Detainment
Sorry I would have responded much sooner if I knew this post would get so many replies!
Antigone -
You should read the thread and not just it's title before making a comment.
Asiny -
The situation is diplomatic. I am a citizen of the United States. I must follow the laws which I do happily. And I expect other individuals to do the same. I even warned him.
Eraupike -
Those are good questions to ask. I used the Cashier and pulled the items up out of the basket - making it very obvious to any loss pervention personnel that they were paid for.
Everything in my cart had bags.
They absolutely have the right to ask me for a receipt which is why I was polite. However absolutely nobody has the right to physically grab me, or my possessions whether it is my cellphone, my shoes, my car, or my recently purchased items.
I am sorry that *people like me* create such embarrassment for you. The beauty of living in a Free Republic is that people will have different opinions of how the Government should function. My opinion is that the store should have to follow the same exact laws that I do.
I also run a small business on the side, repairing computers and other hardware. Before I started my business I read very carefully how I was supposed to operate and what laws to follow both federally and locally.
One last thing on this subject; I have a friend who is a security guard. He's told me that they made it very clear to him that he does not have the authority to detain.
It's common sense really.
LillianX - thank you for the clarification. I also have a Sam's Club membership and am aware of that contract. I don't always make a fuss about the receipt issue but the associate had a particularly bad attitude both when I entered and when I was on my way out. It also bothers me that when my wife is with me I never get asked but when I'm alone they will demand a receipt even if all I bought was a candy bar.
The occultist - No physically injury occurred. But are you sure it's such a large requirement for monetary compensation? If I stopped a old lady on the street, grabbed her wrist and purse. Dragged her across the street. Then said, "You stay right here until I can find out for sure if your the lady who stole my cat!" There is absolutely no way she couldn't tear me apart in court. Right?
justalayman - Tort law instead of Criminal. That's useful information to know! I'll look them up tomorrow. Another person saying compensation is unlikely. That's unfortunately. If I did this to another individual instead of being done to me by a big business - I know I would probably spend the night in jail with felony assault charges, and nobody would be calling it "frivolous". But that's the way of our world, I guess.