security guard asking to see bank app

[ocpwr]

Is it ever acceptable for a security guard in a shop to demand to look at my bank app to prove that i had paid for my shopping? That happened to me today in a very well known shop and to be honest i am still reeling a bit.
I do have mental health issues so my brain gets a bit confused sometimes.

Always best to get the receipt or at least make sure a member of staff knows you purchased x items.

They can ask but you don't have to show them. And you don't have to show them a receipt.

The payment doesn't always come out straight away on my bank

Did he ask or demand?

Your thread title and opening posts say two different things.

No , I wouldn’t show him
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I set the security things off in boots today. I didn't have a receipt as I chose no receipt. The security guard asked to see the flash up on my screen, fair enough.

Had this done to me recently. In Aldi of all places
First they wanted to check my bag for life, which was very clearly empty. Was told this is done "at random" but immediately made me feel like I was under suspicion. Check out girl tapped some sign saying they now check all bags-yet no one else had this before I was served so I got some raised eyebrows and nudges in the queue.

Then, I finish packing my already checked bag, had paid at the till and went to the little bench to put the shopping away. Go to walk from it when the sweaty, couldn't catch cold let alone thief, excuse for a security guy comes towards me, grabs the end of the trolley and demands to see my payment proof.

Girl on check out who was so quick to check my empty bloody bag wasn't so quick to give a receipt. I said "this is ridiculous now, first her with the bag, now you"

He got aggressive and demanded to see my banking app. I refused. He looked a bit lost then, he clearly expected me to be a wimp and not want the embarrassment, which I didn't. But as an ex-retail manager I knew he had no right to demand that

I turned to the assistant who served me and said "would you mind telling your colleague I have paid please, I think your store has caused me quite enough embarrassment for today, and then I would like to speak to a supervisor"

She nodded to confirm I paid and they made some bullshit story up about no supervisor on site. I hate confrontation but I was so cross.

I've not been in since because I'm damned if I'm going to be treated like that. Even when walking out the store, the guard goes to me "I'll be watching you from now on".

Goodness knows what that was about, I wasn't dressed like a chavvy oik but then he looked like the sort who would never dare confront a real thief.

I was livid!

I have been asked this before, I just show the notification, rather than the app. If they want any more detail, they would have to check the till

It's not acceptable.

But in reality security guards can and will detain you on suspicion of theft if you don't comply with their demands, by force if necessary, and they can hold you until the police show up - and there is no clear reasonable time that could take. You could be held there until the shop closes.

A complaint to corporate may get you somewhere after the fact.

If I'd paid with Samsung pay on my phone I wouldn't mind showing that but I certainly wouldn't show my banking app to a stranger

Security guards do not have special powers.
They can detain you if they have reasonable grounds of suspicion that you have committed a crime, as can anyone else.
By reasonable grounds, that would mean e.g. that they have seen you take an item and leave the shop without paying for it.
If you are leaving a shop and they suspect you might have taken something, that suspicion is in itself not reasonable grounds.
They do not have the right to search you or look in your bags either.

Absolutely not!!!!!

many shops don’t automatically give receipts anymore but they have tills that save information so it’s easy for them to look it up.

this security guard was either incompetent or nosey. Or both!

Absolutely not remotely acceptable and would have got very, very short shrift from me. I would refuse to show anything containing so much personal and financial information about me to a total stranger on a power trip.

I always take the option of getting the printed receipt even when I use self-checkout tills. I just think you are never safe without it. I would also be willing to wait while till records were checked.

He had no power to ask for that and I do sincerely hope that you didn't show him your app. The full details of the transaction would probably still only be pending. They may not show up fully until the next day or so, and they certainly aren't a fully itemised list of what you actually bought. So if trying to prove that a particular item was paid for, it wouldn't.

In fact, I would submit a complaint about the request. It is totally inappropriate.

I have my doubts about that. A completely random man stops me "by force", that's assault for a start. Holding me, detaining me? I'd be thinking unlawful detention, even kidnap.

That the completely random man is wearing a uniform from G4 or whatever is totally irrelevant. A security guard has no more rights to stop and search, or detain me, than any other person.

I wouldn’t do this because I take photos of myself side on to track my weight loss and so photos of me being fat keep appearing on my home screen

I despair at the way some people will cave in to some oik who has a uniform and a tiny little bit of authority.

If I didn’t have the receipt I would have no issue with opening my app out of his sight, zooming in so he could see that 1 transaction then showing him the screen without him touching my phone.
Security guards don’t stop people for fun, he was doing his job.
Having said that you were perfectly within your right to refuse

They do have some rights to detain in some circumstances* but they're not allowed to search you or your belongings without your consent.

if they have seen you take something and hide it about your person or belongings, they've seen you (try to) leave the store without paying and they've watched you the whole time*

You have every right to demand the police are called.

I don't do banking apps, nor do I routinely take a mobile phone to the supermarket - so they'd have no luck with me.

I think it’s naive to assume security guards can’t stop people for fun. Like any profession there will be people who do their job badly, who bring personal prejudices to work, who are bored and want to exceed a little control or bring a little misery into someone else’s life.

I worked in retail while studying and I was appalled by the behaviour of some of our security guards.

if stopped by a security guard in these circumstances i would immediately ask to speak to the store manager and suggest they check their records. I wouldn’t deal with the store security

This is why I always take a receipt. When we are using our own bags, I prefer to have proof of payment to avoid this very scenario. Also, If I need to return anything, I prefer a paper receipt. I’d be happy to supply proof of purchase though 🤷🏼‍♀️

I think it’s naive to assume security guards can’t stop people for fun. Like any profession there will be people who do their job badly, who bring personal prejudices to work, who are bored and want to exceed a little control or bring a little misery into someone else’s life

In the days when M&S Food stores had tills, I popped in one evening for some stuff. I was stopped by the security guard who demanded to check my bag - a guard who was standing about eight feet from the tills, so he must have seen me pay. I had hoicked out about 2 items before he waved me away. So a miserable little power trip by a bored bloke, probably because I was carrying a bag from a Marks competitor.

I wouldn't allow it. Your banking details are there on the screen plus your account balance which I'd worry he was telling someone so they could rob me. I'd say we can walk back to the till and ask the checkout staff or the record on self checkout or he can let me go.

You call the police yourself.

If you have not been involved in a crime you are being unlawfully imprisoned (crime which carries serious jail time) as you fear you will be subjected to violent assault (another crime) if you attempt to use reasonable force to escape.

I guess if your unwilling to prove you’ve paid for it the could just take it off you