My Walzmart Rant - 10.7.2018

Dallas, Texas
October 7, 2018 6:02pm CST
Why do I even bother? Where do I even begin. Today's Walzmart rant is about being singled out by a store greeter for being a potential criminal. My goodness gracious. I was in line, in front of my wife, with a separate order. I paid for my items at the register and put them in my cart. I told my wife I wanted to get a soda pop at the McDonald's in store restaurant while she finished up with paying for her items in line behind me. I pushed my cart and held my receipt in my hand and walked towards the Micky D's. I thought for a moment. I have to leave this shopping cart in order to walk around the side to fill my cup of cola and ice. If I order a cold drink I will have to leave behind my items in the cart at the risk of having them stolen by another person and since I already paid for the items and I was at the West exit just beside the Micky D's, I decided I should walk back to the register where my wife was finishing up paying for her purchase. But as I began walking, pushing my shopping cart of items already paid for, I heard a woman's voice saying, "Sir - sir! " I turned around and asked, "Are you talking to me?" - She replied, "Yes, I need to take a look at your receipt." I handed the receipt to her and she looked it over and realized that I in fact, had paid for all the merchandise in my cart, no more, no less. And she handed me back my receipt. I walked away after saying, "I am not a thief." Then I came back to the register and my wife was having trouble paying for her items. Because she had 3 separate gift cards and one of the gift cards, the one she first used to pay for the items at the register, was down to just a few dollars as she had forgotten and pulled out the wrong card. By the time we finally got that straightened out at customer service where the lady at the counter told her, based on her purchase history, that one card she had tried to use had been debited twice the day before and only had about 6 dollars left on it. So my wife realized she had made a mistake and finally after all that we left and proceeded to do the rest of our shopping and errand running for the afternoon. The day before she and I were shopping at a different Walzmart and she and I did our shopping separately again and this time, she forgot that she had left a bottle of liquid detergent on the platform of the Amigo power cart that she needs to use to get around in the store to shop as her knees are bad and she is unable to walk like an otherwise healthy and able bodied person would do in the very large Walzmart supercenter. I walk along with her as she rides the Amigo cart and I get a pretty good workout. But when it came time to walk through the security exit, she and I both had forgotten about that bottle of laundry soap. We forgot to have it rung up at the register and I immediately said to the lady at the front end exit, "I am very sorry about this, but my wife had no room for the detergent in the basket and had to put it on the floor of the Amigo cart. So I would like to take it to the register and pay for it. It was simply overlooked. " That lady told my wife, "You don't have to worry. I won't arrest you for stealing that soap. I haven't seen you here at this store before" - My wife replied, "I am not a thief. And I shop here half the time and shop at the other location other times and what difference does it make which location I shop at?" - Any way, my wife felt like she was being called a thief. It's as though a customer can make a mistake like I did today by walking towards the exit with my paid for merchandise and stop to buy a coke then go back after deciding it would be a bad idea to leave the cart unattended while getting my drink and being suspect in crime while yesterday my wife was all but accused of doing so, by having forgotten about that soap sitting on the base of that Amigo shopping cart.
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10 people like this
10 responses
@Starmaiden (9311)
• Canada
7 Oct 18
That sometimes happens to me also, but I see it as only them doing their job. When I know I've done nothing wrong, I have nothing to worry about and comply with their wishes if they ask for a receipt.
2 people like this
• Dallas, Texas
7 Oct 18
I am not always able to do that, so I guess you have more inner composure than I do, but I did not act out. I maintained my composure but I probably should have not said what I said to the lady greeter after all, she was just doing her job. It's because there ARE criminals who do steal that make good people suspect and that does annoy me at times. If we all trusted one another, nobody was a bad guy it would be an ideal world of course.
1 person likes this
@indexer (4852)
• Leicester, England
8 Oct 18
@Starmaiden That is not always possible. It is far better to challenge somebody before they reach the exit than to start chasing people across car parks after an alarm has gone off. There are also legal concerns here - store security staff may have limited powers outside the premises.
2 people like this
• Canada
7 Oct 18
@lookatdesktop Most stores have alarms on the doors that detect if an item was scanned. If it wasn't, the alarm will go off when someone tries to leave the store without paying. Greeters/security guards should wait for the alarms to be set off before suspecting someone of theft.
