SAM’S Club shoppers continue to rail against the wholesale giant over its solutions to a common customer grievance.
Scores of members have complained about receipt checks, and execs have tried to find innovative solutions to dampen down the rage.
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Sam’s Club has worked to phase out the inspections by installing airport-like scanners that verify purchases, but not all customers have welcomed the addition found near warehouse exits.
One shopper claimed they feel forced to walk through the scanning device, according to an X thread.
They compared the apparatus to something the CIA would use.
And, a second shopper complained about the saga that unfolded in-store.
Elsa claimed she was stopped despite only having three items in her cart, per an X thread.
“I got stopped, because the machine thought the broccoli I was buying was spinach,” she said.
“I usually buy spinach. Very creepy.”
Other furious customers have labeled the process of walking through the scanning machine as “security theater.”
“You don’t need to scan me,” a shopper warned.
And, they issued a strict warning to retail chiefs.
“If this becomes mandatory, I can always go to Costco or BJ’s,” they vowed.
A Sam’s Club staffer used to verify purchases in carts and this inspection attracted criticism.
One critic in Hickory, North Carolina, even compared the retailer to Hotel California.
“You can check out but never leave,” they scoffed.
Top 5 receipt checking tips from a lawyer
Camron Dowlatshahi, a Los Angeles attorney, spoke to The U.S. Sun about receipt checks and customer’s rights and options when it came to being asked to show your receipt.
- There has been a lot of debate around the legality of a retailer asking to see your receipt, but if it is within the store, it is completely legal. “There’s seemingly nothing illegal about that. You’re still on the company’s premises and their reason to do it is to prevent thefts,” Dowlatshahi confirms.
- However, if they are chasing you out of the store, that changes things, Dowlatshahi said. “Location matters,” he explained. “If you’re outside of the store you’re in the parking lot and they come and start accusing you of theft and that you have to show your receipt, I think that’s a bit of a different situation because now you’re on your way.”
- While customers are allowed to say no to receipt checks, it may cause issues if you do and the store suspects you of stealing. “You can say no, maybe it creates an unnecessary hassle for yourself because now you may have the police come to your house and follow up,” said Dowlatshahi.
- If you are being barred from leaving a store because you refused a receipt check, you could have a legal case — but the store must have held you for a long time. “Let’s say it’s for hours, that’s certainly false imprisonment, and they didn’t have any impetus for doing so,” Dowlatshahi explained. “If a customer has been emotionally traumatized by being held for false imprisonment, I would definitely encourage [them] to sue.”
- “I would say, show your receipt,” he concluded. “It’s just a really simple thing to do. If you didn’t steal anything, it’s relatively simple to do,” the lawyer advised.
(According to Camron Dowlatshahi, a founding partner at Mills Sadat Dowlat LLP)
“Why don’t you love more people to receipt checking instead of having the line the length of the store?”
Some shoppers couldn’t comprehend why they had to have their receipt check when they were checked out by a cashier.
Sam’s Club bosses first unveiled the scanning machine concept in January 2024.
Cameras take a picture of items when a shopper walks through the arch.
Shoppers can then leave a store after their items have been verified.
Customers must go through the arches, but shoppers don’t have to carry their items in their hands.
Receipt checks have not been completely eradicated as a worker will be on standby if there are any red flags.
As news of the technology first emerged, it was widely hailed.
Shoppers at rival chains like Costco have even urged for the technology to be rolled out at warehouses.
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