy, take it up with the store manager. They may or may not be able to do something about the silliness of the policy.

[nemesis]

While I sympathize with BARRES sense of invasion of privacy when he is stopped by the Walmart employee, I would ask that he be understanding of an old guy trying to make some bucks to supplement his retirement who is likely following the instructions he was given.

I completely symapthize with the above comment. However, I find random searches repugnant and disturbing.

I have had alarms going off while leaving Wal-Mart and it is always because a Wal-Mart employee failed to do their job. Then, they expect me to find the receipt and locate the source of the alarm. I just let them do it but I do usually make a statement to a supervisor.

When asked for my receipt before I reach the door, I usually ask "do you have any reason to suspect that I have stolen anything or committed any crime while on the premises"? They always say "no" and I respond with a "thank you" as I leave.

It's worth noting that odd standards are used in the Valley and I have sometimes felt that I was selected for attention due to my ethnic origin.

[rgoldy]

NEMESIS may in fact be correct on the motivation for selection for such indignities. In the valley and in other areas where Hispanics predominate in the population, I can expect that the percentage of shoplifters who are Hispanic is also larger. Just as this is likely true in areas where other ethnic groups predominate, whether the group is black, white, asian or hispanic. The fact is that any retail location that has a problem with shoplifting or other petty theft has a responsibility to try to reduce it.
Whatever steps they chose to take are limited by law and what the customers will tolerate. Am I offended by being asked to show a receipt when I leave the store or bring in a return? Yes, of course I am. Am I offended by seeing some one of a different ethnicity subjected to the same? Yes, I am, for the same reason. No one should be treated as guilty until it is proven. The quickest way to deal with it is to take your business elsewhere. The semi-confrontational approach NEMESIS mentions seems to work, but I think mainly because the store employee does not want to deal with it any more than you do.