1 person likes this
@indexer (4852)
• Leicester, England
8 Oct 18
I have a friend who is in charge of security at a supermarket and who knows all the tricks that people pull to steal items from her store - which happens all too often. Asking questions of customers when she is uncertain about whether they have acted honestly is just doing her job, and if she stops a theft by so doing - even if 90% of such enquiries turn out not to be thefts - then she is ultimately saving customers from having to pay higher prices to make up loss of profits caused by theft. If I was challenged in the way you were I would be grateful to the store staff for being vigilant and not take offence. Many mistakes are indeed honest ones, but many others are not.
2 people like this
• Dallas, Texas
8 Oct 18
I have taken time to think about that. I know you are right and I take no offense. I once went out into the parking lot where the manager said a suspicious person was and I stood outside and wrote down that person's license plate number to give to the manager. The person in the car shouted out, "Why are you taking down my license?" I told him. "I am sorry sir, but I am just doing my job." And there was no incident. I felt bad about it in a way but realized I was just doing what I was asked by my boss.
@crossbones27 (48321)
• Mojave, California
7 Oct 18
Its all a set up to me these days, I cannot trust our institutions as a whole and to me the whole process is embarrassing but people say that about me also.
1 person likes this
• Dallas, Texas
7 Oct 18
Sorry to hear it. I will not go inside one of those WALZMARTS for at least a month. Next time I won't even speak to another clerk nor buy anything from their in store Burger Joint. It is not worth it. Being targeted as a potential criminal by a greeter. I am about the most honest person they will ever meet in their lifetime. If I found a wallet full of cash I would make sure it got returned to the owner with the cash and everything in that wallet in tact. I am not a thief and I am also a good Samaritan. I guess these days everyone's guilty of a crime until proven innocent.
1 person likes this
• Mojave, California
7 Oct 18
@lookatdesktop Well difference is they not acting well. They talked about this On Bill Maher last night and is true but will always say if Democrat country would rain all hell down Republican, its OK will make them better and never do just they will do what they tell them because we know have nothing. I mean if people like their country ran like this hey let me know.
1 person likes this
• Dallas, Texas
8 Oct 18
@crossbones27 , I have no dislike of all Republicans. I simply dislike the way the White House is Running Things lately. And I am only happy not be be involved directly in politics because it is not what I am cut out for. If I were in politics I would argue a blue streak with those grumpy old men at the top. I like to argue and that is my nature.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (48855)
• United States
7 Nov 18
It depends on what Walmart I go to. Some do make you feel like they think you're a criminal. It's a shame that the real criminals cause this scrutiny.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (48855)
• United States
8 Nov 18
@lookatdesktop we have three Walmarts and it takes 30 minutes to get to them. They are each in a different town. They also have quite the monopoly here. We are very limited store wise.
• Dallas, Texas
7 Nov 18
You get that too? I am sad to hear it. We go shopping there because other stores around have been shut down. We have little choice as to where we can shop that is within a 20 mile ride from the house. I mean, We used to shop at Kmart, Sack-N-Save, Motts, M.E.Moses, and lots of places. But since Walmart has basically taken over retail we shop there to save money. I mean, we are not rich and do not like to waste our money and have to still drive a long way out to get to a Walmart. They put it right at the edge of the city near the next city. I mean, this makes shopping locally impossible. Sears is out of business, Radio Shack is out of business, and so is Montgomery Ward. And many others are simply out of business but Walmart stands out there and can be seen from a plane cause it's so huge.
1 person likes this
@xander6464 (40696)
• Wapello, Iowa
7 Oct 18
And these stores complain about online shopping replacing them. They could still compete if they returned to treating customers with respect.
1 person likes this
@xander6464 (40696)
• Wapello, Iowa
7 Oct 18
@lookatdesktop Yeah, the stores have done that to themselves.
1 person likes this
• Dallas, Texas
7 Oct 18
I wish I had not gone to WALZMART today. It would have been a brighter day had I shopped for stuff on Amazone.
