Source
r/Bestbuy•
learc83

Blocked from leaving store (Hiram, GA), forced to show receipt

To start, I know from working in retail during college (at Best Buy) that showing your receipt to the LP person at the door is voluntary in my state (GA) unless the store has a reasonable suspicion that you are shoplifting or you activate that automatic inventory control system (shopkeeper's privilege applies in that case).

So after we checked out at the front lanes (20' from the door) we decided to skip the long receipt checking line (we bought 2 ps4 games that were in bags).

An LP employee chased us out the door and attempted to block us from leaving. We told the employee that receipt check was voluntary, and that he couldn't detain us unless he had a reasonable suspicion that we shoplifted. Then an off-duty deputy working for Best Buy stopped us and ordered us to present the receipt.

At this point we didn't want to deal with being arrested, so we complied.

I don't know what has changed at BBY(hopefully you guys still use the stock symbol as shorthand) in the last 8 years since I've been there, but when I was there an LP employee would be seriously reprimanded if they attempted to detain a customer without a reasonable belief that the customer stole something.

This means that the employee would have to have seen the customer hide something and then follow them on camera the entire time until they tried to leave.

Has that policy changed?

I don't want to stop shopping at BBY. Is this just a one time thing with an untrained employee? I'm also really dissatisfied with BBY using an off duty deputy sheriff to use the threat of arrest to force customers to comply with what is supposed to be a voluntary receipt check.

Who should I contact to make the store aware of the law if they aren't or to make them aware they have untrained employees if they are?

Posted Nov 24, 2017, 4:59 AM UTC · edited · locked

056
dickey1331•

You sound like a dick. It doesn’t take much effort to show a receipt.

45
learc83OP•

There was a huge receipt check line. I've never had a problem skipping it before because the law in my state is pretty clear on this, and when I worked at BBY LP was aware of the law and would just smile and wave you on if you declined a voluntary receipt check.

-43
johnb212Customer Service Specialist•

If you've ever worked in retail, then you should know that the worst customers are the ones that don't like waiting in a line and expect some special privilege to get around it.

21
learc83OP•

I don't expect some special privilege. I don't expect to cut in line to pay. I don't expect to cut in line in front of other customers. I expect the same privilege that everyone has--to decline to produce a receipt and not to be detained for doing so.

There's nothing special about this. Literally everyone has this right.

When I was there everyone knew it was a customer's right, and AP didn't attempt to detain people for exercising it.

-27
johnb212Customer Service Specialist•

Everyone else is patient enough to wait. It's Thanksgiving, there's going to be a decent wait to get anything done, and everyone else seemed to understand this. You are right on one thing: you never expected to cut in line. You expected to skip a line entirely. You didn't even bother to get to the end of the line and then say you declined, you straight up walked out of the store.

Edit: Didn't read the whole original post and removed redundant stuff

11
WhatinTaxationGopher•

Oh for fucks sake. You sound like a total cock. Shut the fuck up, file in line and fucking show your god damn receipt. Stop being a little bitch about it and show the fucking thing to get out and Have a happy Thanksgiving..

25
RodgersOverBradyAP•

I don't understand people that have a problem with needing to show it. Fighting us will take significantly longer, and you are going to end up showing it in the end. Look like a dick just to be defeated eventually

5
WhatinTaxationGopher•

He just wants to be right. In actuality he's right but do you think he wants to check your receipt? Just do it and get it over with.

6
RodgersOverBradyAP•

Exactly. It's pretty easy to avoid the huge inconvenience for everyone

4
PlayStationPepeComputers/HT/Geek Squad 💡 •

This seems like a bait post. Don’t really see an issue with complying to show a receipt yet alone even waiting in line to present one. Literally takes a few seconds. LP is there to make sure that the item that was purchased matches what’s in the bag or in your hands. When it comes to Black Friday, the risk of shrink is very high, due to the influx of shoppers. So it’s important for LP to make sure that everything checks out before a Customer leaves the building with product.

21
learc83OP•

This isn't a bait post. Not sure how I can prove it. I have a GS leather jacket for working in GS for 5 years (2 years full time CS and GS, then 5 years part time GS while I went to college). I worked at the edgewood store #896 and the Douglasville store #519. I was a customer service rep, customer service senior, Geek Squad senior (there was a short period of time when GS didn't have a supervisor only a senior), and then a part time CIA. I opened the edgewood store.

