Walmart stopped and illegally detaining a friend of mine yesterday, holding her property, and refusing to release her property, or allow her to exit the store with her personal property until I returned with my receipt.I was left with no choice but to return to the store and stay in her place.
The individual that illegally detained my friend had already called his manager. I was quick to point out to the manager that he had no legal right to detain and demand she prove ownership of anything he did not have evidence of a crime having had been committed, and that ownership of any product any customers have purchased at the store starts at the time of purchase, AT THE REGISTER.
I was also quick to point out that I no more had to prove ownership of the item I took ownership of at the register, than I have to prove ownership of the shoes on my feet ( that I bought at Walmart), or the pants I was wearing ( that I bought at Walmart). The manager told me it was Walmart/Sam's club policy. I explained that at a Sam's Club a customer joins with membership, signing a document stating they will follow their policies and pay their dues. I further explained that we were standing in a Walmart, and not a Sam's Club.
Walmart is open to the public, at no time have I as customer agreed either verbally or in writing to subject myself to any type of search of my personal belongings, nor have I agreed to be detained against my will by holding my personal belongings as hostage. I informed him that he and his staff had effectively illegally stopped,searched,and detained an elderly woman (my friend) with absolutely no evidence of wrongdoing. Based on the argument that the membership only division of their corporation does it. I then suggested maybe I should be calling the police and have them explain the laws they broke, as well as the jail time that go's along with each crime. Instead, I ended the conversation, took my property (the receipt they forcibly took from my friend against her will) and left the establishment angry, and insulted.
WHEN YOU HAND THEM YOUR RECEIPT WHILE TRYING TO EXIT ,FOR PRODUCTS YOU HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR either with a human employee of Walmart, or with a self checkout scanning station under close video and human observation. YOU are being passively made to conform to this illegal practice that Walmart shamefully endorses and attempts to force honest customers ( the overwhelming majority) to submit to.
Being publicly insulted by detaining ,and searching their personal belongings ( including those bags that house their belongings,a plastic bag containing your personal property is no different in ownership than the personal belongings in a backpack or purse )under the unsubstantiated assumption that you may be trying to exit the store with products that you didn't pay for. They are passively accusing you of possible theft, and hiding behind the policy of a completely different division of the corporation.
They can try to argue that it's an issue of combating shrinkage (theft), theft is an internal issue every business that is open to the public has to deal with. But understand the percentage of people who are not stealing from businesses is extremely higher than the ones that are, otherwise they would go out if business. That's called common sense! But it is an INTERNAL issue, and not the customers responsibility to maintain any corporations security.

If Walmart Corporation does not end this practice immediately the next step will be a Class action lawsuits against Walmart Corp. for defamation, illegal search, and Unlawful detainment of it's customers. Searching personal  belongings, publicly passively accusing customers of theft. It's insulting!!