Costco receipt checking

Pez said:
Most stores do not encourge physical restraint in a theft situation as a citizens arrest cannot be made - I'm referring to petty theft, not nicking the till.

However, the police will rarely take action against a quick thinking employee that legs up and sits on a thief making off with a telly under his arm.
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So essentially if you can manage shoplifting well enough to instill a little bit of doubt into the mind of the security, you're pretty much home free?

You may well be right but I dunno, that really seems a bit lenient to me.

Raymond Lin said:
Okay, I'll answer the question of

How about the store revoke the membership of the member because he brought in a guest who refuse to comply with the rules?

I think that is PERFECTLY fair and legitimate and fully within their rights.

The member would just tell the friend to let them check your bags. If the OP doesn't then, i dunno, argument ensures in the store between the member and the OP.
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I was talking in general with that question, it just seems to me that if security have virtually no powers to actually stop you, shoplifting would be a piece of cake. A regular high street shop wouldn't have a membership to revoke.
 
Kenai said:
So essentially if you can manage shoplifting well enough to instill a little bit of doubt into the mind of the security, you're pretty much home free?

You may well be right but I dunno, that really seems a bit lenient to me.
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It's not lenient exactly, it's just that store workers have no more power than anyone other civvy.
 
Kenai said:
So what happens if he doesn't?

I find it hard to believe a shop has absolutely no rights to restrain anybody that they reasonably suspect of shoplifting, otherwise it would surely be rampant as you could just walk out of any shop you pleased and all they could risk doing (unless they were absolutely 100% sure) is saying 'Please you would you mind waiting sir?', to which you reply 'No' and walk off with all your stolen goods :confused:
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Its their job to be sure, their purpose in life is to 'detect' crimes in progress within the store.. hence 'store detective' ;)

Of course, if they had a hunch, but they weren't 100% sure, then it depends if they are feeling lucky, if it turns out to be correct then they appear to be that more efficient... get it wrong and really upset someone who ends up wanting to take it further, then theres problems... risk and reward my dear friend :p

I seem to remember something from a few years ago, were there was a guy who'd go in looking a little shifty, but while doing nothing wrong and made a bit from out of court settlements from big stores whose employees had commited various offences relating to unlawful arest and assult in the course if their work :p

It doesn't help that a lot of the 'front line' stuff are woefully uneducated as to the exact situation around this...
 
Le's just revoke the friend who has a membership there because the OP's ignorance and refusal to comply with their T&C.

Job done, I doubt the OP will shop there again. (because the friend won't be stupid enough to ask him to go along! Who would?
 
This thread should be about the weird combinations of things that people buy from that strange place. 6 foot square pizza and garden pond fountains in the same trolley.... but only to people who work certain jobs.. very strange :confused: lol
 
Raymond Lin said:
Le's just revoke the friend who has a membership there because the OP's ignorance and refusal to comply with their T&C.
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Ignorance of what?

I thought you said this wasn't worth the time but you can't resist this epic thread :D

Raymond Lin said:
Job done, I doubt the OP will shop there again.
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He might. Who knows? I'll be sure to tell him of my evil plan to leave the store with my goods.
 
Kenai said:
So essentially if you can manage shoplifting well enough to instill a little bit of doubt into the mind of the security, you're pretty much home free?

You may well be right but I dunno, that really seems a bit lenient to me.



I was talking in general with that question, it just seems to me that if security have virtually no powers to actually stop you, shoplifting would be a piece of cake. A regular high street shop wouldn't have a membership to revoke.
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In theory.

If it is 100% clear a crime has been committed (in this case theft of a 52" telly) then the law provides:

It is thus permissible for any person to arrest:

Anyone who in the act of committing an offence, or whom the arrestor has reasonable grounds for suspecting to be in the act of committing an offence.

Or

Where an offence has been committed, anyone who is guilty of that offence or whom the arrestor has reasonable grounds for suspecting to be guilty of it.

In order for the arrest to be lawful, the following two conditions must also be satisfied:

It appears to the person making the arrest that it is not reasonably practicable for a constable to make the arrest instead.

