No, You CANNOT Check My Receipt. And They Shouldn't Check Yours.
I don't know if I've mentioned this in the past, probably have, but ran into again yesterday so I thought I'd share again.
Unless you signed a contract (CostCo, Sam's Club, etc) you do not have to nor should you show your receipt to the door monkeys. Why? Once you have purchased the item it is your property. The bag it is in is your property. To allow an "official" of the store to check your bag and receipt is consenting to a search of your property.
Why? Why are you giving up a civil liberty? You are consenting to a search without probable cause. Sure there are all sorts of excuses the store manager will give you. "We are looking out for employee theft" - Great, I'm not your employee. "We are ensuring you weren't overcharged" - Bullshit. "We are . . . " - Lying?
Fry's Electronics for having the door-monkeys ask for your receipt, give it a cursory glance, mark it and then go back to their conversation with one another whether Zena or Hercules could do whatever the hell it is they might do. Other stores that immediately come to mind are Best Buy and Target. So here's what you do.
Next time you are exiting a store after purchasing something and the door-monkey asks to see you receipt, smile, be polite, keep walking and say "No Thank You."
"No Thank You." What a great phrase! How can you argue with that? Fry's doesn't anymore. I regularly walk past the line of carts waiting to get out the door and am not stopped. If I'm the only one exiting and get approached I say "No Thank You" and they smile and let me continue. This wasn't the way it was a year or two ago though. It's pretty obvious that the employees have received training on the legality of searching customer's property.
I had an interesting "conversation" with a yellow shirted door monkey at Best Buy in San Carlos Ca. a few months ago. Had my stuff in the bag, walking out, intercepted - "Can I see your receipt?" - keep walking, "No Thank You." - stunned look, you could hear the gears turning in his head. "I have to check your receipt!" he proclaimed. "No Thank you" I replied, now past the first set of doors and approaching the second set. "HEY! You have to show me your receipt!" he bellowed, highlighter raised in anger. Passing through the second set of doors I said "No you don't, and if you have a problem with it - call the police!" This really stumped him. He exclaimed "This is my job!" To which I muttered under my breath, "Then you should have stayed in school." as I got into my car.
Yesterday at Target I had a similar experience. I was buying some storage cabinets. One in each hand, I paid at the register, put the receipt in my wallet and headed out. A uniformed security guard immediately zeroed in on me in order to break up the monotony of her day. "Hello Sir, I need to see your receipt" This caught me off guard - She was wearing a uniform! So I stopped, moaned audibly, and showed it to her. She smiled and said "Thanks." On my way to the car I thought to myself "Wait a minute, uniform or no uniform - she insinuated I may be stealing these drawers." I made a note to myself not to repeat my mistake.
Lucky enough, I had to go back and get two more. This time, I made a point of going to the very last register by the door. I made eye contact with the guard as I paid the cashier. He watched me get the receipt and put it in my pocket. Sure enough as I walked the 5 feet towards him with drawers in tow he said "I need to see your receipt" to which I replied (all together now) "No Thank You" and walked past him. He was so taken aback he shrieked and I mean SHRIEKED a two syllable command: "RECEIPT!" I know my shoulders hunched up when he howled at me but I continued out the door saying only, "I said no thank you." I half expected him to call for backup or to physically stop me in the parking lot. He didn't.
Here's the deal, if you think I stole something, detain me. Otherwise, appreciate the fact that I just put a few dollars towards your paycheck and leave me alone. No, I will not consent to a search of my private, personal property in order to justify your job. If I signed a contract (CostCo) then yes, I am obliged to let you see my receipt. If you touch me, it's assault. If you detain me, it's illegal detainment and probably illegal search and seizure because when I take your store to court there's one little thing they won't be able to prove - probable cause.
People, don't let corporations chip away at your civil liberties. Stand up for your rights. Just say "No, Thank You."
Unless you signed a contract (CostCo, Sam's Club, etc) you do not have to nor should you show your receipt to the door monkeys. Why? Once you have purchased the item it is your property. The bag it is in is your property. To allow an "official" of the store to check your bag and receipt is consenting to a search of your property.
Why? Why are you giving up a civil liberty? You are consenting to a search without probable cause. Sure there are all sorts of excuses the store manager will give you. "We are looking out for employee theft" - Great, I'm not your employee. "We are ensuring you weren't overcharged" - Bullshit. "We are . . . " - Lying?
