No, Amarillo Getting Your Receipt Checked Is Not Illegal

People let's all just take a moment and chill out here. This weekend, I saw a post and just thought to myself "Really? Is this actually a thing?". And I know it is, because I've been witness to the upset customer giving lip service to a worker who was probably not getting paid enough to deal with this person's sh--frustration.

Get our free mobile app

Let's start at the beginning. This wonderful gem showed up on the All Things Canyon Facebook page:

This person hit the nail right on the head. And guess what? It's not just Wal-Mart that checks receipts, I've seen the folks at other big boxes here in Amarillo do it as well.

My own background: I've checked receipts at a major music retailer back in the day. We would check to make sure you're getting what you paid for, that the serial numbers matched up for warranties, and to stop shrink (the fancy term for unpaid merch leaving stores). And I can tell you that 99% of folks had no problem with this. On a few occasions, I actually caught where we overcharged someone and corrected that! Imagine that, someone actually looking out for you the consumer!

But occasionally.....we would get this kind of person:

Leslie is absolutely right about one thing in their response... bless their heart. While it's true the employee checking receipts (who is probably making next to nothing) is not a peace officer, they are more likely to get listened to by said peace officer when he/she comes in toting her 'Murica flag.

And by the way... as someone who has dealt with loss prevention....guaranteed, 9 out of 10, the folks who blow this up usually have something to hide. I'm not calling this person out... but numbers don't lie. I want to believe they are in fact, law-abiding citizens who have no problem obeying the law....but won't show their receipt to prove they have nothing to hide.

Companies like Wal-Mart and others have a right to protect what's theirs just like Leslie would have a right to protect what's hers if someone came into her house and attempted to peel out with her TV. They are a private company and if you don't like the show-your-receipt-please policy, there are plenty of alternative places to shop at that don't require receipt checking.

As for the rest of what she posted, I get it. staff is hard to find at this point. Even with the numbers here in Amarillo looking good for unemployment, there are many employers who are looking for creative ways to hire folks because there isn't much incentive to work (that's an article for another day)

The Bottom Line

It's a few seconds of your time, y'all. Remember that the person checking is human too... just be good each other. That's all I ask.

Say You're From Amarillo Without Saying You're From Amarillo

Amarillo is a pretty quirky place. We've got the Big Texan, the weird signs, and (obviously) the famed Cadillac Ranch. But more than that, there's a distinct culture of close-knit community, eccentrics, a thriving arts scene, and much more.

The point is, living in Amarillo is a unique experience. Because of that, it's really pretty easy to tell who's a native or a long-time resident. And I can prove it.

Here's a couple of ways you can say you're from Amarillo.....without saying you're from Amarillo.