Show your receipt at Walmart, or else. Georgia law sides with the stores on this one
Every consumer among us has had to show their receipt upon exiting a big box store like Walmart or Target, and it’s likely it elicited a grumble or two from said consumer.
But what happens if you don’t show that receipt? What can happen to you, really?
You can get banned for not showing your receipt
Yup. That worker standing by the door, waiting for you to prove your purchase has the power to get you banned from the store, or what they are likely to call “getting trespassed.”
The consumer protection law website Just Answer says, “Yes, a supermarket can request you to show a receipt as part of their loss prevention policies, especially when using self-checkout systems.”
It is completely up to the property owner or their representative, like a store manager, to establish their own policies and it can vary from store to store. However, there are some general guidelines customers should know:
A store does not have to provide you with formal documentation of the ban
Simply informing the customer they are banned is sufficient
They may ask to detain you temporarily if you refuse to show the receipt
You can be banned for any reason as long as it doesn’t reflect discrimination against a protected class
What happens if I ignore the ban and go anyway?
Businesses that ban consumers are invoking a “criminal trespass” law and in Georgia it is classified as a misdemeanor offense. The potential penalties are:
Up to 12 months in jail
A fine of up to $1,000
Or both a fine and jail time
Can they ban me for being rude to the employee?
Businesses are well within their rights to ban anybody for anything, as long as it’s not discriminatory. That means that yes, rudeness counts, but so do all of the following:
Disruptive, threatening or abusive behavior towards staff
Creating an unsafe environment
Rudeness, yelling, swear or causing a disturbance
Shoplifting or attempting to steal
Damaging store property
Repeated violations of store policies
Although the receipt check at the door may feel invasive, it might be the smart play to just comply. If it comes down to showing your receipt or getting banned from your favorite store, what are you going to do?
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