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CUSTOMERS are allowed to refuse to show their receipt, however, there can be consequences, a lawyer has said.
Attorney Bryan Waldman addressed “shopkeeper’s privilege” when speaking about what could happen should Walmart shoppers refuse to show their receipt.
“If you don’t show the receipt, the store owner is going to be more suspicious and say that’s even more reason to believe that you’ve committed a crime,” he told local CBS affiliate WLNS-TV.
He explained that stores have a right to stop and question people if they believe they might have stolen something.
Shopkeeper’s privilege isn’t the only law that is on stores like Walmart’s sides.
Shops can also can evoke the Citizen’s Arrest Law.
“Store owners, shopkeepers, their agents, employees, and security companies that they hire have the right to detain people that they have reasonable cause to believe have committed a crime or theft in their store,” Waldman said.
This law was repealed in Georgia but is still widely utilized in most states, including Michigan, which Waldman was speaking about.
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Store employees have the right to ask as many questions as they want.
Because stores are private companies, workers don’t have to give Miranda warnings, or advise the individual of their rights, like cops.
Waldman said that shoppers don’t have to answer their questions or comply with requests and it becomes a question of how much the store or customer wants to escalate the situation.
“There is nothing the store owners or employees can do to make you show them the receipt unless you’re at one of these big box stores where you have a membership,” he said.
If you don’t show your receipt, the store owner is going to be even more suspicious, the lawyer warned.
This could lead them to exercise their legal right to detain you if they believe you committed a crime – and hold you until cops get there.
Despite the retailer’s rights, many shoppers are still against having to show their receipts.
One shopper (@backtablack) said on X, formerly Twitter: “I don’t steal but I’m not showing my receipt to no one unless they bout to give me every red cent back.”
Another customer (@dionne_805) wrote: “I’m not showing my receipt. There are cameras everywhere. If they don’t capture my entire transactions… not a ‘me’ problem.”
Despite the backlash, Walmart and other stores continue to incorporate receipt checks as part of their anti-theft policy.