Fry's Electronics for having the door-monkeys ask for your receipt, give it a cursory glance, mark it and then go back to their conversation with one another whether Zena or Hercules could do whatever the hell it is they might do. Other stores that immediately come to mind are Best Buy and Target. So here's what you do.
Next time you are exiting a store after purchasing something and the door-monkey asks to see you receipt, smile, be polite, keep walking and say "No Thank You."
"No Thank You." What a great phrase! How can you argue with that? Fry's doesn't anymore. I regularly walk past the line of carts waiting to get out the door and am not stopped. If I'm the only one exiting and get approached I say "No Thank You" and they smile and let me continue. This wasn't the way it was a year or two ago though. It's pretty obvious that the employees have received training on the legality of searching customer's property.
I had an interesting "conversation" with a yellow shirted door monkey at Best Buy in San Carlos Ca. a few months ago. Had my stuff in the bag, walking out, intercepted - "Can I see your receipt?" - keep walking, "No Thank You." - stunned look, you could hear the gears turning in his head. "I have to check your receipt!" he proclaimed. "No Thank you" I replied, now past the first set of doors and approaching the second set. "HEY! You have to show me your receipt!" he bellowed, highlighter raised in anger. Passing through the second set of doors I said "No you don't, and if you have a problem with it - call the police!" This really stumped him. He exclaimed "This is my job!" To which I muttered under my breath, "Then you should have stayed in school." as I got into my car.
Yesterday at Target I had a similar experience. I was buying some storage cabinets. One in each hand, I paid at the register, put the receipt in my wallet and headed out. A uniformed security guard immediately zeroed in on me in order to break up the monotony of her day. "Hello Sir, I need to see your receipt" This caught me off guard - She was wearing a uniform! So I stopped, moaned audibly, and showed it to her. She smiled and said "Thanks." On my way to the car I thought to myself "Wait a minute, uniform or no uniform - she insinuated I may be stealing these drawers." I made a note to myself not to repeat my mistake.
Lucky enough, I had to go back and get two more. This time, I made a point of going to the very last register by the door. I made eye contact with the guard as I paid the cashier. He watched me get the receipt and put it in my pocket. Sure enough as I walked the 5 feet towards him with drawers in tow he said "I need to see your receipt" to which I replied (all together now) "No Thank You" and walked past him. He was so taken aback he shrieked and I mean SHRIEKED a two syllable command: "RECEIPT!" I know my shoulders hunched up when he howled at me but I continued out the door saying only, "I said no thank you." I half expected him to call for backup or to physically stop me in the parking lot. He didn't.
Here's the deal, if you think I stole something, detain me. Otherwise, appreciate the fact that I just put a few dollars towards your paycheck and leave me alone. No, I will not consent to a search of my private, personal property in order to justify your job. If I signed a contract (CostCo) then yes, I am obliged to let you see my receipt. If you touch me, it's assault. If you detain me, it's illegal detainment and probably illegal search and seizure because when I take your store to court there's one little thing they won't be able to prove - probable cause.
People, don't let corporations chip away at your civil liberties. Stand up for your rights. Just say "No, Thank You."
Labels: best buy, civil liberties, costco, receipt, rights
posted by Father Dan | 1:02 PM
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23 Comments:
Its been two years since I originally posted this article. I have noticed Fry's no longer hounds you. I think they have received training that tells them to let you past if you decline - but the salespersons have been taught to say "Please show your receipt at the door"
Best Buy . . havent actually purchased anything there in a LOnnnnnnnnnd time.
Very interesting read... I had never even thought about what the were implying by asking for my receipt, nor considered the fact that the receipt and purchased items were my own property then and there...
My friend linked this article to me because i'm a big stickler about refusing to show ID whenever I make purchases with my credit card and figured I'd wanna take up this cause as well...
Yeah, I think you just blew my mind, man... I was talking with my friend about this and I realized how ironic it is that by making a purchase and spending money in their store, you increase your chance of being searched. If I went in and browsed and left with nothing then I don't get bothered, but if I spend $2,000 on a TV I get mildly harrassed.
Just found this site browsing, but Fry's is messed up. I worked there for around seven months and they were more concerned with checking my messenger bag than with handling the guy was physically harassing me and my other female co-worker.
