Legally, security is not allowed to check your bag upon leaving the store. They might have a sign stating that the conditions of entry security have a right to check your bag upon leaving the store. But, even that might seem a technicality that can be overlooked. Security can check your bag upon you entering the store. They have a legal right at that point.

I have walked pass security from Kmart, whether I have purchased an item from there or not, on the way out the door. Sometimes, I offer to show them my items. Sometimes I walk pass. The security cannot do anything. And something worth $150 of value would be noticeable and on camera, if I was trying to steal from them.

I was leaving a Kmart after purchasing a vacuum cleaner and not only did the attendant ask to see my receipt, it had to match up to a code on the box. The box was quite large and not in a position for that code to be easily found. She asked me where the code on the box was as if she expected me to pick up the box and turn it over for her to check. I told her that "you work here, not me" and left it at that. She waved me through without finding what she was looking for.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jun 8^th, 2023 at 7:27pm:


Fagin?

8 years old is old enough to know that what she is doing is wrong.

This child was trained to do that knowing that most employees would not act against her.

It is certainly not common for children to walk into a shop alone and take goods. The Fagin sends her in alone to make sure there is no action against her.

This child is a professional criminal from an early age.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jun 8^th, 2023 at 6:39pm:


I thought you were a frequent flyer... 

The scanning of receipts may be related to the scam that's been going for years caused by lazy people dropping their receipts in the carpark before they get in the car, leaving their receipts in the shopping trolley, etc.

Someone else then comes along, picks up the receipt. takes it back into the store and gathers all the items on the receipt then walks out without paying because... well, "here's my receipt".

This would also be easier to do at Kmart because the self serve and manned checkouts are in the middle of the store and you normally just show your receipt to a single staff member at the exit as you leave.

If the receipts are being scanned when the purchaser leaves the store it would alert the staff member who scans the receipt a second time when the scammer tries to leave without paying.

The scam would normally only be detected at stocktake time and by then it is way too late to do anything, of course.

Carl D wrote on Jun 8^th, 2023 at 8:09pm:


Yes, that makes sense.

However, that doesn't give them the right to treat legitimate customers like criminals when they leave the store.

I will never show them my receipt when exiting the store, and there is not a thing they can do about it.

I'd encourage everyone to do the same (but don't abuse the employee - it's not their fault).

Bunnings have been doing receipt checks for a while now as well. At least the Belmont store has been.

Not all the time though, sometimes they don't bother if the employee at the door is busy or talking to another staff member.

The employee at the exit takes a look at your receipt and then stamps it with a prominent red ink stamp so it would be obvious if someone else tried to use the receipt if it was discarded in the car park.

They may have recently changed to electronic scanning of receipts like Kmart are doing... not sure, I haven't been into Bunnings for a couple of months.