A Walmart shopper says employees embarrassed her not once, but twice, after a routine shopping trip left her questioning whether to ever return to the mega-retailer. Was she in the wrong, or did the workers go too far?
Lillie (@lillie0486) was already fed up with Walmart after her grocery deliveries ended up in disasters. So her latest shopping experience was her last straw.
“I am tired of being treated like a criminal at my local Walmart,” Lillie begins in her clip. It earned over 270,000 views as of Tuesday. The Delaware-based TikToker says she had what was probably the “worst experience [she’s] ever had.”
According to Lillie, she never uses self-checkout because it annoys her, so she was in line to pay with a cashier she says has customer service skills that are “absolute [expletive].” While in line, Lillie picks up a BIC lighter, but then notices there is a pack of 2. So she puts back the single lighter and picks up the double-pack. Apparently, she committed a huge faux pas because the cashier “screamed” at her in front of everyone.
“Did you just put back something you didn’t want anymore?” the cashier allegedly admonished her. Lillie replied yes, and the cashier told her that she “can’t do that” and to give it to her instead.
So Lillie picked up the lighter and handed it to the woman. The cashier’s tune suddenly changed.
“Oh, you can put that back,” the cashier told her. However, Lillie was already peeved, saying if the cashier wanted it back to where it was, she would have to do it herself.
Is there such a rule at Walmart?
Lillie tells her viewers that she never knew such a rule existed, and it doesn’t seem like it does. While there is no official rule against putting back items you don’t want anymore in the checkout line, workers highly discourage the practice due to safety or convenience reasons. This is especially true for perishable items or ones that need refrigeration. Leaving out things like dairy or meat may lead to spoilage and will need to be thrown out.
For example, in an article covered by The U.S. Sun, a Walmart worker was” fuming” after thousands of dollars of food went to waste in abandoned carts. The USDA also advises not to leave frozen meat out for more than two hours, lest it become inedible.
For other items, it’s just a matter of the Walmart worker having to put it back where it belongs. This adds more work to their plate, which is probably why Lillie’s cashier was upset at the thought of her putting something that didn’t belong on the shelf.
A good rule of thumb is to hand the item you no longer want to the cashier so they can return it to its proper place.
It gets worse
This wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back for Lillie, however. She thought her public embarrassment was over. However, as she made her way to the door with her paid items, a receipt checker stopped her.
According to Lillie, the cashier forgot to bag one of her items–a pool chemical–and the checker claimed they couldn’t find it on the receipt. Lillie assured her that it was rung up, but the worker then point-blank asked her if she paid for it.
Eventually, the worker finds the item on the receipt and tries to act friendly toward Lillie by touching her arm.
“You just accused me of stealing, and now we’re friends?” she concludes.
Do you have to show your receipt at the door?
The short answer is no, you don’t have to legally show your receipt at Walmart when asked. However, there is something known as a Shopkeeper’s Privilege.
“In certain circumstances, store employees are justified in holding you until the police arrive,” online resource Legal Definitions states. “Known as the Shopkeeper’s Privilege, the store employee can stop you from leaving if they believe that you shoplifted.”
But this is only if they have reason to suspect you of stealing. For example, if they see you hide an item, trigger an alarm, etc. Otherwise, it could be characterized as “false imprisonment.”
However, it works a bit differently for membership clubs like Sam’s Club, where your membership means you agree to getting your receipt checked.
@lillie0486 Anyone else go to Walmart in a great mood and leave pissed off bc same!!! #walmart #rant ♬ original sound – lillie0486
The Mary Sue reached out to Lillie via TikTok direct message and to Walmart via media contact form.
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