[b]If anyone is interested in Target security info you can find it at: www.targetfiling.blogspot.com or just google Target AP Directives for other sites. There is an interesting court case coming about the posting of these Directives.[/b]
love the article years ago someone at target did this to me and I was pretty upset they made me feel like a thief so I did the research found out what my rights were and since then I never stop. I wish more people would do the same it's sad to see so many just give in to this type of abuse. I was just harrassed by a guy at walmart he even followed me out yelling at me so I turned around and told him if he touched me I would sue. Works every time:)
Fry's in my area is still "harassing" as the checkout person said "Please have your receipt out" and then the poor guy at the door said "I need to see your receipt". I asked why and he said it was his job. I replied why and the same response. "No thank you" and exited. I like the "you should get a new job".
I think all these rants and raves are ridiculous to tell you the truth. I can understand being angry about being stopped when the security guard watched you make your purchase, but if nobody saw you and they stop you at the front door, they are merely protecting you. They are protecting you in the sense that if they catch the person who snuck something extra in their bag and make them pay for it, then they saved you money by it not coming out of their pocket. In that case, the store would have to raise prices to account for the loss of the stolen item. People steal so much stuff from retails stores these days its crazy, it adds up to the billions each year. So, now if everybody in this world was honest (which they are not) and everybody paid for what they wanted (which they don't) then stores could keep their prices lower (making those things people want more affordable) and we wouldn't need security to check your receipt. So, here's your option. We remove the security guard and all the security cameras (which I'm sure you also consider to be an invasion of you privacy) and let people just steal what they want and the honest people pay $17 a roll of toilet paper and $300 for those book shelves you purchase. Then we will see what your next gripe is...........probably about how prices are too high. So, you need to choose your battles here and realize to live in a truly "Free" society, there are boundaries and parameters to be maintained. Just realize that by taking 15 seconds to hand the guy your reciept, you are saving yourself money in the end.
Papa Smurf,
You have the right not to stand up for you civil liberties. The guard at the exit is not really checking every item. The presence of the receipt checker is to thwart shoplifting. Most shoplifting occurs from employees.
If it doesn't bother you, show them your receipt. Oh yeah, by the way if you accidentally go over the speed limit, stop at the local police station and turn yourself in. You are a law abiding citizen, right?!
Papa Smurf . . you obviously don't get it.
"The presence of the receipt checker is to thwart shoplifting. Most shoplifting occurs from employees."
I am not an employee.
"You have the right not to stand up for you civil liberties. "
Wha???
"Oh yeah, by the way if you accidentally go over the speed limit, stop at the local police station and turn yourself in. You are a law abiding citizen, right?!"
Apple =/= Orange
Take a look at what just happened in Ohio:
http://www.michaelrighi.com/2007/09/01/arrested-at-circuit-city/
I am going to repost this topic on the front page of Father Dan today to give it some visibility again and comment on the Circuit City incident.
Link to new post is:
http://www.danielcurran.com/2007/09/arrested-for-exercising-ones-rights.php
Hello Father Dan. A lot of civil liberties issues get me riled up. Another big hot button of mine (I have several, most folks do,) is harassment for taking photographs - but that is a rant for another day.
On the topic of illegal detainment or harassment by store employees - one issue that keeps coming up is the "saves you money" excuse to dealing with shoplifters.
I haven't seen anyone address the responsibility of the business to change their stocking practices if their current practice results in substantial thefts.
It is not the responsibility of the customer to adapt to a store which has a business model that requires adjustment. Adjustments may not include violation of the law. Searching someone against their will is illegal.
That it is so poorly understood by both the public at large and its law enforcement authorities strikes me cold.
In short, it leaves us in a position where we will suffer horrific abuses before the threshold of discontent is finally crossed. I would hate for us to de-evolve to such depravity before we acted. By then, any action to restore a proper balance of civil liberites would most certainly require violence, and that is unacceptable and undesirable.
Look beyond this one case, the case where stores abuse you by searching your possessions - it isn't merely about *this* issue. It involves whether we're searched on entry to public places, public transportation, our homes (smoking bans come to mind,) our computers (border customs searches,) tracking our whereabouts, how we drive (black boxes in cars,) and what we say (civil libel, copyright, and DMCA abuses.)
These issues are interlinked. By upholding the security of one's person NOT to be searched, we also resist being watched against our will (rental car companies penalizing customers with GPS tracking,) we resist predatory advertising practices (using your Tivo habits to target ads, or store loyalty cards,) and ultimately for our beliefs (the FBI investigating library records/Red Scare.)
These are easy battles to fight. It's not as if you're going to get shot at for resisting. Learn to resist the small battles now before you have to fight bigger and riskier battles tomorrow.
Father Dan, the commend you replied to was not ment for you but for the previous poster "Papa Smurf".