It definitely happened. I'm just really confused by the whole ordeal because the law in my state is very clear, and when I last worked there in 2009 LP was aware of it.

Yes the store policy was for the LP to ask everyone to see the receipt, but if someone declined they would let you walk out. They wouldn't attempt to block you from leaving.

Physically blocking someone from leaving a store is false imprisonment in GA unless you have a reasonable suspicion that the person is shoplifting. Look it up, there are plenty of cases were stores were sued and lost because employees blocked customers from leaving with no reasonable suspicion of theft.

When I was at BBY they made it very clear to anyone working the LP desk (which I did several times as CS senior covering breaks)--you don't try to block someone for declining a receipt check.

Literally takes a few seconds.

The receipt check line was very long, definitely more than a few seconds.

I don't think I'm better than everyone else and deserve to skip ahead of them. I just assume that everyone else in line believes that the law allows BBY to check their receipt, or wants to voluntarily show their receipt.

Once I walked passed line and politely informed an LP person that receipt check is voluntary and he smiled waved me on, and several other people in line left as well.

-11
Sokiru•

Black Friday we check every receipt. Don't like it? Deal with the PD/Sheriff's Office.

15
learc83OP•

I'm not a dick this has just never been a problem. When I worked there everyone knew state law. Receipt checks are voluntary, you are risking a false imprisonment lawsuit if you detain someone without a reasonable belief that they are shoplifting.

That was the first thing they told you when you worked the LP desk, and LP just smiled and waved you on if you declined to show your receipt.

-8
Sokiru•

Refusing to brandish a receipt is all a retailer needs to meet reasonable belief.

12
learc83OP•

Declining to produce a receipt doesn't meet the standard. You can do a bit of Google searching if you don't want to take me at my word.

0†
learc83OP•

Followup: Here's a relevant article from the Florida A&M law review if you're interested.

http://commons.law.famu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1079&context=famulawreview

-1
KawasakiFz09AP•

Great, maybe you should sue them then. You’re not going to find any sympathy on this forum. Sorry

12
learc83OP•

I'm not going to sue them. What I was hoping for was for someone to reaffirm that "no, we don't have a store policy of chasing people out of the store and blocking them from leaving if they don't show us the receipt. That was just an untrained employee".

From my time at BBY, that was the answer I expected, because that was the way it was when I was there.

Since it seems that's not the case. I just won't shop there any longer. I know you don't care because I've been in your shoes when a customer threatens to stop shopping there and I didn't care.

I also get that you're LP (I guess it's AP now) and you tend to build an us against them mentality because of all the crap you have to deal with. I've been there too.

But chasing down customers who don't want to have to prove they just bought the merchandise that they just paid for 20' away, isn't a good business practice, and it's going to cost the company money in the long run. How much shrink is that going to stop? How many people exhibit no suspicious behavior at all before checking out? How many of those people walk out of the front lanes with small BBY bag and stop and politely tell you no thanks when you try to stop them? How many of those actually have stolen merchandise? And how many of those people have stolen merchandise in the bag? There's no way it's enough to make it worth the company's time.

I'm a good customer, I don't immediately walk in and ask for help finding things that I can find on my own. I don't bother price matching. I don't return every other thing I buy. I don't ask to see a manger every other time I walk in. I buy items that are more expensive than I can find them for online because I like to see them in person first, and I don't use Best Buy as a Amazon's showroom.

There are a lot of people like me who don't want to be chased down and stopped because they know showing a receipt is voluntary. When I checked there were about 500k google searches a month for variations of "can stores force me to show my receipt".

Again, I get it, you don't care. I probably wouldn't have either when I was there. I do now that I'm on the other side.

1
Sokiru•

On Black Friday/Thanksgiving our policy is to check every receipt and if someone does not want to comply with this request they are more than welcome to deal with the uniformed officer as in your case. Any other time, Shopkeepers Privilege, not only gives Best Buy the right to ask you for a receipt, but also gives us the right to make that request mandatory under reasonable consideration. This can include your behavior when asked for said receipt. Have fun attempting your false imprisonment claim against Best Buy, no policy was violated.

5
ele360•

Dude it’s thanksgiving/Black Friday. I’m sorry but you are not gonna find sympathy. This week we check every receipt no exceptions. As someone who claims to have worked in retail for so long it kinda surprises me that this seems so foreign to you.

