Why Best Buy Checks Your Receipt

Problem is, many checkers are often biased towards customers. I see an African receipt checker let 3 African customers walk out with store bags without even a second glance, yet when my father and I walk out he stops us and asks for the receipt. I ask him about the other 3 guys he just let out and he looks at me. Disgusting.
 
Animal Mother said:
The wal-marts here only check black peoples receipts, never seen them ask a white person before.
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Usually only big items get checked. If you got a stereo set, computer, TV or something that can't fit in the bag and is worth a lot, they'll ask. My dad used to keep the receipt handy for these larger purchases. I don't know if they profiled people though as I was younger and minded my own business.
 
Stone Cold said:
People who object to showing their receipts are either idiots or a-holes. The store does it to help prevent theft, which helps both the store and honest consumers.
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Nothing they do helps customers. They don't care about you. Not one bit. Nothing.

The reality is, if they raise prices then they lose customers. So, in the end, it just helps the corporations. This would make sense, since there is no other competitor to Best Buy as a retail store. Then again, there is this thing known as the internet, where you don't even have to walk out of your home, and get stuff for dirt cheap prices.

The last time I've been to Best Buy, was when Circuit City was around. There is no point shopping at Best Buy. The selection is limited, and the prices are high. Lets not forget, their employees are dumb as hell. I could ask for a flux capacitor, and someone will go look for it. No questions asked.

Asking for my receipt is just one extra reason to shop online. Higher security guards, who wait outside, ready to grab you if you run out with a stolen product. Better yet, get them a segway, cause that would go better with the Best Buy theme. Asking to see my receipt just makes me feel like a criminal, and is wasting my time. I don't care if it takes 10 seconds, it's my 10 seconds and I can't get it back.
 
Yoshiyuki Blade said:
My local 7-11 and college book store make you put your backpack/notebooks on the ground nearby before going in. All of this stuff *really* aren't something to get bent out of shape over.
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Leaving your bags outside the store BEFORE you get in isn't a problem. However once I PAY for my items they are mine.

Honestly I never realized why they check receipts before I read this headline on the H. Now that I know it pisses me off. Maybe you like being accused of stealing shit without cause or proof but I sure as hell don't.
 
Who gives a shit if it is not helping the customers. People steal things, this is one way to help prevent that. They are not the only store to do this, they are not the first store to do this, and they will not be the last store to do this. This is not a personal attack against you. Get over it.
 
Best Buy sucks in so many ways.

Up here in Canuckia Best Buy is one of the most expensive.
Best Buy Owns Future Shop which has Commisioned Sales People and have lower prices.
Best Buy stores have higher prices and no commisioned sales people.

How does that make sense.
 
AaronP said:
It's just a receipt for crying out fucking loud though. You people make the biggest deals out of the smallest damn things in your lives, I pity people who make a big deal out of this, I really do.
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Maybe, I don't want everyone to know that I bought 20 copies of Family Guy on Bluray when I walk out the door. :p
 
overthetop said:
Maybe, I don't want everyone to know that I bought 20 copies of Family Guy on Bluray when I walk out the door. :p
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So is that the new codeword for gay porn now? I bought 20 copies of "Family Guy" wink wink nudge nudge :p
 
It's amazing what people get bent out of shape over. Theft is a real problem, and every time someone steals something, guess who pays for it? You do. Companies always try to pass cost on to the consumer, and when they cannot, they'll look at their payroll and cut jobs. That means more competition in the job market, more people on unemployment, which leads to higher tax rates to cover unemployment costs, which means less corporate and personal income, which causes an overall negative effect on the entire economy. Individually a theft may have little impact, but taken as an aggregate whole, shrink caused from theft, loss prevention expenses incurred to prevent and discourage theft, and criminal prosecutions resulting from actually catching thieves can have a significant effect on a company's bottom line. Add that up across the board and the numbers start to look pretty ugly.