You people keep telling me that I just don't get it, but none of you bothered to address any of my points. You keep making this blog to be about civil liberties when it is about being inconveniently asked to see your receipt at the door. How hard is it to show a little peice of paper that says 'yes, I obeyed the law and paid for the products in which I desire.'
I don't understand how this is an invasion of privacy nor how it relates to turning myself in for speeding.
Especially since speeding IS illegal, but shopping is not......as one poster put apples =/= oranges..
you see there is a simple mathematical equation here:
company pays for products, sells products to comsuners, company makes money, invests back into store (making it nicer, bigger, paying employees better...) thus making your shopping experience better and keeping your prices comparable.....
lets see what happens when this equation is disrupted by shoplifting.
company pays for products, products shoplifted, company forced to buy more product with profit thus creating less profit, thus charging higher prices to consumer to compensate, thus causing consumer to shop elsewhere until they complain there as well and we have no security checks whatsoever and people just take what they want....
then this blog would be about how prices are so high and how you got mugged in aisle c27 because there was no security.... I mean really, if there is noone to stop shoplifters, who will stop people from taking stuff from other shoppers....
I find that article posted about the guy in Ohio quite disturbing, and rather annoying to tell you the truth....I don't believe that he believes he is doing something good by "Standind up to authority".... not only did he make his day crappy, made his family's day crappy, but is now going to trial because he felt like he was being violated. It would have taken 10 seconds...
to the poster who said the store should adapt not the customers: the only way the store would be able to adapt would be to put every single item behind some sort of protective casing to which a limited number of people have access too... but in that case you would need the assistance of an employee for anything you wanted to purchase, not to mention, how much fun would shopping be...especially personal items.
I just don't even know what to say you guys sometimes.....I find that your complaints are very narrow minded and a waste of everybody's time and mustly, unfounded....
First, the stores have a right to establish their policies, including a right to inspect receipts and/or parcels. That's clearly the case when the policy is posted at the entrance. While some frame this issue in light of personal rights, that's not the core issue.
There are two fundamental concerns here. First, the mentality of "guilty-until-proven-innocent." Bad enough certain stores have adopted that as policy. But we see it also at the airport where millions of law-abiding citizens are asked to take off their shoes as a result of one alleged shoe bomber. Not to mention the liquids restrictions because of the Europeans thought this was a potential avenue of attack. Deterrence is one thing, but the cattle-drive approach on extremely thin premise doesn't actually enhance security. Folks, the bad guys don't follow the rules! That's what makes them bad guys!
Which leads me to the second point. As a theft deterrent, receipt checking is almost totally ineffective. I've never had the Receipt Nazi actually verify the merchandise I had was listed on the receipt. So what's the point besides just harassing me? Besides, retail fraud accounts for only 1.86% of total revenues and, by some accounts, employee theft makes up 80% of retail losses.
A couple of other writers have framed the key points of this issue more eloquently than I could, so I refer you to Deejayqueue and Plorry's comments from The Consumerist.
I don't advocate getting arrested like Michael Righi did. But I think we need to put a stop to the "trust-but-verify" mentality and decline the Invasion of the Receipt Snatchers.
I just moved down south, and the big Discount club store here is BJ's.
I joined yesterday. At no time when getting my membership was a receipt search mentioned.
I bought some items, paid for them, and tried to leave.
The receipt checker asked to see my receipt, I said I lost it.
He told me to go back to customer service to get a new one. I refused. He said he'd have to get a manager. I said OK. The manager (2 actually) eventually arrived, and I asked if it was part of my membership agreement that I had to show a receipt. They assured me it was. I said I wanted to see that in writing. They left. I waited. After 6 or 7 minutes, my wife and toddler were getting restless, so I told the guy I was going to go. I told him "do what you need to do, but I'm leaving". He made no attempt to stop me.
I don't know if my membership will be cancelled the next time I try to use it, but I'll let you know when the time comes.
Next time I won't lie about losing the receipt, I'll just refuse. If they try to detain me, I'll deal with that when it happens.
When you go grocery shopping, do they check your grocery bags a second time without probable cause? When you goto a shopping center, do they detain you at the door to check you a second time? There are plenty stores in a typical mall that are larger than most warehouses. If thieft cause price increase, why haven't prices jumped significantly at these places? When stores implement policies without any legal precedence, they are trying to set a precedence! You shouldn't help them set this precedence if you feel like your liberty is at risk. Go elsewhere and never come back again.