The arrestor has reasonable grounds for believing that the arrest is necessary to prevent one of the following:
The person causing physical injury to himself or others
The person suffering physical injury
The person causing loss of or damage to property
The person absconding before a constable can assume responsibility for him.
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As per above, using the telly example... The employee can see the thief run out of the store without paying, and there is no police officer present. He can make the arrest and detain, as he saw the crime occur (loss of property) and is making the arrest in the absence of a police officer, and also as the thief is likely to abscond before one arrives.

If however it turns out that the thief is acquitted, then the arrest becomes unlawful - it's up to the thief to take that up.

In the OPs situation things are not quite as clear cut, so making that arrest would be hugely risky. As it goes, no theft occurred - if he had declined his trolly being searched and the store staff then arrested him... There is a high risk for the store being dragged into litigation.
 
Found this on Wikipedia, it's about the US and I found it interesting as I assumed they would have stricter laws

In all 50 states, shoppers are under no actual obligation to accede to such a search unless the employee has reasonable grounds to suspect shoplifting, and arrests the customer or takes or looks at the receipt from the customer without violating any laws [3][4] or if the customer has signed a membership agreement which stipulates that customers will subject themselves to inspections before taking the purchased merchandise from the store. In the cases of Sam's Club and Costco, the contracts merely say that it is their policy to check receipts at the exit or that they "reserve the right". That wording does not specify the results of non-compliance by the customer, and since they did not have a right to re-check receipts in the first place, it may not be legally binding at all. The purchaser who holds the receipt owns the merchandise. Employees who harass, assault, touch, or detain customers or take their purchased merchandise may be committing torts or crimes against the customers. They may have a contractual right to check your receipt, but legal experts report that they do not have a right to cross-check it against the merchandise in the customer's cart (which would hold up the waiting line a lot longer
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gambitt said:
Boring "story" (rant) alert...

Just went to Costco for the first time. 3 of us went and we asked if we could pay seperately even though only one of us is a member - "no problem" she said. One of my mates paid for his stuff, put it on the trolley and went to buy a hot dog. There was a big queue at the "resturant" so we said we'd go and load up the car. As we were leaving we get stopped by a member of staff - my mate didn't tell me about this but apparently it's "company policy" to check all customers' receipts and shopping AFTER you've gone through the CHECK OUT. Call me crazy but I always thought checking out was exactly that, not an interim stop before the "final check by the door to see if you've nicked anything point".

Anyway, he goes through our receipts and notices some extra beer in the trolley. So he goes through it again and asks if we have another receipt - yes we do but it's over at the hot dog stand so I walk back to retrieve it from him. Anal McLooney checks everything again and for some reason likes to touch everything he counts before deciding that he can't find a bag of crisps that's on the receipt but apparently not in the trolley. Who cares?! The only thing in between the checkout and the exit are car tyres - what are they expecting to find?

I can't help but wonder if this is entirely legal. Sure it says so in their terms and conditions but I didn't sign up since I'm not a member but they still allowed me to purchase items, so they've entered into a legal contract and taken my money but they aren't allowing me to leave with MY goods. I don't like this dehumanising culture. I wonder what they can do if someone just carries on walking... I might try it next time.
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having read the entire thread I've come to the same conclusion as other people: words quite literally fail me.

I'm quite literally flabbergasted by the utter stupidity demonstrated by you in this thread.

I like how you mention these reusable bags...despite the fact that the core point of Costco is buying in bulk which is fairly obvious. If you think that the contract is unlawful then report it, but I can guarantee that you'd be brushed aside.
 
gambitt said:
Good find. 2 trolling accusations in my 8 years on here. And it took you long enough :D

Did you read JBuk's post above regading receipt checks? Or do you no longer care about the actual discussion going on here anymore? ;)
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pfft, its the US. It could say totally illegal and can get you hang in front of the White House and it still won't mean a thing.

Unless you went to a Costco in Utah or something.
 
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