WALMART appears to be trialing a new piece of tech in a fresh bid to clamp down on theft.
A recent video shows a Walmart worker using an electronic scanner to scan a receipt, explaining the tools are being trialed in 100 stores.
The video showed a worker using the new tech[/caption]
In the clip, the worker can be seen showing her colleague how to use the machine, detailing three important checks it will make.
“It just shows that your receipt is from the last four hours, that it’s from this store, and the items in that receipt,” the employee says.
The worker goes on to claim shoppers have been bringing in a number of fake receipts, noting that she has seen at least two herself.
“We’ve been getting a lot of fake receipts,” she says.
“Personally, I’ve stopped two worth over $500.
“They were not bringing old receipts, they were bringing fake ones.
“So they’re bringing fake receipts to the store, grabbing the items and trying to walk out.”
The worker says that “100 stores are trying this new system” that sees workers scan large items in a customer’s cart to ensure they have not stolen it.
“We scan each receipt and then we, like her, just look for the biggest items,” the worker says.
Earlier this year, Walmart announced that its sister company, Sam’s Club, was rolling out special AI tech to check customers’ carts as they left the store.
After a member pays for their items, the exit area tech takes images of carts and verifies payment for all the items in the basket as they walk through them.
The retailer said the move was designed to “continually speed the process,” while allowing workers to “refocus their time and expertise to assisting members and ensuring they have an enjoyable shopping experience”.
The latest scanner Walmart is trialing, meanwhile, requires a worker to check the items with a scanner.
Receipt checks at have long been a cause of frustration for shoppers, with many complaining about the stops upon exit.
But they’re not the only carried out at Walmart, with the likes of Target and Kroger often checking for proof of purchase too.
Under US law, store owners have what is known as The Shopkeeper’s Privilege which is also known as the Merchant’s Privilege.
This means that shopkeepers have a right to detain suspected shoplifters on the premises if they have probable cause to believe they have stolen merchandise or have attempted to steal it.
“A merchant may detain a person for a reasonable time for the purpose of conducting an investigation in a reasonable manner whenever the merchant has probable cause to believe the person to be detained is attempting to unlawfully take or has unlawfully taken merchandise from the merchant’s premises,” California law states.
While this law allows for stores to detain suspected shoplifters, it is not enough to detain a shopper who simply refuses to show their receipt.
“There must be some factual basis for believing the person has stolen or is attempting to steal,” experts at Legal Match have said.
“A merchant cannot use the Shopkeeper’s Privilege to stop anyone without a reasonable cause.
“This requires probable cause, not just a hunch or suspicion.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Walmart for further comment on the scanners.
Top 5 receipt checking tips from a lawyer
Camron Dowlatshahi, a Los Angeles attorney, spoke to The U.S. Sun about receipt checks and customer’s rights and options when it came to being asked to show your receipt.
- There has been a lot of debate around the legality of a retailer asking to see your receipt, but if it is within the store, it is completely legal. “There’s seemingly nothing illegal about that. You’re still on the company’s premises and their reason to do it is to prevent thefts,” Dowlatshahi confirms.
- However, if they are chasing you out of the store, that changes things, Dowlatshahi said. “Location matters,” he explained. “If you’re outside of the store you’re in the parking lot and they come and start accusing you of theft and that you have to show your receipt, I think that’s a bit of a different situation because now you’re on your way.”
- While customers are allowed to say no to receipt checks, it may cause issues if you do and the store suspects you of stealing. “You can say no, maybe it creates an unnecessary hassle for yourself because now you may have the police come to your house and follow up,” said Dowlatshahi.
- If you are being barred from leaving a store because you refused a receipt check, you could have a legal case — but the store must have held you for a long time. “Let’s say it’s for hours, that’s certainly false imprisonment, and they didn’t have any impetus for doing so,” Dowlatshahi explained. “If a customer has been emotionally traumatized by being held for false imprisonment, I would definitely encourage [them] to sue.”
- “I would say, show your receipt,” he concluded. “It’s just a really simple thing to do. If you didn’t steal anything, it’s relatively simple to do,” the lawyer advised.
(According to Camron Dowlatshahi, a founding partner at Mills Sadat Dowlat LLP)
