Every Costco shopper has been there.
You've just spent hours loading up your cart with everything on your shopping list, and
more than a few things you didn't even know you needed until you saw them.
You waited in line, you made it through the checkout, and you're wondering how on earth
all of this is going to get in your car.
First, though, you have to go through the exit receipt check.
It's a weird thing, right?
It's like driving along and being followed by a police car.
Even if you haven't done anything wrong, it makes it feel like you have.
They're watching you, they're checking to make sure you paid for everything, and they
want to protect themselves against sticky-fingered customers.
Like you.
Right?
Actually, like that cop who just happened to turn in behind you, there's nothing really
sinister about it.
A lot of what they're doing is looking out for your best interests.
One Costco-centric Reddit thread had employees sharing what they were looking for, and part
of it is confirmation that the number of items in the cart is actually the number that's
on the receipt.
One employee shared some eye-opening figures, and claimed their store kept track of how
much merchandise was stopped at the door because it wasn't paid for.
It was in the tens of thousands of dollars, but the official line is pretty different.
MSN did a little digging into just what else those exit greeters are trained to look for,
and found they're actually checking your receipt to make sure your transaction went smoothly.
Ever get home, check your own receipt, and realize you've been overcharged or one of
your items was accidentally rung up multiple times?
They're looking for that so they can fix it before you get out the door.
Still doubtful?
As one employee explained on Reddit:
"Trust me, we're not loss prevention, we have loss prevention in the store and that's not
us."
One former employee wanted to clear the air on Reddit, and said a big part of their job
is also making sure customers don't forget some of the things they pay for, but have
to pick up separately before they leave.
It's easy to forget things like gift cards, or merchandise that has to be retrieved from
inside cases or behind counters, after all.
They're also looking to make sure any store promotions were properly applied, because
hey, technology isn't perfect, right?
Neither are people, and that's why Kevin Heuer, a Costco general manager, told the San Francisco
Chronicle they were also looking to make sure cashiers didn't miss anything in the bottom
of customers' baskets.
Costco isn't the only store to employ exit greeters, most of the warehouse-style stores
do.
When MSN reached out to Sam's Club corporate, they said they purposely hire friendly, chatty
exit greeters as a way of making sure app-related transactions went smoothly, to make sure they
found everything, address complaints, and share information about upcoming promotions.
And Costco representatives say the same thing, with one employee saying they'd caught hundreds
of dollars in overcharges, and had immediately helped the customers get their refunds.
So is the policy legal, or is it a violation of your rights?
In Costco's case, they're perfectly within their rights because it's written into the
membership agreement you voluntarily signed.
It's the same for other warehouse-type stores that have similar memberships, like Sam's
Club and BJ's.
In other words, we don't recommend running out without showing your receipt.
But that brings up an important question: What if you do refuse?
In 2013, Timothy Walls refused to show his receipt for his $102.66 purchase and the employee
he tried to bypass grabbed his cart and wouldn't let him leave.
Walls shoved the employee, and that's when another employee stepped in with some martial
arts, and broke Walls' leg in several places.
Walls sued for $610,000, but lost when the judge ruled he had pushed an employee first.
Still, demanding to see your receipt is not OK in most stores.
Consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky says that if you're in a conventional retail store where
you didn't sign anything agreeing to allow employees to inspect your receipt or your
cart when you're leaving, you don't have to hand it over.
That return trip to get your refund for a double-charge?
That's on you.