"As the two women exited the store without paying, employees approached them and asked to see a receipt. When Estrada and Jimenez ignored the request, they were detained and the police were called."

Under what circumstances CAN you be detained for not showing a receipt?

Anyhow, I guess this balances out the negative rollback, right?

What does someone's medical issue have to do with whether they're a thief or not?

Would I get press if I stole something this way and I mentioned that I had a cold?

@TechnoDestructo: If they have probable cause (e.g. they saw you do it). Only then.

This is an instance where the store was right to ask for a receipt. I'm sure even the dumbest Wal Mart employee could figure out something was up, especially the part where they walked out of the store with a cart full of stuff that was likely not bagged. That would fall under suspicion of theft.

@nursetim: The store ALWAYS has the right to ask to see a receipt. No one in their right mind has ever argued against that. It's just that customers also have the right to decline such request and not be hassled for it.

But in this case, I wouldn't have a problem with a loss prevention officer stopping them at the door, since it appears there was enough reason to believe theft was in progress. IANAL, though.

Since I've been reading this site, I've been waiting for someone to stop me for a recipt check. I used to get that all the time at Best Buy, but now I never get stopped. The guys there just check when you are wheeling out a big tv or something not in a box. Perhaps because I moved to the town that won "safest in America" (yet I still get my car keyed and my lawn lights stolen).

I can't believe that there isn;t 400 comments about how her rights were violated for being receipt checked at the door. And on a Wal-Mart thread no less.

U-Haul, Wal-Mart, consumer-crime, and a receipt check, all in the SAME article? Wowzers!

I bet that among the items they stole were flammable clothes, recalled iron-laced Mattel toys, chemical-burn slippers, and a t-shirt with a Nazi symbol on it. Ben & Meg, you should go out and buy lottery tickets.

@Buran: I think the surprising aspect is that we as a society (irrationally) expect pregnant women to lead good lives and take care of themselves and their eventual offspring. Pregnant thieving dirtbags are still thieving dirtbags, but people think there's something wholesome and pure about just being knocked up.