Home Depot selling power tools that won't work unless they're activated at a register

billt460 said:
With all of this shoplifting going on, I don't understand why they don't put one of the employees at the door, and check everyone's receipt as they leave? Costco has been doing this in Phoenix for years.
Click to expand...
Yes, You would think it would be a deterrence, but then you would have people like me who get ****** off (not in a nasty way to the employee) if they want to check my receipt and I suspect that is why they dont do it anymore.
I dont like being checked to see if I am stealing something and they have no legal recourse to stop me if I ignore them while I walk out the door.
What can they do? Forcibly restrain me for not show ing my receipt? Nope - So in most cases I walk right past them. I also keep walking on the rare occasion those sensor alarms go off, that is their problem if someone didnt properly deactivate it.

I am actually seeing much less receipt checking then I ever did in my life and I suspect its because people like me whom do not have to prove I am walking out with something I didnt pay for. Same goes for sensor tags. I never stop.
Some years ago when it was more common, Walmart(?) , it wasnt unusual for me to keep walking and ignore the person asking to see my receipt ... *LOL* my wife would make fun of me saying they are just an employee trying to do their job and I am giving them a hard time making them look stupid.

Anyway, not being hard a__ jsut answering your question. I dont have to prove innocence. It is up to the store to have the proper security to catch shoplifters not "accuse" the general public.

I do surrender my receipt at COSCO and SAMS Club, why you might ask? Because those are "clubs" with paid membership the general public can not walk in the store to shop, you have to be a member which I assume obey security protocols.
I love Sams Club in that respect, their phone app is great. I dont even go to the register, I just scan everything with my phone as well shop and go straight to the door to leave. Cosco needs to step up to the plate with an APP but they are very fast at the scanners at our local COSCO sp no complaints.

I can see bluetooth being the answer for expensive items, much like that color dye stuff they attach to expensive clothing and jeans.
I also like others am seeing cages being installed everywhere. Best Buy, Walmart ect ect ... its sad. entitlement society, we are going backwards with law enforcement. (no politics) But known in many areas law enforcement will not even respond to minor thefts or smash and grab.
 
Last edited:
CarLuver said:
i think it will just be a matter of time till someone finds a way to hack it.
Click to expand...
+1

Waste of money, as it will only buy them a little time before someone hacks it and the system is useless, or they will steal it anyway and sell it on ebay to someone who isn't aware of them being locked.

The locked cabinets that employees have to open and bring the device to the counter is a better deterrent.
 
alarmguy said:
I dont have to prove innocence. It is up to the store to have the proper security to catch shoplifters not "accuse" the general public.
Click to expand...

Not in court, no. But you're not on trial, or being "accused". This is a private business. You are their customer. And as such they can pretty much do whatever they want. It's their store. They can tell you you have to wear a mask, or you can't come in. They can also say if you buy anything, we will check your receipt before you leave.

If you don't like it, then don't shop there. I don't like it either. But if it helps by stopping theft that both you and I pay for, I'm willing to be inconvenienced for 30 seconds or less. My time is not that valuable.

It's not the end of the world. Nor is it worth going into some holier than thou routine.
 
billt460 said:
Not in court, no. But you're not on trial, or being "accused". This is a private business. You are their customer. And as such they can pretty much do whatever they want. It's their store. They can tell you you have to wear a mask, or you can't come in. They can also say if you buy anything, we will check your receipt before you leave.

If you don't like it, then don't shop there. I don't like it either. But if it helps by stopping theft that both you and I pay for, I'm willing to be inconvenienced for 30 seconds or less. My time is not that valuable.

It's not the end of the world. Nor is it worth going into some holier than thou routine.
Click to expand...
Your getting defensive and upset?
Hmmmm....
I dont get upset, I just ignore them. Really simple, you can not be physically stopped and your packages searched which would be falsely accused. They know this and why I provided the answer I did to bilt460.
Its that simple, no problem and the stores know this. We live in a free country. Stores can not physically assault you, forcibly stop you or they will get sued. AGAIN, its why stores do not stop you if you continue to walk. Your wrong, they can not do whatever they want and its why they dont do it and its also why big lawsuits are lost if they do and again, why they dont do it. They have not right to assault you unless your stealing and they better be right that you were.

