Can you be arrested 4 Shoplifting for misplacing your receipt although you have not exited the store? Walmart?

Question

All of my items were in bags with the exception of a lawn chair and my sodas that were on the bottom of my cart. I had put the receipt in my pocket and i assume that when i took out my cell phone to answer it, my receipt fell out. I was so nervous & upset that i couldn't remember the cashier or lane that checked me out. I returned back into the store to ask the ladies wear dept. about a particular pair of pants that they had on clerance that i had forgotten to check on, then proceeded to the Garden center area to exit, that is also where i entered, i parked by there. The lady stopped me at the door & asked me for my receipt. It was @ that time that i realized that i didn't think i had it. I asked the lady to walk with me to retrace my steps back to ladies wear so i could look for it. She immediatly called management. They never mentioned that they had anything on any kind of camera or anything mind you. Several members of management showed up & were very rude and called the police.

Answer 1

Attitudes like this is why I do not go to wallmart. I quit going there after Mr. Walton died and the bean counters and money grubbers took over. All they want is your money for their cheap made in communist china crap, and they don"t pay their help a decent wage. They used to have an old dude at the front door called a greeter, but now it is more like a ancient junior gestapo. Before I stopped going there, and I only went when my wife made me, I found most of the help to be incompetent, not because they were stupid but because management was too cheap to give any training. The managers are under pressure to increase the bottom line, and you are right, many of them are very rude.

Thanks for giving me a place to rant,

You did not exit the store, so you did not steal anything. Even if you were trying to steal a lawn chair I doubt you would be stupid enough to put it in your cart and try to walk out the door.

Learn your lesson. Take your business elsewhere

Answer 2

Sorry that this happened to you, but a common method many theives use is just trying to walk out of the store with merchandise then claiming that they paid for it. It is not personal; the employees were just doing what they have been trained to do and have run into the situations dozens of times before.



You may think "How could they mistake me for a shoplifter!, I am dressed nice and I am respectable"...the sad fact is that many shoplifters dress nice and may even seem respectable, but have an addicition as strong as any drug to steal. A co-worker that used to work at Target in Security even caught a cop in uniform shoplifting.



You could be if there is no way to prove that you previously paid for the items (always a good idea to pay by credit card, debit card, or check, because if they have to they can check every drawer or contact the bank/credit card holder to prove payment).



In the future, keep in mind you are responsible for keeping track of your receipt until leave the store.

Answer 3

If you can prove that you paid for, like a copy from you bank statement if you paid by check/creditcard/debitcard... you can sue them.



And to be arrested for shoplifting, you have to prove INTENT. Even if you >accidentally< forget to pay for something, meaning you did not attempt to hide the merchandise (under a coat, in your pocket, etc) this does not show intent. So to answer your question, no, you can't, and if everything you stated was true I would file a lawsuit against wal*mart, it wouldn't be the first time someone has done so.



Also, there are several steps to follow when working as a security guard/loss prevention when it comes to catching shoplifters



1) see the person approach the aisle or display

2) select merchandise from shelf (this is done so that you don't accidentally stop someone for having an item on them for comparison purposes, like when a female brings in lipstick to make sure she buys the same color)

3) conceal merchandise with intent to steal

4) maintain eyesight/camera on suspect to ensure suspect does not "ditch" merchandise

5) suspect must leave store without paying



*Also*



Be careful what people tell you on this site, most will say anything to get the 2/10 points.

Answer 4

The walmart that I used to pass to did that for a quick time and that i became so indignant via that I talked to the administrative and advised them what that sounds like from a purchasers attitude. They shouldn't cope with their purchasers like shoplifters. they did no longer even verify my luggage or something they only looked at my receipt and placed a mark on it yet anyhow I continuously shove my receipt in my handbag and that i hated having to dig around for it. It became an inconvenience fairly whilst there became an incredible style of people attempting to go away. They at last replaced that coverage right here and don't try this anymore. yet once you purely overlook approximately them on the way out what is going to they do. The worst could be call the police and you probably did no longer do something incorrect so which you does no longer have something to rigidity approximately.