The cost of checking everyday items such as toilet papers at the door is just silly. It wastes both employee, employer and consumer time. A better strategy from the business perspective would be to fire the door checkers and use their salary to put anti-thieft devices on expensive items valued over a certain amount of money. If a thief is smart enought to over come these high-tech devices, he/she can easily pass the door clerk with a fake receipt.
To conclude, it's wrong for suppliers to presume that all the customer cares is price. Service is as bit if not more important. I for one rather pay more for a pleasant shopping experience rather than wait in long lines just so someone can check-off my receipt. Your time == opportunity cost == money!
Fantastic! I've just recently started doing this. Last night I was chased by an employee into the parking lot. He was about 6 foot 5 and 300lbs and probably not used to people telling him no. He wasn't even wearing a uniform or name tag! For all I know, he wasn't an employee! This was at a walmart garden center exit. He actually instigated a confrontation, but I'm not a small guy myself. I told him to call the cops and if he touched me I would defend myself.
If you haven't noticed, 99% of the time employees ask to see your receipt it's because your items are not in bags (that's why Sam's and CostCo have it in membership agreement). So the comment about checking your bags a second time at at grocery store is unwarranted.
And what I love is that you're trying to push your ideas of civil liberties on me and other people who aren't offended by being asked for a receipt. So, just because it bothers you, it should also bother me? I don't think so. You pick your battles, and I'll pick mine, thank you very much.
I say let's all try to be a little more pleasant to one another instead of celebrating when someone acts like an ass over something so trivial. Maybe if people weren't starving, children weren't being kidnapped and exploited, and there were no more wars, maybe then I would care about something this unnecessary. Let's try to focus here, people.
Sam's Club and Costco have membership agreements - correct. However, Best Buy, Fry's and other stores do not. When you go to the grocery store (Albertsons, Safeway) why don't they check all your bags there? So your first paragraph is a horrible argument.
As for "my interpretation" of civil liberties, let me introduce you to something called the 4th amendment. It is part of the Bill of Rights that make up the Constitution:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
I am not celebrating someone acting like an ass - saying "No Thank you" is not acting like an ass - its standing your ground and refusing to be manipulated, or part of the herd.
As for the children being kidnapped and exploited remark - wow! What color is the sun on your planet?
Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither - Franklin
Father Dan, i am one of the "door monkeys" (as you put it) at fry's. & i just want to let you know that we are not checking receipts to catch thieves we have cameras & loss prevention officers for that. we check the receipts to make sure that there are no mistakes made at the register. & yes alot of mistakes get made. mistakes like, missing an item you wanted to purchase. or scanning one item twice. some items have a "reduced price" sticker, but the customer gets charged full price. on big things like TV's & speaker, the AV department will bring the wrong item to the front, different from what you paid for. & really there are many more things we look for. so see we do indeed look for overcharges. we get our raise based on the amount of things we catch. yes it is your right to say "no thanks" & we wont argue with you. but you need to understand that we dont think you or anyone who just purchased something is a thief this is how fry's keeps there prices as low as possible. and to say "you should go to school" when one says "this is my job". well, maybe im in school & this is how im paying for it. or maybe you shouldnt judge me for my job. everyone needs to make money somehow. get off your high hourse & respect you fellow man who is just doing his job.
Father Dan, i am one of the "door monkeys" (as you put it) at fry's.
Whaddup!
& i just want to let you know that we are not checking receipts to catch thieves we have cameras & loss prevention officers for that. we check the receipts to make sure that there are no mistakes made at the register. & yes alot of mistakes get made.
If a lot of mistakes are being made at the register that sounds like a "quality of staff issue" - not an honesty of customer issue .
mistakes like, missing an item you wanted to purchase.
That's ok with me
or scanning one item twice.
I would catch that myself at the register
some items have a "reduced price" sticker, but the customer gets charged full price.
I would catch that myself at the register
on big things like TV's & speaker, the AV department will bring the wrong item to the front, different from what you paid for.
Are they dishonest or stupid? I would hope I catch that myself at the register.
& really there are many more things we look for. so see we do indeed look for overcharges. we get our raise based on the amount of things we catch.
You get your raise based on how many fuck-ups you catch your fellow employees making? And you don't see a problem with that?
yes it is your right to say "no thanks" & we wont argue with you.