14
learc83OP•

It's not foreign to me that you ask. What's foreign to me is that you try to detain customers who decline.

When I was there AP (it was LP back then) had a checklist that they followed before they could do anything. They definitely weren't allowed to try to physically block someone from leaving for merely declining to produce a receipt. If you pulled something like that multiple times you would have been fired at the stores I worked at.

-1
ele360•

And I’m saying that sure sounds right, every other day of the year. Do I feel that stopping you in the parking lot was called for, no. Am I saying it’s right that this happened to you, no. I’m saying that for better or worse like it or not that’s the way shit is on these days and that I’m surprised you didn’t already know that.

4
learc83OP•

And I’m saying that sure sounds right, every other day of the year. Do I feel that stopping you in the parking lot was called for, no. Am I saying it’s right that this happened to you, no.

Thank you for that. You are literally the only person here who agrees.

I’m saying that for better or worse like it or not that’s the way shit is on these days and that I’m surprised you didn’t already know that.

It really wasn't like that when I worked there. Sure they asked to check every receipt, but they didn't let LP attempt to block people from leaving for it. I was explicitly warned about trying to detain people for receipt checks when I covered LP and there was no change in policy on black Friday.

I was there 2 years ago on Black Friday, and I walked right out no problems.

0
ele360•

I hear you. Tbh I don’t believe ap from my store would have stopped someone in the parking lot but then again, I’m not positive they wouldn’t either. It’s definitely not something we would normally do and your right I don’t think they have the authority to do it. More so that I’m not surprised this happened, like it doesn’t blow my mind like holy shit ap did whaaat? More like hmph that’s kinda sketchy but hey it’s Black Friday.

5
KawasakiFz09AP•

You chose to get humiliated by bypassing the receipt checking line. Do you think the other shoppers want to wait in another line to get their receipt checked? No. But that’s the store policy on Black Friday. Everything gets checked. If you don’t want to get checked, just keep walking. No need to stop, we’re not going to handcuff you.

13
learc83OP•

If you don’t want to get checked, just keep walking. No need to stop, we’re not going to handcuff you.

Did you not read the part were we attempted to do that?

A sheriff's deputy stopped us and wouldn't let us leave until we showed the receipt. The deputy was pissed and there definitely would have been handcuffs involved if we'd pressed the issue.

-5
AinzOoalGown115•

You answered your own question then; it wasn’t a BBY issue, it’s the Deputy/Police Departments issue. If there’s a system in place just follow it. It’s there for a reason and consequences tend to happen when you take shortcuts.

12
KawasakiFz09AP•

What’s he going to arrest you for? Did you steal? No.

4
learc83OP•

Disorderly conduct, obstructing or hindering an law enforcement officer. I have no doubt that the charges wouldn't stick, but those are the standard charges in GA when an officer feels you are disobeying a lawful order.

Is it your store policy to attempt to physically block someone from leaving the store who attempts to walk past the receipt check (absent further reason to suspect they are shoplifting)?

-4
MannyKun•

not show a piece of paper? make a huge fuss over it? red flags all day.

show a piece a paper, then leave. how hard is that? you spent the time to go to a retail store on a black friday, i am pretty sure you are not in a hurry to go anywhere and can wait 5-10 minutes in a line to exit.

10
learc83OP•

Lets's say you're not generally in a hurry when you have closing shifts. Your manager says there's been a lot of theft, so now you have to wait in line to get checked before you can leave the store, but here's the kicker--he's very busy, so you often have to wait 15 minutes before he gets around to checking everyone, and you're not going to get paid for it.

He says that all the other employees are doing it, and it's necessary because employees keep stealing.

You know the manager isn't legally allowed to detain you, or to keep you working off the clock. Are you going to wait without pay? It's only 15 minutes. Or are you going to fill out a time sheet, so you get paid, or complain to the GM?

By the way that happened frequently when I was at Best Buy. Best Buy had to settle a huge class action lawsuit over it.

0
Sokiru•

This is an easy fix. Always punch for the time. If a manager takes 15 min to get to the door to let you out? PUNCH FOR THE 15 MIN. I don't know any management that is gonna take any issue with it. This example is completely unrelated.

