About 20 years ago, during my cop days, I received a call about Wal-Mart security fighting with a shoplifter. When I got there, their security folks were rassling with a man in the parking lot. I asked what was going on and the security people said that this man had exited through the garden department and when the elderly door greeter had asked to see the man's receipt, the man refused and went to the parking lot. Security was called and when they got to the parking lot, the man was loading his car. Security asked for a receipt and the man refused. Security started unloading the car and that's when the fight started.
I then asked the supposed shoplifter if he had a receipt and he handed it to me. He had paid for every item. He also complained that he thought his arm was broken. I then called paramedics to the scene. I asked the man what had happened and he stated that yes, he had refused to show his receipt to the door greeter. He stated that he spent thousands of dollars at Wal-Mart and that he didn't think he should be hassled. Besides, there was no policy in place that required him to show his receipt to anyone.
I wrote reports for the store and for the man. About two days later, there were signs at the entrance doors that stated that the store reserved the right to ask for receipts at any time. I heard later on that the man had sued Wal-Mart. I never heard how it turned out and I was not called to court to testify for either side.
One Christmas, I worked part time at the local Zayre store. I was standing at the front when a couple with a child in a stroller checked out. However, when they exited the store, the alarm went off. Nothing in their bags had set the alarm off. I asked them to hold their baby and under the blankets I found several items that had not been paid for. They went to jail. Lucky for them, the child was turned over to a relative, rather than going to Juvenile.
I have bought a number of items over the years, such as storage tubs and suitcases. If the cashier didn't check them, I told them that I was a police officer or a retired officer and that they should always check. Once, I bought a foot locker and when I checked it, I found merchandise inside. Someone else had planned to steal and I'm glad I checked before I got to the register.