Answer 5

So what happened?



If you were arrested, you were arrested unlawfully and you can sue. They have register tape receipts within the cash registers that document everything that register does. Also, the cashier may have remembered you. Also, most of the walmarts have computerized registers that even are moe reliable proof.



Sue them baby, if they arrested you, or even embarrased you by treating you that way in front of the whole store. You have a case-get a lawyer. They are not allowed to do that.



Before the police were even called, you should have been able to explain the situation and they should have checked the register or computer and checked with the cashier if you had one.

Answer 6

I used to work at Wally-World. They are some dirty bastards. You are not in the wrong, but they will DEFINITELY try to get you. Once you leave, don't come back. Most of the time when they say they have something[to pin on you], they DON'T. They are a bunch of bullies. The registers and the cash office has a record of everything everyday for any given time, register, type of exchange used etc. If they did something to make you feel lowly, you can sue. If you decide to do that, get a GOOD lawyer. They have all the money in the world to get themselves a GREAT lawyer to save themselves...

Answer 7

You first asked if it is illegal since you never left the store, but then later you stated that you left and came back in. So if you left and came back in yes they can arrest you. The problem is you didn't take anything. There are cameras all over the store so they should be able to look at them to prove that you purchased them to begin with. They should also be able to look on their computers to prove that someone at that same time purchased exactly what you did.

Answer 8

Here's what I would have done. If they made such a deal about this I would have repayed for the items. It was your bad in the first place, NOT theirs. They have no way of knowing whether or not you paid for the items you claim to have and I'm sure WALMART deals with shoplifters quite often. If it doesn't make sense it usually isn't true eh? Looks like you caused more trouble for yourself than you really should've and to be honest it sounds like you're lying, sorry if I'm wrong but that's what it sounds like. If you left the store without being stopped and you did truely pay for the items why did you return with the bags back into the store? You should have went to your car and returned without the bags in hand. The fact you went "back into the store .. about a particular pair of pants they had on clearance.." sounds like horse you-know-what. Sorry dude.

Answer 9

Wow, I don't know. It's kind of a gray area. I sure hope it all works out for you. Only thing I can say is did you pay with a check or a debt/credit card? Then there would be some form of tangable proof you actually paid for the items.

Answer 10

If you can't prove you purchased the items, you can be cited for shoplifting. Hopefully you paid with a check or credit/debit card, and can prove you made the purchase when the matter goes to Court.



I have to say, your story doesn't really ring true, though... Who doesn't remember which checkstand they went through or which cashier helped them? Sorry... just doesn't wash.

Answer 11

it would be an easy thing for you to prove if you paid with your credit card. You could call the credit card company and they would see the transaction immediately. I would say they have the right to question you but if you feel they took it to far I would seek possible legal action. They could easily review there tapes at the register to determine where and when you checked out not a very hard thing to do. good luck

Answer 12

No you cannot be arrested. Unless you are not telling the truth. You can tell to them what really happened, that you have just misplaced your receipt. They can feel or detect if you are telling a lie by the way you answer them. So I think you have a reason to tell them that you are not a shoplifter.

Answer 13

They had no reason to call the police if you didn't pose a threat of any kind. I think they should show you the proof if they are sticking to their story. Afterall, they supposedly have security cameras everywhere. If they pusue anything, they have to have the proof that you were trying to steal. It's hard for stores to prove you were trying to steal, even if you were.

Answer 14

You can be arrested, but it won't stick. You didn't shop lift if you didn't leave the store. If it shows on camera that you purchased the items I think you could sue.

Answer 15

You can't be arrested for shoplifting until after you have left the store. Sue the hell out of those bastards!

Answer 16

word of advice, once you leave the check out line you should never go back onto the floor. your story is the perfect example. fishy, but still worth using as an example.