Confusing Bag Check Trouble

[tukker99]

hello first let me start out with just telling it like it is. I went to the local walmart to shop for groceries and neccessities yesterday. I used the self check out and everything went smoothly. There were a few problems with the bagging part of the whole thing. The thing would tell me to bag the item even though i alreadly had. But anyways on my way out, i was almost to the door a woman had approached me and said maam may i please see your reciept? I assumed this was the door checker lady. I did have a few bigger items on the bottom of my cart and assumed she wanted to make sure that they were paid for. So i gave her my reciept and she did check the items on the bottom of the cart and i even helped her find the items on my reciept(which was for 118$ and many many items). She then hands the receipt back to me saying were there any other problems? I said no and was starting to push my cart to be off and on my way. She says well maam this is what we are going to do. We are going to go through the rest of your bags. She says and i will tell you why. She procceeds to tell me that some of the items may have been miss scanned but not by fault she says. I looked at her and said there is 100$ worth of stuff here. she says yes i kno that maam but we will just count the items. I said to her no i dont think so and maybe some other time, i told her i am in a big hurry which i was in a big hurry. She says well maam this is our policy. I said to her well you are going to have to practice it on some one else. I knowing I have done no wrong intenttionally, continue to walk out the door. this woman and another woman follow me, oh and yes i still dont even kno who these people are, I think these people are the door greeter people that this store has. Well anyways they follow me and the woman hollars out maam i need for you to stop. I just kept rite on walking out to my vehicle, they are still following me. I heard the woman call for management and security on her radio. I turned to her and said I am sorry your machines don't work rite in this store but I don't have time for your machines to make mistakes with me, I am in a hurry I am sorry i told her. she then says yeah i know its okay. So i turned to keep walking and when i get to my vehicle to start unloading my stuff I turn and look and these 2 are behind my vehicle writing down my plate number. I said what in the hell are you doing writing down the plate number. Neither of them would answer me and they continued to walk back to the store. I am so pissed off thinking how can they follow me and then write down my plate number, and for what purpose was that? Give me a break was i wrong to refuse for her to take up 20 minutes of my time to check my entire cart? besides they never said that i was being accused of anything. Just that there was some of my items that may have missed the scanner. I talked to a friend of mine that works at a big store like that and she says i can be brought back to the store because they have my plate number. This is a very small community we live in and the police have not showed up yet, but if they do what should I do ? Was I wrong to refuse the search? I think they must have the missed items on camera because it is a self check out. but if that s the case then why not tell me rite up front we have the cameras saying you didnt scan severall items and tell me what they are. I am so confused I really hope i dont even get into trouble over this. What if there are a few items and I got away with them that is stealing I feel bad for not letting her go through my bags but I didn't do anything wrong and just the thought of them thinking they can hold me up for another 20 minutes is ridiculous.? Well please just try to help me with the situation this was yesterday when this happened. Will I be able to go back into the store without any trouble in the future? They Have my plate can they come to my house and arrest me for the items that didnt scan? Can they have those items on camera? that is what confuses me if they had the items on camera why then check the things on the bottom of my cart? why not go for the things you are not sure if scanned or not. God I am so confused and mad and worried. HELP HELP

[LP1186]

You do not have to submit to a bag check when leaving a store. Many people believe that these bag checks violate their constitutional right, however they still submit to them. Little do they know they can simply walk past the bag checkers and there's nothing anyone can do unless the store's security/LP have already seen them steal something. The bag checks can ONLY be done on a voluntary basis unless there is reason for suspicion, such as a LP witnessing the suspect conceal an item, etc. So, they were violating your rights if they tried to stop you, unless there's more to the story that you're not telling us and you were in fact shoplifting(not accusing anything just saying). Now, Wal-mart LP carry handcuffs and are allowed to restrain non-cooperative shoplifters, so If they new you had been shoplifting they would've not let you get to the car and would've restrained you, called the police etc. So obviously they didn't think you were a shoplifter. Why they took down your tag number I have no idea...maybe an intimidation factor to get you to give up and submit to the bag check. And keep in mind that they were in violation of your rights by trying to force you to submit to the bag check, so unless they have some good proof that you were involved in some sort of shoplifting or fraud, they would be stupid to try to do anything with your tag number, such as call the police, cause then you would have a good case against them for violating your rights.

[bubbamia]

tukker99, Bag checks are voluntary. Most people don't know this and allow their bags or receipts to be checked when exiting a store. Costco checks everones receipts when leaving. I even let them check mine. Why not, it prevents the drama. It does not sound like Walmart violated any of your civil rights. Sure they asked to check your bags, you refused and left. You even admitted, they did not eccuse of anything. As long as they didn't touch you or block you from leaving, your rights were not violated. Ask yourself, was it worth the drama and the worry you have to save 20 minutes?