People that get miffed and say "oh companies don't care"... that's not accurate. It is true that they care about their bottom line first, but anything that affects that is also a concern. Let's be honest here. Everyone knows that companies are after your money. Companies don't hide that, but they do have to sell it. They have to convince you to go there instead of somewhere else. Cost plays a huge part in that. Companies also have to make a profit to stay in business, and the greater their profit margin the more they can expand, the more jobs that get created, and the more they can pay people to do those jobs. If you buy stock in a company I guarantee you'll want that profit margin to go up because you're an owner. Everyone acts like corporate profit is the 8th deadly sin or something, but it's necessary and good for a market-based economy.

So... what does all this have to do with someone marking your receipt at the door? If it has a tangible effect on reducing theft - which they can tell by checking inventory discrepancies before and during the implementation of such a program - then it's a good thing. If it doesn't work they'll eventually discontinue it in favor of something else, but in the mean time why complain about it? Why be an ass about it? Just thank the person at the door, realize that person is there because they have to feed their family too, and be on your merry way. If it's that much of a bother to you then you can always go somewhere else.
 
Dirk13 said:
Who gives a shit if it is not helping the customers. People steal things, this is one way to help prevent that. They are not the only store to do this, they are not the first store to do this, and they will not be the last store to do this. This is not a personal attack against you. Get over it.
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Actually it is a personal attack against me. It's implicit that I am in their eyes a thief until I prove I'm not. A big rowdy fuck you to that. If you want to not take it personally that's your problem and just shows that you are willing to rollover when asked to. I don't do it to be a dick, I do it because I know my rights as a citizen and how not to be harassed by anyone. If they don't like it, then they are at liberty to act, but so am I.
 
Just walk past them. I will not wait in a line to show my receipt... I walk past them and they never say anything. If there is no line I don't really care, but you can still walk past them if you choose.
 
a little off said:
Exchange I had with a receipt checker (and his boss) when he stepped in front of me to check mine

Me: (walking out the door)
Receipt Checker: Sir, I need to check your receipt.
Me: Got a receipt ticket?
RC: A what?
Me: A receipt ticket! Ever been to the movies?
RC: Uhhh ya, ummm
Me: Well when you go to the movies what do you need?
RC: Uhhh, I don't know?
Me: Well you need a movie ticket.
RC: I don't understand.
Me: I own this receipt, if you want to see it you have to pay for it, and a Receipt Ticket costs $10 cash.
RC: I don't have $10
Me: Then you are not going to see my receipt.
Receipt Checkers Boss: Sir, is there a problem.
Me: Nope, this gentlemen wanted to look at my receipt and I told him no. He has no reason for it, and if you think I stole something I think you should call the police on me right now.
RCB: Well his job is to make sure you paid the right price for the items you bought.
Me: (grabs random item out of bag) What the price of this?
RC: Uhhhhhh, I don't know.
Me: (to Boss) This employee isn't doing the job you have assigned him if he doesn't know the price of this item. You should fire him right now.
RC & RCB: (stunned silence)


And with that I just walked out.
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Time spent giving BB your recipe to be checked. 3 seconds.
Time spent being a dinglefairy. More than 3 seconds.

Oh ya...you're just brilliant.
 
It's necessary. I work at a home improvement store and almost ALL of theft is simply by walking out with the item on a cart. When they see associates asking to check receipts if they didn't check out on that side of the store, then they think twice. I have no problem being asked to show it.
 
Honestly, if you have nothing to hide, then why are you act like you are hiding something????? It's their store, you chose to shop there, show them the receipt!!!! This is not too hard to figure out. To me, those that bitch and moan about it are the same people that bitch and moan about EVERYTHING. If you did nothing wrong, then grow up and act like it.
 
oh my fucking lord i want to punch someone in the face when I see replies like the ones here..

