Had a run-in with a store detective

[MeetMyCat]

I bought some make up in my local Boots at lunch time. The self serve till asked me if I wanted a receipt, I said no. On the way out the store, my shopping obviously triggered some sort of alarm; hardly an unusual occurrence so I stepped back into the store, expecting a member of staff to approach me. I realised the item I’d purchased had some sort of security tag on, I assumed this had caused the problem. However Security came straight over, I assumed they would help me and de-tag the item. The woman asked to see my receipt, but I didn’t have one. I rarely request a receipt for small items. She kept repeating over and over ‘I need to see proof of payment’ and I kept repeating that I’d paid but didn’t obtain a receipt. In the end she said that if I didn’t provide proof of payment I would be detained.

I realise store detectives/security don’t have any powers of arrest, and also she was really petite and probably wouldn’t have been able to force me, if I had refused to go with her.

Quite a few people were watching by this point and it was getting quite embarrassing. Thankfully I then remembered that I’d paid using Barclays debit, and any transactions show up on my app almost immediately. So I logged into the app, showed her the transaction, she de-tagged my item and said I was free to go.

I think I’m just posting because I’m pissed off. What on earth would have happened if I hadn’t had my banking app as proof? Where would I stand? Surely failure to obtain a receipt is not the same as failing to pay, and most tills now ask you whether or not you want a receipt.

The moral of the story: forget about being green, always get a receipt

If the option of not taking a receipt exposes you to suspicion of shoplifting, the store should have an obligation to warn you of this.
Even packets of nuts have nut allergy warnings.
Why did the stupid machine allow a security tag to pass through its checkout without suspending the transaction and waiting for authorisation?
The failings of the store’s own technology caused you embarrassment and possible harm to your reputation.
I would be emailing their customer service department.

Yes, my apologies. I was in the car, and in a rush. I was trying to word simply, and trying to differentiate between theft, and something more minor.

This is where loyalty cards come in handy. I didn't take a receipt for something in tesco that I had to return. The customer service assistant simply checked my Clubcard account, found the transaction, and refunded me.

I work for Tesco on checkouts and self scan ( don't shoot me down lol)

we aren't allowed to de tag anything without a receipt as there is people who walk off without paying after you have de tagged an item which when happens we could get disciplined for BUT it's not really an issue if you decline a receipt then set alarm off with a tagged item as you can tell us which till u used and we can check or if you used your clubcard can scan that to see your previous transactions.

Well that's interesting. So the staff member who was refusing to exchange or refund my mouldy food, even though it was bought the previous day and even though there were a load of the same item on the shelf with the same date which were similarly mouldy, could in fact have located the transaction really easily?

(I used a clubcard and paid with a credit or debit card)

At the self service tills in tesco, you have about 3 seconds to say that you want a receipt, before the option disappears.

I don't think they should give you the option tbh, as they are clearly using it to rip people off.

If you use the self service tills that accept cash, you get a receipt automatically, whether or not you actually use cash. Presumably because they know that there's potentially no other way that the customer can prove they bought something.

@Bamboux

Yes your transaction can be checked with your clubcard. That's one of the first things I would have asked you if you had used your clubcard

I can see both sides to this.

For future reference, you can take the staff member to the self service till you paid at and they can check the transaction and reprint your receipt. Problem solved. You can also scan your advantage card with boots - which allows you to send all store receipts to your email address.

Ultimately the shop isn’t in the wrong for requesting proof of purchase before removing the tag - there’s no point using security tags otherwise. Your issue is a customer service issue ie the employee wasn’t discreet and caused you embarrassment. The store should have staff at the till monitoring items being scanned with security tags on ready to deactivate after purchase, to avoid this from happening.

@saraclara

The tills that accept cash are the older model tills. The asking if you would like a receipt was brought in on the newer tills systems

Also to add, always pay attention to what items have visible security tags on when you’re paying for them at self service - you might need to flag it to staff so they can deactivate the security tag so it doesn’t sound an alarm.

Thank you. I didn't know that...I foolishly thought that the fact that a) I go in there most days and b) there were a load of other items on the same shelf with the same date in exactly the same disgusting condition would mean they would be reasonable and exchange it.

Honestly I wasn't expecting any kind of pushback or conflict when I went in there. It was quite comical as I was trying to photograph the product I had brought back, and she kept saying yes and then hiding it behind her back. It was all very silly.

In the future i will know that the clubcard transactions would prove where and when I bought it. Cheers

I don't think there are any that accept cash in any of the supermarkets I use.

@Bamboux

No problem she was obviously just a jobsworth we aren't all like that. If it was me I would have checked your clubcard and removed all the other unsellable items from the shelf!

Thanks @bubbles888 ! I wish you worked at my Tesco. It was bloody ridiculous.

As someone who works in a shop, all you did there was reinforce the idea that you were going to steal, it looks like you realised they were onto you and dumped the goods. It happens regularly where I work,

Agree with this. The guards manner was off but its just not worth the hassle and embarrassment of having to do further checks. It's obv a matter that needs to be looked into

Shoplifters are honestly the bain of any shop. They lose thousands every day to them

Yes but this was literally, visibly covered in mould and so were all of the same products on the same shelf with the same date on them. All I wanted was to swap for a non-mouldy one. I obviously wasn't trying to scam anyone.

@Angebot which element of my behaviour was unreasonable here? I was given two options, saying yes or no to a receipt, if one of these options was unreasonable, then maybe they shouldnt have been offered?

I don't think so...I didn't dump them and run. I placed them right by his feet, smiled at him and told him they'd have to put it all back.

By not having a receipt
You just made your life and hers harder.
She's just doing her job..yes maybes not in the best way but how many people do you think she stops a day who do exactly the same?

Sorry to me it's a no brainer to just press yes for a receipt
Shop lifting costs a hell of a lot

Her attitude was the issue.

She should have just put you aside, asked you what till you used if you did not have a paper receipt and see if they could find trace of the transaction based on your card number.

I would lodge a complaint about her because of that.

It's really simple to me. Receipts shouldn't be optional. If they are optional then you should not be punished for choosing one of the options they've offered to you.

And people who say ''I always get a receipt'':

Sometimes these tills don't provide one because of a technical glitch (no paper left in the machine) and/or present printing the receipt as an option (so there should be no issue with not choosing that option).

So staff should be trained to deal with people who don't have a till receipt for perfectly genuine reasons. When you get rid of till staff this is bound to happen...