Walmart can try to spin itself as being on the side of good all it wants, but if it ever suspects you of shoplifting, you may find that you’re powerless to fight back. In the case of a couple accused of shoplifting some Bic lighters in Niles, Michigan this past August, Walmart detained them, the police came and cuffed one of them, their two kids were taken to a security room, and—after a review of security footage proved the couple’s innocence—they were banned for life from all Walmarts. To top it off, Walmart’s legal team has sent the couple a letter asking to be reimbursed for 10 times the value of the lighters, even though the police determined no shoplifting had taken place.
receipts
Target's New Return Policy Might Be Better: We're Not Sure
By 10.24.09
Target recently changed their return policy. It’s more consumer-friendly. We think. What we can tell you for sure is that it’s more confusing.
Home Depot Needs To Check Your Receipt "In Case You Stole Something"
By 10.19.09
Rather than make up some line about needing to make sure customers receive everything they paid for, Home Depot is now openly treating its customers like shoplifters.
Meet Burgerville's Awesome New Nutritional Info Receipt
By 10.15.09
We love the idea of Northwestern chain Burgerville’s new receipts that feature nutritional information—not just calorie counts, but also the amount of fiber, fat, and carbohydrates in each item of your order, as well as the order as a whole. Now, here’s one of the receipts as spotted out in the wild.
Walmart Manager Is Super Helpful, Saves Dead TV
By 10.2.09
A few weeks ago, Kaleb wrote to us with a tale of television woe. The Polaroid TV he purchased at Walmart on Black Friday 2008 simply died, and Polaroid wouldn’t perform warranty service without his receipt. All was lost, until a Walmart manager went above and beyond to save Kaleb from his defective television.
US Postal Service Redefines "Contiguous" United States
By 10.2.09
Steve was mailing some packages from his home in Virgina to various points in the country, and noticed something strange on his receipt. The packages destined for Pennsylvania and Washington state are leaving the contiguous United States. What?
Gas Station Writes "Big Fat Black Lady" On Customer's Receipt
By 9.27.09
The gas station clerk needed some way to identify a customer who was returning after being shorted $10 at the gas pump. Before scrawling “Black Lady – Big – Fat” on her receipt, however, he probably should have realized that she would be taking the receipt with her.
IKEA Starts Checking Receipts
By 9.24.09
Party time is over at the Red Hook IKEA where, taking a cue from their big-box brethren Walmart and Home Depot, the Swedish maker of flat-packed furniture has instituted some intense receipt checking procedures.
Restaurant Calls Rowdy Toddler "Little F***er" On Family's Receipt
By 9.12.09
Did you think that a restaurant using the code “bogo bitches” to refer to coupon-using customers was bad? Well, a Cactus Joe’s restaurant in England can top that. A new menu item called ‘Thankyyou littell f***er'” appeared on a family’s receipt after their child acted up during a long wait for food.
NYC Restaurant Calls Coupon Bitches "Bitches"
By 9.9.09
Zach at Midtown Lunch sent us this receipt from Crisp, a falafel joint in New York. The customer used a “buy one get one free” (BOGO) coupon for his meal, triggering a memorable coupon code on his receipt. Enjoy your meal, freeloadin’ bitches! And let’s hear if for comedic receipts! The more, the merrier.
Why Store Receipts Keep Getting Longer and Longer
By 9.2.09
Ever run to the drug store for a tube of toothpaste and find that your meager purchase results in a receipt the length of War and Peace? Two-foot long receipts are increasingly common these days, as retailers embrace technologies allowing them to microtarget customers. The colossal waste of paper comes at a cost, not only in felled trees but on man hours spent on changing tape and fixing broken printers.
Ms. Booty Will Be Your Waitress
By 7.31.09
Andrew just looked over the credit card receipt from a night out earlier this month, and he noticed that his server has an unusually descriptive name. Maybe Gwyneth Paltrow named her.
Game Crazy Cashier Caught Sneaking Gameguard Fees Onto Sale
By 7.13.09
Lu tried to buy “Dead Space” yesterday at a local Game Crazy because it was on sale. The cashier, however, added two fees for $1 and $2 for “Gameguard” insurance without Lu’s permission—then tried to explain it away by saying the price was higher than marked and he’d actually had to give discounts to bring it down to the sale price.
Walmart Greeter Who Was Attacked During Receipt Check Gets $20,000 Settlement
By 6.26.09
Remember the Walmart greeter who was attacked by a police officer when he tried to check the cop’s receipt? His lawsuit has been settled for $20,000.
Toothpaste Purchase Results In 3-foot Long Receipt
By 6.24.09
CVS asks: How about some dead trees and a bunch of ads with that purchase? Not in so many words, of course: that would actually give shoppers a choice.
Red Robin Tipping Message Lost In Translation
By 6.12.09
Anyone who speaks multiple languages is used to rolling their eyes at bad and inadequate translations. There is probably a perfectly reasonable, non-bigoted explanation for the differing English and Spanish texts on this Red Robin receipt.
Kroger Receipt Comes With Mastercard Application Attached
By 5.27.09
Hey, grocery shopper! You look like a responsible consumer, what with your grocery buying and standing upright. Why not take a moment to fill out an impulse-buy credit card application? If you’re approved, we’ll give you $25 you can spend on your first charge!
Target Saves You Money In Ways You Can Only Imagine
By 5.19.09
Target continues its rebranding as the Duchamp of retail stores, with this receipt that indicates savings where no savings ever existed. Or perhaps multi-dimensional savings; we can’t pretend to know what Target sees when it stares into the void. Mark notes, “The cookies were on sale, as indicated. The cascade, I had a coupon for it to be free. Total savings should be $4.23. The receipt says $7.37. Maybe it’s a conspiracy since it is the Love Field (near the airport) in Dallas where Southwest flies only 737s.” That’s as good an explanation as any, Mark. Maybe you should work for Target?