1. The policy is in place to deter theft.. They couldn't care less about catching thieves..

2. the only time they have reason to suspect you're a criminal is if your'e giving them a hard time about it. Again.. "loss prevention policy: lets check receipts so thieves think twice about stealing from us".. not a "community justice effort: lets catch the bad guys when they walk out the door with a plasma tv and no receipt"

3. they're not selling you overpriced anything unless you willingly purchase it...
Unless they're tricking you into buying something that you didn't want or charging you something different from their advertised price, you're probably complaining because the other stupid stuff you usually complain about are not cutting it
 
The problem I have with this policy, is that at my local Best Buy the door guy is no more than 10 feet away from the cash. This guy clearly watches the transactions at the cash, watches me pay for my items, watches the cashier put the item in the bag, and then he asks to see my receipt and what's in my bag.

Since he just witnessed the entire transaction I can't help think he is doing this just to be a d-bag.
 
Yeah, I have hundreds of complaints against BB's business practices, but this isn't one of them. As others in this thread have already commented on, it's not like they're the first or the last to adopt this trend and personally, I see their point.

That being said...

If you want to bitch at BB, then bitch at their bait & switch practices, their selling of MS updates that are free and proprietary, their shady bait & switch with analog vs HDMI to sell Monster cables at a premium/well over premium. Complain about their Geek Squad and how they leach off soccer moms who don't know any better when it comes to updating that Xbox 360. Whine at the GSquads shady practices when attempting to fix that computer or instead of fixing it, trying to sell you something you don't need while "claiming" they can't fix it. Bitch at their blatant lies and attempts to mislead and redirect unsuspecting techno-ignorant customers. Hell, bitch about their high prices too while you're at it... But, I have a better idea... Just don't shop there... I rarely do (aside from the random PC game or something of the sort). If you want a great TV at a low price w/o taxes applied, go to New Egg or Tiger Direct.
 
I wish that everyone bitching and crying about showing a receipt to a loss prevention guy would just refuse to shop any place that does this. That way, I won't have to listen to you cry on my way out. Really, you're just embarassing yourselves. In fact, most of the time if you hold out your receipt for them they'll let you pass without even looking.
 
verncat05 said:
Honestly, if you have nothing to hide, then why are you act like you are hiding something????? It's their store, you chose to shop there, show them the receipt!!!!
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Privacy. Why should I show them something that they already have a copy of?
 
hl3395 said:
They might have a bottle of personal lube, a teddy bear, and some bacon scented candles in there. They're just shy.
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Having your receipt checked at the door is not personal or invasive. If you don't like it, don't shop there. Else, be a a-hole and demonstrate how silly you are by expressing offense when you're asked for the receipt. It's their business, not yours. It helps control prices.
 
As someone who works in retail, this is a waste of argument space. I used to think people are better than they are, but I don't trust one single person who walks in the door anymore. If it were up to me, you would have to subject yourself to TSA style body scans to get out the door. Maybe I'd get a bigger bonus.
 
Commander FAT said:
Privacy. Why should I show them something that they already have a copy of?
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The only place you have privacy in a retail store is the bathroom. Everything else is on video. And you wouldn't believe the product packaging that is left in the bathroom from people stealing.

At the end of the day, my job and my bonus is worth more than your privacy. So I will insist on seeing receipts and directing those under me to do the same.
 
I refuse to show my receipt at Best Buy and Walmart (and others) as well. I don't act like a jack ass or anything about it. When they ask I politely refuse and walk past them. No need to be ass and start shit with them. They asked, I declined.

However I have had one individual follow after me and give me the "I have to check your receipt, its store policy!" line before. I turned around and informed her that there is no law that says I had to abide by their request (and thats all it is...a request) as it is not law and that in fact my 4th Amendment rights state specifically this.

I am just surprised that so many people will freely give up their rights. Our forefathers are probably turning in their graves.
 
Monolith2013 said:
Yeah, I have hundreds of complaints against BB's business practices, but this isn't one of them. As others in this thread have already commented on, it's not like they're the first or the last to adopt this trend and personally, I see their point.
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same. This is hardly something to complain about at BB. I hate them and this seems perfectly reasonable.
 
purple_haze said:
costco and sam's have been doing this for god knows how long, so i don't know what the big deal is about this.
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They also don't have bags, so you really could just go in there and walk out with something and you would look like every other person leaving the store. I could go in and carry out a few cases of beer without a receipt and no one would turn a head.

