How NOT To Get Past Fry's Receipt Checkers
The last line of defense against armed robbery at Fry's: receipt checks. Three men loaded up carts with merchandise at a San Diego store, and just headed for the door.
When they were stopped near the exit by a checker who asked for their receipts, two of the men allegedly pulled out handguns. All three then walked out of the store, stepped into a vehicle and sped away.
Look, we're not exactly fans of mandatory receipt checks around here, but arming yourself is taking things a little far.
Armed Men Walk Electronics Out Of Serra Mesa Fry's [KGTV]
(Photo: dooleymtv)
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I never show my receipt at Fry's, and the clerk's don't seem to mind that much. I do, however, pay for my stuff before I leave.
Bad Consumers! Bad!
Dunno if its the recession/depression but these crooks are getting more brazen.
Sure, they will stop people with a receipt, but let the guys with the guns just walk on out.
@tc4b: Lol good way to phrase it. I guess we should all be happy that not all criminals think things through
"Honestly, Your Honor, the receipt had gotten a little wet in my pocket and was stuck to my Glock."
Here is proof that receipt checkers don't stop theft, just annoy honest customers.
A few months back I had bought parts for computer and was going over the receipt to bill my customer, and they had not charged me for a DVD drive, although the guy counted my items and marked the receipt. I just figured it was a gift for all the money I have spent their, and wasted on their finance charges on their CC.
@nursetim: Please, send this comment to all the big box stores who annoy us as we try to leave.
Nicely stated.
@Odaecom: Most checkers just perform a simple check over the items in your cart. I've only run into a rare few who literally scan for every item marked on your receipt.
@nursetim: So true.
I imagine the following dialog happens all the time:
Clerk: "Sirs, where are your receipts?"
Thieves: "We don't have any, aww, shit, you caught us."
\Puts stuff back
\sarcasm
I have seen people get tackled at the AZ Fry's it was crazy. The security people came out of nowhere and took the guy out.
@nursetim: They're there more to catch dishonest cashiers than shoplifters. (which, IMO is just another reason to dislike fry's. If your help is that bad, it's a management problem.)
The title seems a little misleading. Using handguns apparently IS a very effective way to avoid receipt checkers.
I hate showing receipts, though I'm not as bold at refusing as some. I just hold the stuff in one hand, and put my cell phone to my ear with the other and pretend I don't hear.
That, plus a technique I learned called "walking with purpose." Walk as if you are the President headed to an important meeting, and few people will stop you.
On the chance that someone does try to stop you, motion to your pocket with the bag/item and shrug with the phone while giving an apologetic smile, but keep walking.
I don't stop unless it's Costco or a policeman. Then, I happily show my receipt.
On the far-off chance that someone physically stops you, counter with a call to the police (not 911) on your cell and threat of assault and battery charges, followed up by a call to the news and a post to Consumerist.
@skizsrodt: Oh, and for the record, I have been robbed at gunpoint while delivering pizzas. It's not that scary.
@Xerloq: Or, brandish a handgun. Come on this is sound advice, why are we just going to ignore it?
/Sarcasm
I yell "OMFG A BOMB" and run out with my loot with the sheeple.
@Xerloq: I like that - "walk with a purpose."
I use the same method, but refer to it as "Look like you know what you're doing." Ususally that confident stride plus a friendly "No thanks" in response to the "May I see your receipt?" question works very well. The checker usually stands there blinking as I walk away.
That same theory works in other situations. Several of my clients are in "secure" office buildings with security theater desks in the lobby. Occaisionally a new guard will ask me to stop and sign in, and I just look at him with a puzzled expression and say something to the effect of "I don't usually, is this a new policy?" In turn, the security actors will ask if I work in the building to which my reply is always "Yes, I do work in the building." Semantics, I know, but the world is my playground, after all. :)
@BamAlmighty: Google results:
Man killed with gun: 10,900,000
man killed with receipt: 141,000 (wtf?)
It is much more likely to be killed with a gun, then a receipt (although not by nearly as big of a margin as I thought)
@Nettwerk: That worked in an episode of Burn Notice. So it ought to work in real life, right?
/Burn Notice is my one guilty pleasure
@exkon: they would have. Every single company has a policy that states you cannot touch somone trying to leave a store, thief or not. Procedure is to follow them out, and get a LP# and call the cops. Stores do this so their employees dont get hurt, and so thiefs dont sue when they get hurt.
Looking for a LP# could have happened in this case.
Well I too don't agree with having to show a receipt this definitely is a sure way to get yourself killed by local law enforcement. I do however have to laugh at these guys... stupid but at least it shows how utterly useless there system is...
On another note, when asked "can I see your receipt" I just keep walking... no one has ever chased after me, called the police, or even moved from there assigned post...
@skizsrodt: I find this hard to believe, but since I have never been robbed at gunpoint, who am I to speak?
The cashiers at Fry's are trained to say: "Show your receipt at the door." and I have trained myself to say: "No, I'm not going to do that."
These places are actually not even secure at all. I recently bought a USB memory stick (in Norwegian called "minnepinne"). Most of them were on the locked display hooks, but one of them wasn't locked and had the exact model I wanted, so I just grabbed one of those and checked out with it (and lots of other stuff).
Well, it happens that it triggered the alarm. No one disabled the security tab inside (which I found when I opened it, later). The person at the door wanted to check my goods when the alarm rang so I showed him the receipt and the USB memory stick. He looked at the receipt and the product very carefully, made sure they matched, and then let me go on.
I could have been carrying a bunch of them inside my coat pocket, in addition to the one I paid for to make sure there was an explanation for the alarm ringing. This isn't security. Security would be him walking the item around the security system while I go through again to be sure there isn't something else in the bags or on me that would trigger the alarm.
I actually have little problem with the guys at the door at Fry's looking at my receipt and marking it with the marker color of the day.
That is simply their way of assuring that I cannot use it to come back in the store a bit later, pick up the same items a secon time and take 'em out using the same receipt.
What I don't allow if for them to paw through my bag of goodies, which are now MINE and none of their business.
As to the comment above about seeing a 'customer' tackled by store security in AZ - THAT is when they would be staring at the working end of my 9mm, and I would be calling 911.
@TheDayIsMine: Probably depends what type of robber you get. If you get someone who's pumped up on drugs, it'd probably be a lot more scary than someone who just wants your pizza money.
@ludwigk: Same here, never a problem. I just say "Have a nice day!" and keep walking. Of course, I'm not armed while shopping either.....
@Tijil: If there is a way for you to slip some goodies that are not yours into your pocket as you checkout, and then move those goodies over to the product bags between checkout and exit greeter (and, yes, that is possible), then it is not, or may not be, all your goodies (at least as far as they know).
Do you have any better idea to make sure even fewer people can sneak out even fewer products they didn't pay for? Let's put YOU on the job of store security, with all inventory shrinkage deducted from your pay, and see what you come up with.
@TheDayIsMine: Crap, crimes now require discretion and common sense? They've sure raised the bar these days.
Why use a gun: just threaten to get the door checker a Dell and watch him flee in terror.
@Nettwerk: You're aware that Federal law authorizes door-checkers to punch in the face anyone who uses the term "sheeple", right?
@Papa Midnight: However, they have no legal right to even do that, unless the inventory control system beeps.
"Dude! You're gettin' a Dell!"
Idiots. Same kind of people who rob banks. Using a gun is never a good idea, it only adds to your sentence when you get caught. Jeez, how about some discretion, lowlifes?