Lisa says a Walmart greeter grabbed onto her cart and and wouldn’t let her leave because she refused to let the greeter check her receipt. That, my friends, is not legal. Sure, it would make life a lot easier if people just acquiesced to the receipt-checking, but it’s not the law. It is against the law, however, to unlawfully detain a customer. Here’s Lisa’s account:

Tonight (2/4/09) at Wal-Mart on Creighton road in Pensacola, FL the greeter asked to see my receipt. I refused and she got in front of my cart and was holding on to it so I could not leave! I asked for a manager, and she took my cart and went over to her stand thing. I said you can’t take my stuff and she said you could leave with it!! I said you stole my food and I want to leave! She is across the entrance now with my car and says show me your receipt or you can’t leave with it!

So I am standing there forever, and finally I walk to the CS desk, I see the CSM that (I have known for about 6 years since the store opened!) and ask for the manager. We walk over the her stand thing. We like wait forever and then her and I start to leave there is like no sign of him. Then we see him and she points him out to me. When he comes to talk to me I tell him the greeter took my cart and he asked me did I she ask for a receipt? I said yes he said you have to show it to her. I said well I don’t want to and I want to leave. He said well then show her your receipt! I said the store should have a copy of the receipt if you need it right now I was at that cash register. He then rolls his eyes. He said you have to show your receipt. I said not showing it so you are saying I can’t leave without showing it? He said yes that is our policy and he start to walk away.

(About 4 months ago, another greeter detained me, she stopped me from leaving for about 5 minutes when she walked away I left. I called the manager when I got home, he apologized and said she should not have kept me from leaving, and he would review the tape and talk to her. The difference was she didn’t steal my food and when I talked to the manager he was very apologetic. It aggravated me but the manager did apologize so I just thought it was poor training or a greeter having an awful day! I actually do customer service escalation call center work, I know sometimes people are not trained and then escalations has to deal with it.) So I said another manager said I did not have to show it a few months ago. He said this is our policy you can’t leave without showing your receipt! I said ok I will just return my things but I can’t even get my cart to return them. So he tells the CSM to get my cart for me. So he leaves and I go with her.
Now I know her she is very nice!!!! So she gets my cart and I go with her and we go to the customer service desk and we are waiting she tells the lady I am going to return my things and I am in line and I said I paid for this with a gift card, can I get cash I am not shopping here again, what am I going to do with a gift card here. I said can I get the gift card and then get a refund for cash, I know I did that a few years ago with a gift card they cashed it out for me. She then asked for my receipt and I gave it to her and then she said do u want your stuff I will walk you out. I said yes but I want a different gallon of milk this has been out for too long. Then I get a different gallon of milk we walk out and we are just talking like people talk, being pleasant, she apologizes to me. Again she is very nice I have known her since 2002 when the store opened! I live very close by literally on the same block, we go there at least 1x per week!

I am a single mom and I work full time and hardly have time to shop this is so ridiculous I am detained with my 10 year old at walmart!! I couldn’t beleive the greeter, her name was Sandra actually stole my cart of food! The managers name was Wayne that was said it was the policy that people can’t leave without showing their receipt.

(Photo: Brave New Films)

UPDATE: The first letter was written right after Lisa got back from the Walmart, dashed off with heat and haste. Now that she’s had some time to cool down and edit her letter, here is her second pass at the story:

I was exiting Wal-Mart with my son. A greeter named Sandra asked to see my receipt. I smiled and politely refused. Then she stood in front of my cart and held on to it so we could not leave!
I asked for a manager. She took my cart and went over to her station thing.
I said You can’t take my stuff. She said you could leave with it!
I said You stole my food and I want to leave.
She is across the entrance now with my cart and says If you want to leave show me your receipt.
So I am standing there forever, waiting for a manager. I finally walk to the customer service desk. I see a CSM and ask for the manager. We walk over the her station in the middle of the registers. He is in a meeting. We like wait for a long time. Then we started to leave. She sees him and points him out to me. His name is Wayne. I told him the greeter took my cart and would not let me leave. He said Did she ask for a receipt? I said yes.
He said You have to show it to her. I said I don’t want to and I want to leave. He said Well show her your receipt. I said The store should have a copy of the receipt if you need it right now I was at that cash register and I point to it. He then rolls his eyes. He then said You have to show your receipt if you want to leave!
I said So you are saying I can’t leave without showing it? He said Yes that is our policy and he started to walk away while speaking.

(About 4 months ago, another greeter detained me, she stopped me from leaving for about 5 minutes. She walked away. I left. I called the manager when I arrive home to complain. He apologized and said she should not have kept me from leaving, and he would review the tape and talk to her. The difference was she didn’t steal my food and when I talked to the manager he was very apologetic. It aggravated me but the manager did apologize so I just thought it was poor training or a greeter having an awful day! I have not shopped there as much since then. That evening I picked up my mail and recieved a gift card to Wal-Mart.)

So I said to the manager that was walking away, a few months ago another manager said I did not have to show it. He said You can’t leave without showing your receipt! I said Ok I will just return my things but I can’t even get my cart to return them. He then adds that I still have to show my receipt. (Why can’t people see the difference between meeting a requirement of store policy to show a receipt for a refund for a return vs being detained and stealing personal property?) So he tells the CSM to get my cart for me. So he leaves and I go with her.

So we go to get my cart and then proceed to the customer service desk. She tells the rep I am going to return my things. We are in line and I told her that I paid for this with a gift card, and asked her if I could get cash for the new gift card after the return since I am not shopping here again. (Several years ago I cashed out a gift card, I think in FL you can do that.) She then asked for my receipt and I gave it to her. Then she said Do you want your stuff I will walk you out. I said yes but I wanted to exchange the milk since it has been out for too long. I exchange the milk, we walk out and she apologized to me and instructs me to call the store manager but she was not sure if he would be there the next day since he was that earlier that day. She is very nice I have known her for several year since the store opened.

I spoke with Gary the general store manager the next day. He said they have every right to detain me for not showing my receipt when asked. He said if customers have nothing to hide they will show their receipt. I asked for clarification, he said they have every retain to detain customers if they do not show their receipt.

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