Best Buy, on the other hand, puts your stuff in a bag.

 
kirbyrj said:
As someone who works in retail, this is a waste of argument space. I used to think people are better than they are, but I don't trust one single person who walks in the door anymore. If it were up to me, you would have to subject yourself to TSA style body scans to get out the door. Maybe I'd get a bigger bonus.
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More likely scenario is you'd get laid off because no one would shop there.

 
Mathemabeat said:
I refuse to show my receipt at Best Buy and Walmart (and others) as well. I don't act like a jack ass or anything about it. When they ask I politely refuse and walk past them. No need to be ass and start shit with them. They asked, I declined.

However I have had one individual follow after me and give me the "I have to check your receipt, its store policy!" line before. I turned around and informed her that there is no law that says I had to abide by their request (and thats all it is...a request) as it is not law and that in fact my 4th Amendment rights state specifically this.

I am just surprised that so many people will freely give up their rights. Our forefathers are probably turning in their graves.
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Don't be surprised when you get detained someday for no reason whatsoever.
 
Its funny, most of the complaints I read here are in regards to BB's in store customer service. I never go there with the intention of asking them anything technical, I go in already knowing what I want to buy, buy it and walk out. The only thing I ask is if they have a dvd or blu-ray in that I can't seem to find (its still a head ache since they take 45min's to find it...).

Outside of them trying to force you to buy monster cables I have no issue with BB, us "technical experts" already know more then these people who memorized a book of scripts to read off to customers anyways. The other day I prevented my friend from buying the extra $500 in cables they attempted to sell him after he got a TV from there. Most of the prices at BB I have zero problem with, their TV's are justifiably priced so are their DVD's and BR's, which is all I would ever use them for.
 
I worked in retail at several stores for almost ten years and saw a lot of things. I'll just make a small list.

1. Guy trying to walk out with product and receipt from a sister store 70 miles away.
2. Woman walking out with a $300 tv with a receipt that only had 3 dollars worth of sales.
3. People who slipped things under the basket so the cashier can't see and then the perp slip it into a bag before they get to a door.
4. People boldly walk into the store, pick up a display monitor or a computer and walk out.
5. People walk out with the product go back in, and try to walk out with the product again during shift change
6. People intentionally putting an alarm on someone innocent to hang the greeter up while they walk out with the loot.

I can probably keep going for a while. People are creative and they adapt quickly, and unfortunately in ways that the store cannot adapt to quickly enough or unobtrusively enough to stop them. 30 seconds isn't going to kill anyone, and frankly most of the people complaining about are the ones who think they are better than you because they have a 'real' job or that they are simply venting on you on having a shitty life.
 
Mathemabeat said:
However I have had one individual follow after me and give me the "I have to check your receipt, its store policy!" line before. I turned around and informed her that there is no law that says I had to abide by their request (and thats all it is...a request) as it is not law and that in fact my 4th Amendment rights state specifically this.
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This belief is almost as bad as people who believe pedestrians always have the right of way. (only when the street is clear) The greeter is not a government official which is what that amendment is meant to protect against. and even if they were unless they stopped every single person they could use probable cause. About the only thing you MAY be able to use is false imprisonment but that depends on the laws in your state, and some of them do have shopkeeper’s privilege laws where they can detain you on probable cause for certain circumstances.

Like kirbyrj said. it's a good way to get detained for no reason.
 
butterfliesrpretty said:
that link is flat out wrong, show me a single statute that states this in any state
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Here you go:
CPC. 490.5
(f) (1) 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.
http://law.onecle.com/california/penal/490.5.html
 
The only people who are worse than the receipt checkers (they are not bad themselves) are the ones who cause a storm and drama over someone asking to check their receipt.
 
Vagrant_Zero said:
Time spent giving BB your recipe to be checked. 3 seconds.
Time spent being a dinglefairy. More than 3 seconds.