I have never been in a store that says "if you buy anything, we will check your receipt before you leave."

I was just answering bilt460 on why more stores to not stop and check receipts. Like COSCO does and that is the reason more do not do it.
They are not looking to end up in the "news" that are not looking to alienate their customers. Simple stuff.

Now bluetooth technology, wow, pretty impressive to stop thefts.
 
Last edited:
alarmguy said:
Your getting defensive and upset?
Hmmmm....
I dont get upset, I just ignore them. Really simple, you can not be physically stopped and your packages searched which would be falsely accused. They know this and why I provided the answer I did to bilt460.
Its that simple, no problem and the stores know this. We live in a free country. Stores can not physically assault you, forcibly stop you or they will get sued. AGAIN, its why stores do not stop you if you continue to walk.
Click to expand...
Sure, you can always play the **** card, and most likely get away with it. Yes, you live in a free country. But those freedoms have limits in private businesses and homes.

The Second Amendment says that you have the right to keep and bear arms. Just as a private business has a right to put up a sign saying, "No Firearms Allowed". Again, you can play the **** card, and try to get away with it.... Or, simply not go in there.

But if being a **** is a priority over simply showing your receipt and going on your way. Or bullying your way out of the store makes you feel like a better person, then by all means go for it. I'm sure you'll be highly admired for, "defending your rights".
 
billt460 said:
With all of this shoplifting going on, I don't understand why they don't put one of the employees at the door, and check everyone's receipt as they leave? Costco has been doing this in Phoenix for years.
Click to expand...
It's a legality issue for public access stores to check receipts. As soon as you pay and leave the register, those goods are now your property and the store employees cannot then detain you without probable cause or reasonable suspicion that you committed a crime

Costco is a private membership store, so it's in your membership agreement that they can check your receipt to make sure you got everything you paid for (and don't have anything you didn't)

If you fill a Home Depot cart full of goods and stroll past the registers, you can be detained for the obvious RS of shoplifting, but HD presumably does not want their employees put in jeopardy. I would suspect that they'll contract a security company in the near future for high shrink locations.
 
billt460 said:
Sure, you can always play the **** card, and most likely get away with it. Yes, you live in a free country. But those freedoms have limits in private businesses and homes.

The Second Amendment says that you have the right to keep and bear arms. Just as a private business has a right to put up a sign saying, "No Firearms Allowed". Again, you can play the **** card, and try to get away with it.... Or, simply not go in there.

But if being a **** is a priority over simply showing your receipt and going on your way. Or bullying your way out of the store makes you feel like a better person, then by all means go for it. I'm sure you'll be highly admired for, "defending your rights".
Click to expand...
I guess being a **** is relative to the person whom thinks that way. Anyway, at least you got an explanation/answer as to why more stores don't do it, which the question that you posted. Im just giving the answer.
 
Last edited:
dishdude said:
Costco and Sam's check your receipt on the way out. They check everyone's and have done this for years. When you go in you know what to expect, making a big deal out of it or giving the person working there a hard time is a bit childish.
Click to expand...
I agree, when you join a club you agree to the rules of the club. It is a club and not open to the general public.

Tascsh72 answered the question a post above yours better than me. I guess my explanation ruffled some feathers. But the meaning is the same, he did it in a more concise manner for sure.
 
Last edited:
Dave9 said:
It doesn't seem that hard to accomplish, if you didn't go through a register line then you didn't pay for it.
Click to expand...

The problem with that is that in a lot of stores now, you CAN walk in, pick up merchandise, pay for it, and walk out without having to go through the register line.

Apple started doing it in their stores in maybe 2012 or 2013. I've only done it a handful of times, and I admit it felt really weird. Every time I've of done it, I've made eye contact with one the people by the door and spoke to them as I was walking out-of course I had my electronic receipt in hand.

Sam's Club here has checkout through their app, although as terms of your membership(as mentioned) you have to allow them to check your receipt. Admittedly now at Sam's, it's not like the old days where the person just looks at your receipt, glances at your cart(maybe) and then runs a highlighter down your receipt. They scan your receipt then scan 3 items in your cart.