2 people like this
• Dallas, Texas
8 Oct 18
@xander6464 , But after having read some of the responses, I realize that the lady was just doing her job and the reason that particular Walzmart has problems and the lady at the door is told to check people's receipts is most likely due to a high occurrence of theft in that store, thus resulting in higher prices. I must look for a better location to shop so that particular encounter will be less likely and in hind sight, I will leave the store immediately if I have a cart full of items and go to another Burger Joint to get a soda or better yet, buy a soda in a 2 liter and take it home and add ice to a glass and be done with it.
1 person likes this
@anya12adwi (6012)
• India
8 Oct 18
I am shocked that there the retail people are so strict and doubtful!! Thank God, here we have less creepy people..
1 person likes this
• Dallas, Texas
8 Oct 18
Unfortunately, retail crime is on the rise and in the area we shop in, there seems to be a bit higher rates of shop lifting and pilfering by customers than is the norm.
1 person likes this
• India
8 Oct 18
@lookatdesktop I am not able to believe.. That is why they must be strict..
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25820)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
8 Oct 18
I haven't shopped at a Walzmart in a very long time and I won't unless it is a dire emergency and no place else is open and will have what I need.
1 person likes this
• Dallas, Texas
8 Oct 18
I prefer to shop at local retailers and not drive so far from home but my wife loves shopping there so I go with her to watch after her. She depends on the Amigo electric riding shopping carts to get around so I hang out with her while she does her shopping. The carts there are usually unavailable and when the carts are not available at one Walzmart, we have to drive a long way out to another Walzmart. Then when we finally find one of those ride along shopping carts, we spent lots of time and money on gas and driving and are practically worn out for it.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (93527)
• Marion, Ohio
7 Oct 18
The greeters here have not been too bad. Or they still remember me from years back when I got very loud over my son being accused of stealing. His items were clear. I told her when the alarm sounded that it was probably my cd had not been demagnetized. But she had to check his first because he was a teenager. My photo might be on a do not mess with wall.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (93527)
• Marion, Ohio
7 Oct 18
@lookatdesktop Anymore but at that time I did not. Just because he was a teenager did not make him a thief. I do remember that he bought a chain to lock his bike with.
1 person likes this
• Dallas, Texas
7 Oct 18
It's good you maintain a sense of humor about it.
@RasmaSandra (72494)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
8 Oct 18
That can be very annoying. It is like the people jump to conclusions when they do not know the facts. When I lived in Latvia the security force at the supermarkets were never very watchful and one time my husband and I really made a mistake but we did not return because they should have caught our mistake and then we would have apologized and paid right away. What did we do? Well, we always shopped together and one time we had a big laundry detergent box which I held in my hand so my husband could get all the other groceries on the counter. Then he had some questions about some products for me and I just stood there beside him. Finally, he paid and packed up the groceries and we walked out. It was only then that I realized I was still carrying the laundry detergent
1 person likes this
• Dallas, Texas
8 Oct 18
That is more or less what we did. We were tired from all the shopping and frankly by the time we paid for things, we overlooked that detergent ourselves. It was a simple matter of making an honest mistake. And of course, some people look for every possible opportunity to steal and those types will always have to be watched, even if more honest shoppers have to sometimes answer questions that make them feel awkward or embarrassed.
1 person likes this
@Ladanger (14587)
• United States
8 Oct 18
One time I walked out of a store and forgot to pay my milk and no one even noticed. I noticed until i got to the car because the alarm did not even go off. Your right it can happy to any of us.
1 person likes this
• Dallas, Texas
8 Oct 18
And if you returned the milk to pay for it, they would think you did it on purpose and had a guilty conscience. Or maybe accept it when you tell them I RETURNED TO PAY FOR MY MILK AS I WALKED AWAY AND FORGOT. Either way, you may have a problem. I would do it this way. I would go home and then call the store and tell them my receipt showed 11 items and I had a 12th item not listed on the receipt and would like to come back later and pay for that item if possible and the item I took home that was not listed was a gallon of milk. Then wait for their response. They now indicate the exact number of items tallied up on your receipt so you can go home and take inventory on all of it. You might also discover that you paid for 12 items and came home with only 11.
1 person likes this
@Ladanger (14587)
• United States
9 Oct 18
@lookatdesktop I just left because your right they would just assume you did it on purpose
1 person likes this