Excellent!
but you need to understand that we dont think you or anyone who just purchased something is a thief
Ok, I can respect that
this is how fry's keeps there prices as low as possible.
by catching inept employees? - ok. . . Maybe if they hired better employees or gave better training they could remove the door positions and save money that way.
and to say "you should go to school" when one says "this is my job". well, maybe im in school & this is how im paying for it.
IF you are under 23 then I don't have a problem with you, you are still in college. Why you are working the door at Fry's while pursuing a degree is odd. If you are in High school then god-speed! Glad to see you earning a somewhat honest living.
or maybe you shouldnt judge me for my job. everyone needs to make money somehow. get off your high hourse & respect you fellow man who is just doing his job.
Stay in School!
1. The 4th Amendment of the Constitution protects you from the government, not private enterprise. Thus you also don't have 1st Amendment rights at work either. So, quoting it is a non-starter.
2. Businesses are bound to federal, state, and local laws. When you operate a business it is not a free-for-all in terms of how you treat customers, vendors, and suppliers. Some states might allow receipt checks but I'd venter most do not. "Businesses have a right to..." is patently false. See: Uniform Commercial Code
3. After the transaction is completed the property is yours. It's no different than the cell phone in your pocket or the jacket you're wearing.
4. To be stopped here in CA, an employee must have witnessed you taking unpaid merchandise from the premises and be prepared to testify as such to a police officer or in a court of law.
Okay, I'm a Team Member at Target, so I'm already prepared for the criticism that you are sure to give to a "lowly Target employee," just because it's the kind of person that you are.
I'm sorry that you get so offended just because an employee requests to see your receipt on a purchase. I would think that you would feel even just the smallest bit safer in a place where you know an effort is being made to minimize theft. I can only imagine the judgment you would pass on a store in which shoplifting runs rampant. A ten second chat with an employee on the way out of the store can't be that harming of an experience, can it?
At Target, we only conduct receipt checks on exposed and unbagged merchandise. And what invasion of privacy or unreasonable search is this? Exposed merchandise is in plain view for all to see.
"If a lot of mistakes are being made at the register that sounds like a 'quality of staff issue' - not an honesty of customer issue"
You're still missing the point. The truth is, we don't suspect you of stealing. If we did, we employ other certified members to deal with you. In fact, there has only been one single time where I have ever even slightly suspected someone of trying to walk out with unpaid merchandise. And what do you know, that one person actually was trying to walk out with a whole cart full of expensive and unpaid merchandise. And it sucks, but it's these kind of people who ruin it for everyone.
Our cashiers ring up hundreds of transactions per day, and are bound to make a mistake every once in a while. Things get rung up twice on occasion, and even though you might be the ever-vigilant shopper, ready to pounce on any mistake that others make, you would be surprised at the number of people who are halfway home in their car before they realize that they were overcharged and come back to the store furious. And to think, a simple thing like a receipt check before leaving the store could save the gas and the headaches.
And cashiers do overlook items sometimes. They're cashiers, not gods. Everyone makes mistakes. And while I'm sure you're fine with not paying for an item that the cashier forgot to scan, the store isn't. Stores rely on sales to stay in business, and even the little things do make a difference.
Let's be clear. If you honestly do not want your receipt to be checked (is there really something you need to hide? Is it that you don't want anyone to know about the enlargement cream you bought or the romance novel you got for the plane ride?), we do not force you at all to provide it. No thanks? Okay,sir. Have a grrrrrreat day. Of course it would only be courteous to let an employee just do his job, but we are no longer a courteous society, right?
The biggest kick I get out of these rants are that people actually feel that a simple receipt check is such a personal violation. It's common knowledge that retail stores are just tools by the government to oppress citizens and strip them of all their rights, right?
A good trick to reduce the frustration levels is to stop taking everything so personally. It's the store policy to check all exposed merchandise. If you want to avoid the encounter (I suspect that the real issue here is that you don't like confrontation), there's a simple and painless solution: request a large bag or a special target sticker/handle. Then no receipt checks are needed. Great, huh?
One last thing: I know nothing I say will ever change your opinions on life. You're a writer. That's what writers do. They dwell upon simple things and develop complex opinions on them. But if you were any kind of decent person, you would not be so judgmental of others. What makes you any better than a person working at minimum wage? You, unlike them, went to a fancy college, so that makes you more righteous? You have more worth than a single mother who works two jobs at minimum wage to pay for her utilities and groceries for her kids? Have a heart and use that brain.
And don't give me any of that "you should have stayed in school" crap. I am in school, and I work to pay for it. Try being understanding. It's fun.
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