My wife drug me to Disney World week before last, and as best as I can tell mobile check-out is an option everywhere there. We never did it, but I might be tempted if the checkout lines are long.

More and more stores are moving to "encouraging" self check lanes, which makes sense for them as 1 person can run 6+ lanes as opposed to 1/per lane or sometimes even two(when you throw baggers in). Walmarts around here, not counting the department counters(automotive, electronics, sporting goods, etc) typically have 1-2 checkout lanes(often just the tobacco lanes) and then huge banks of self check. I've never counted, but I'd not be surprised if there were better than 20 self checks in one of the banks in the Walmart where I usually go, and a second bank that I think has 10 or so.

The cynic in me would say mobile checkout is a move toward needing even fewer employees, as it takes away even the person watching the self check lane.
 
alarmguy said:
I agree, when you join a club you agree to the rules of the club. It is a club and not open to the general public.

Tascsh72 answered the question better than me. I guess my explanation ruffled some feathers. But the meaning is the same, he did it in a more concise manner for sure.
Click to expand...
You did a good job of showing your viewpoint, which I agree with. I didn't see your response when I typed mine up

I will stop to have stores disarm their sensor tags so employees don't get yelled at, but unless I'm at Sam's or Costco, I don't stop for receipt checks.
 
A lot of places have banned bags or added a charge to to use a bag. A lot of people just carry the stuff out or leave it in the cart.

I keep my receipts handy just in case.
 
Hard to believe you'd belong to a store where you have to submit to having your receipt checked because you signed a membership when you can blow out the door at other stores. Principles flexible based on prices?
 
Dave9 said:
... Extra expense built in, because they don't have the balls to stop shoplifters.
Click to expand...

I'm with you, but when you can't even find or get employees to show up to keep the store in business, it sort of makes sense.
 
Any store can reserve the right detain you. Not just, "club membership outlets". Again, no one is saying you can't play the **** card and flee.

.......... California Penal code 490.5, which states:
"A merchant may detain a person for a reasonable time for the purpose of conducting an investigation in a reasonable manner whenever the merchant has probable cause to believe the person to be detained is attempting to unlawfully take or has unlawfully taken merchandise from the merchant's premises."
In short: A person would not have to stop unless the merchant had probable cause to believe the person had taken merchandise without paying."

Knowing that, we can verify that it's TRUE. You are not legally required to stop and show your receipt at a Walmart if you do not want to.

That said, it's not so simple.

We spoke to a lawyer, who has represented clients in these kinds of cases, who said that while there is no provision in the law that requires you to stop, not stopping could give the store some probable cause they need to ask you to stop and detain you. They would need additional proof, too. At that point, lawyers advise it's best to show your receipt and wait it out. Don't try to flee.

www.abc10.com

Are you legally required to show your receipt when leaving a Walmart? | VERIFY

Can you legally just not stop and show your receipt at a Walmart checkpoint? We VERIFY.
www.abc10.com www.abc10.com
 
DriveHard said:
I'm guessing it is not much more difficult to bypass than the sidestand switch on a motorcycle. Take it apart, find out where the little buggar is interrupting power, and bypass it. There isn't enough electronics in a power tool to make this tough.
Click to expand...

It's got to be simple and easy enough to do without making it so easy that it can be defeated that easily. Still - you'd be amazed how cheap it is these days to do that level of communication. We have NFC credit cards and even disposable transit tickets that have security that would take the NSA to crack.
 
tasch72 said:
If you fill a Home Depot cart full of goods and stroll past the registers, you can be detained for the obvious RS of shoplifting, but HD presumably does not want their employees put in jeopardy. I would suspect that they'll contract a security company in the near future for high shrink locations.
Click to expand...

A lot of big national retailers (CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart) have shifted policies where they won't detain anyone. They had policies that allowed it. Heck - I've even see it maybe 15 years ago. But now they're more worried about people (employees, customers, and even the thieves) getting hurt and suing. They'll leave it to the police that have their own liability and possibly qualified immunity. Employees have been fired for trying to stop shoplifters. I hear Walmart might a little bit different in that only the "loss prevention" employees can do any of the, and they might be contractors where the contracting company has its own liability.

Home Depot apparently doesn't have a national policy to not intervene but I'm not sure if managers might set their own policies.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top