7
RodgersOverBradyAP•

Here's a good place to remind you that it technically is in SOP to be punched in for coat checks

7
learc83OP•

But everyone else is doing it, it prevents theft, it only takes a few minutes, and the manager says it's store policy. (Thousands of employees were doing this for years by the way before the lawsuit).

Those arguments all apply and they are the exact same arguments people here are giving for waiting line to have your receipt checked.

1
RodgersOverBradyAP•

You do realize it's in Best Buy's SOP to be punched in during a coat check, right? So there goes your point

6
learc83OP•

I spent some time reading through this subreddit on apprehension SOP.

It's pretty clear that according to current SOP what I did not meet the requirements for attempting to stop me from leaving the store.

Therefore it's SOP not to attempt to block people from leaving the store for not showing a receipt.

So in my case SOP was violated and in my coat check case SOP was violated.

Additionally my scenario was a hypothetical analogy to get you to understand why I don't want to just wait around even though everyone else is doing, it saves the company money, and it only takes a few minutes.

If that doesn't work to allow you to empathize with my motives, think of some other scenario where a person who has no authority to do so, tries to detain you and think about how would react.

0
RodgersOverBradyAP•

I understand what you're saying, I'm just pointing out that in your analogy SOP is being violated. Employees are technically supposed to be on the clock when their coats are being checked, but most people aren't because there isn't a huge line and it takes a second to do typically

1
Sokiru•

You are 100% incorrect

1
MannyKun•

if this was in person i would give u the kind of stare i give people when they say something like: "I want an apple laptop not a mac laptop".

what you said made absolutely no sense, completely unrelated, and completely off topic. im pretty convinced this is a bait thread or you're just a really bad troll

0†
ryavcoBack Office Leader•

Block and detain are two completely different things. Did the associate put their hands on you? If not, totally within their rights as an employee to block the way. If you were to push past them, that is where their power stops.

While you are on company property, it is the job of AP/LP to inspect every receipt that goes through that door, ESPECIALLY on Black Friday. Not that unreasonable. You chose to do something you knew was against our policy, and you got exactly what was coming to you.

Also, getting pissed about the sheriffs deputy is not Best Buy’s problem. Take it up with the police station if you have a problem with how their officers are acting.

For someone who claims to have worked at Best Buy for so long, you really seem to have a hard time grasping one of your simplest policies.

Did you also have a problem with having AP check your jacket/bag when you left your shift? Did you get angry that you actually had to pay for your product?

This post seems like it has to be fake. This is common sense 101.

This is not a “New policy” this is a “Always how it has been when dickhead customers try to intentionally get around AP on the busiest day of the year policy.”

8
learc83OP•

Block and detain are two completely different things.

Detainment doesn't require force. Physically blocking the way and implying that you can't leave without pushing that person out of the way and possibly causing a fight is often enough. You don't have to take my word on it, read the case law where stores were successfully sued for false imprisonment. You'll find plenty of successful suits were no force was used if you just Google it.

Also, getting pissed about the sheriffs deputy is not Best Buy’s problem.

When it's an off duty deputy being paid by Best Buy to act as security, Best Buy shares some of the blame.

You chose to do something you knew was against our policy, and you got exactly what was coming to you.

Best Buy can make a policy that says "you can checkout anytime you like, but you can never leave", it doesn't give employees the right to attempt to block me from leaving.

Did you also have a problem with having AP check your jacket/bag when you left your shift?

Actually now that you mention it, Best Buy lost a ton of money several years ago because mangers and LP were taking too long to let people out of the door after they clocked out. There was a huge class action lawsuit.

When a manger took 15 minutes to come to the door to let me out, I told them I was going to fill out a time sheet because I don't work off the clock. This is no different. The manger didn't have the authority to hold me for 15 minutes then without pay, and Best Buy doesn't have the authority to prevent customers from leaving now. (by the way the manger didn't have a problem with it back then, I was promoted after that by the same manager.)

This is not a “New policy” this is a “Always how it has been when dickhead customers try to intentionally get around AP on the busiest day of the year policy.”

The policy when I was there was "Ask for a receipt. If the customer declines, let them leave. You only attempt to block a customer from leaving if you saw them shoplifting (I think there were 5 requirements in total if I remember correctly).