Oh ya...you're just brilliant.
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Haha, I agree... people who get upset over stupid shit like that always make me laugh...

I have no problem with them checking the receipt, I've never had to wait in a line for it... although it's annoying the dirty looks you get when you don't buy something and walk past them. They always seem to think you're stealing something... :confused: But then again they don't do anything, so I don't see how their job as receipt checker would stop someone from stuffing stuff in their pants and walking out. Besides the alarms going off, just take off running.

I laughed pretty hard at this lady when an alarm went off after I bought a new backpack for college, I actually stopped and let them look through the bag. She was 100% sure I packed it full of stuff to steal, her whole attitude about the thing was like "HAHA I CAUGHT YOU". She proceeded to check every single pocket on the bag for about 3-4 minutes and then when she found nothing I laughed and said "well that was a good waste of time, later"... alarm went off again but I just kept walking...

I now realize as a kid (like 10 years old) how suspicious we looked going to a grocery store to buy junk food. Cause we'd take our backpacks, and put all the stuff we wanted in our backpacks... then walk up to the counter and start pulling stuff out of the backpack... Looking back on it, that wasn't the smartest thing to do. Nobody seemed to question it at the time though.
 
Vagrant_Zero said:
Time spent giving BB your recipe to be checked. 3 seconds.
Time spent being a dinglefairy. More than 3 seconds.

Oh ya...you're just brilliant.
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I don't think you are catching on. I don't let Best Buy check my receipt ever. I did that when they stepped in front of me and actually stopped me and blocked my path, it's not their business. I have a membership at Sam's club and agreed to the terms, they can check my receipt and I have no issues with that. Every other time when Best Buy has asked if they can check my receipt, I say NO and keep walking. If they have a problem with that they are free to call the police, and hell if they honestly thing I am stealing something, I would encourage them to do so.

If BB thinks this solves crime or even lowers it, why don't they check the bag too. Why don't they just use Security Prevention people at the checkouts as baggers. Bothering me every time I leave the store is a lot more then 3 seconds and honestly keeps me from shopping at their store. I didn't do it to save time, I did it to make a point.

Since that event, I only go to BB if I need something right now, or they are having a REALLY good sale. I know of at least 3 $500+ purchases that I would have liked to purchase at BB, but chose to buy online instead because I don't like the policy.
 
Blown 89 said:
Straight from the Texas Supreme Court:
"The “shopkeeper’s privilege” expressly grants an employee the authority of law to detain a customer to investigate the ownership of property in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable period of time if the employee has a reasonable belief that the customer has stolen or is attempting to steal store merchandise. TEX. CIV. PRAC.&REM. CODE
ANN. § 124.001. "

Refusing to prove that you've purchased an item gives them plenty of probable cause and there is plenty of precedence to back that up.
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100% wrong, expressing your rights do not, in any way make you lose them, or make you guilty (we are protected by law from this), this is the same false thinking that if you refuse a search from a cop, it them gives them the right to search and that is just not the case. They better be right when they try and detain you, or they just opened them selves up to a lawsuit. This is also, in the store, someone having probable cause to stop you, which for practical reasons, means they know 100% that you are stealing, such as having you on video, but the wording is used as such, because the person could have ditched the goods before you get to them. However, we are talking about receipt checkers, employees who stop people at random or by there own will for no reason what-so-ever, which, they can do nothing about if you choose not to stop.
 
^^^ I don't think YOU are catching on. As many times as people in here proclaim, "I'm innocent and I don't let people stop me," there are far more people who actually deserved to be stopped and are actually trying to steal. They aren't out to get YOU, they are out to catch the people trying to steal. If it weren't an effective means of stopping shoplifting, they wouldn't do it.
 
I love the random court precedent citations as if anyone here is going to use it. Few of you complaining have the time or resources to push the issue of "your rights" vs. probable cause. You're going to get stopped, put up a fight, get a $25 gift certificate for being a douche, and the issue goes away.
 
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