1
RodgersOverBradyAP•

This is exactly why we have police there. Don't want to show us the receipt? You can deal with the officer now. As soon as law enforcement gets involved, you're showing the receipt lol. Seems like you should be complaining to the sheriff's department and not to best buy

8
learc83OP•

Best Buy is paying off duty law enforcement to act as security. They are contractors of Best Buy, and Best Buy is responsible for their actions the same as they would be for employees.

The difference is they're a lot more intimidating than a normal Best Buy employee.

That doesn't change the fact that Best Buy or off duty cops working on their behalf doesn't have the right to force people to submit to a receipt check.

I submitted because I didn't feel like spending Thanksgiving in jail and then dealing with a false arrest/imprisonment suit.

That doesn't make what they did right, and it sure doesn't make me or anyone else more likely to shop there.

-1†
RodgersOverBradyAP•

Everyone always says that they're not coming back to BB because of receipt checks, but I see them all again within a month and I bet you almost all of them gave best buy money yesterday or plan on it today. Checking receipts helps customers too, since theft is a factor in determining price for the product you buy. Checking your receipt is beneficial to both parties, so why not take the extra minute or two to show it?

6
learc83OP•

Everyone always says that they're not coming back to BB because of receipt checks, but I see them all again within a month and I bet you almost all of them gave best buy money yesterday or plan on it today. Checking receipts helps customers too, since theft is a factor in determining price for the product you buy. Checking your receipt is beneficial to both parties, so why not take the extra minute or two to show it?

There are a million things Best Buy could do that would stop shrink. If Best Buy told me I wasn't allowed to wear a jacket into the store because it stops shrink and saves money, ohh and the store is heated so why does it matter, I wouldn't shop there. That alone is not a good enough reason to get me to wait in a receipt check line.

Me skipping the line also doesn't negatively affect prices in anyway because I know I haven't stolen anything. Explain to me, how a non shoplifter skipping the line can possibly increase shrink?

Anyway I got the answer I was looking for by reading other AP threads here.

It's exactly as I suspected, the company is terrified of the bad PR and lawsuits that bad apprehensions can cause them, so the have very high requirements for confronting people about suspected shoplifting. The company knows that receipt checks save them money, but that attempting to detain people without evidence doesn't.

I don't shoplift, so I am 100% sure I don't meet the requirements required for a stop. Therefore the problem here was an untrained employee.

As to whether receipt checks cost you customers, what you're experiencing is called confirmation bias.

You remember the customers who come in after telling you the wouldn't, you don't remember the ones who you never see again.

And you have no idea how many people don't say a word, but stay away or shop less.

Regardless, it's not voluntary receipt checking that bothers me, it's blocking my exit when you have no authority to do so.

Now that I know current SOP I'm really curious why the AP guys here kept insisting that receipt checks are mandatory.

0
RodgersOverBradyAP•

Why should Best Buy overlook an opprotunity to decrease shrink? If it saves money and costs people (at most) minutes of their lives, that's worth it to the company. Most shrink happens internally (by far) but it is still worth it to deter customer theft and fraud

You realize that theft isn't the only form of customer based shrink, right? What if the cashier messed up on the transaction, and if you had a problem where you had to return the item you would have another major hassle on your hands. As a customer that doesn't steal, yes you are correct in saying that you don't affect shrink directly. That cannot be said of everyone. By having us check receipts, that is a form of deterrence. As a former BB employee as you claim you are, it's amazing to me you don't understand this.

This is where your strongest point lies. Should they have stood in front of you to see your receipt? Probably not. Did they? Yes. Will they get in trouble if you report them? Absolutely not. Receipt checks are not mandatory, but if you're not in a hurry why make a scene?

2
aokusman•

Legally you don't have to show a receipt but why not show it anyway.

4
High4life617•

Because he doesn’t want to waste his time? Legally they can’t detain him, but they tried to anyways.

0†
coolguy090•

Dude you worked at Best Buy before so you should understand that during black Friday shrink is high. I mean literally, anyone can put 2 google mini in their bag and only pay for one and walk out with other 2. How would LP know you paid for all the merchandise. For instance tonight our lp got multiple customers with no paying some item. We didn't detain them because it could be associates fault that one item wasn't rung up since it's very busy So we just told them to pay for that item. So, if those person decline to show the receipt and walk out we would've had a shrink. Just show the damn receipt dude. For someone who worked at BBY before should at least understand that.

2
High4life617•

Too bad, so sad. He isn’t in the wrong here.

0