Anyone here in retail or used to be in retail? What would constitute "suspicious"?

[Dominus]

A few months ago, I was at a walmart picking up some stuff. I divided all the stuff into 3 piles and told the cashier I wanted 3 transactions (aka 3 separate receipts). While the items were being rung up, a manager came and asked for my ID and the credit card I was using. I gave them to her and she compared the name. While that was going on, I saw couple walmart people standing there watching me. I'm guessing they were walmart loss prevention.

After the 3 transactions, I left. While I was putting the stuff into my car, a cop came by and told me they were called over for suspicious activity. He then asked me for my ID, the card I used, and the receipts. I gave them to him and then put the rest of my stuff away. A little bit later, he came back and gave me everything back and said have a nice day.

I actually don't mind them checking me out like that. I fully support the authority follow up on suspicious activities.

What I'm wondering is why would a single shopper wanting to pay 3 different times to get 3 different receipts be construed as suspicious activity? May be I missed something?

PS - It's been a few months and no arrest squad has come to my house. I'm guessing that was the end of it.

 

[Willie Boy]

There must have been something else to it, something you didn't see or hear at the time....

Because the action as you described would not be considered suspicious to me at all. In fact I've done similar myself. I have been known to help out a friend who was pressed for time while running my own errands. Pick up the shopping list make two piles (or more, I one time had a total of 5 piles for 4 other people besides myself) pay for both with the same card but get two receipts. My receipt stays with me, the second goes with the groceries to the friend and they get back to me with cash or check and the receipt. Its just a simple way of keeping shopping orders separate.

What would have been suspicious behavior to me would be a shifty glance while coming up to the register, as if looking for store security/loss prevention or the like. Or that, "is anybody watching me" sideways glance when stopped along an isle and appearing to look at product... Anything that might suggest the individual is trying to avoid notice or collect the proverbial five finger discount. Doing something that openly draws a bit of attention to one's self isn't exactly suspicious.....

Unless that store has been the victim of stolen card usage recent to the incident. In that case its more about security than suspicion

 

[eastofeden]

In my store...if someone asked me to do that I would be suspicious because it is unusual behavior and I have experienced credit card fraud from customers as has most anyone who accepts cards.

If you explained to me why you needed me to do it...that might take care of it. For instance...one item I am purchasing for resale/business...one for myself... and one for a gift...and it makes my record keeping easier...

I would "get it" right away...no problem....

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

1 separating transactions sometimes means fraud

2 why do I feel like this story is made up? Loss prevention called the cops on you and the cops actually hunted you down over a split transaction? Why would they even complete the transaction only to turn around and call the cops, if you were a fraud them completing your transaction would make them complicit.

Kelly if you want attention just change your hairstyle.

 

[roadtripboy]

I don't see why they would find it odd. At the store where I work it seems like every other customer has more than one order.

There are lots of reason for doing this....you might be buying for yourself and your mother or a personal one and a work one, etc.
The only thing I can think of is if your purchases were for expensive items.

It would be suspicious if you were wanting to load money onto pre-paid cards. I'm not allowed to do those separately, they have to be done in one transaction.

I once had a "Secret Shopper" come through my line and make 22 purchases.

 

[ChickenGuy]

What would have been suspicious behavior to me would be a shifty glance while coming up to the register, as if looking for store security/loss prevention or the like. Or that, "is anybody watching me" sideways glance when stopped along an isle and appearing to look at product... Anything that might suggest the individual is trying to avoid notice or collect the proverbial five finger discount. Doing something that openly draws a bit of attention to one's self isn't exactly suspicious.....

Reminds me of the only time I was ever searched by the police - on my first trip to London 20 years ago - because I was waiting outside an electronics shop for my friend, who had just gone in, and then two policemen came up and gave the reason for searching me that I was 'acting nervous' - really this was just my natural habits and facial expressions back then. They searched my friend too when he came out.

What it turned out to be was that this shop had previous trouble with attempted robberies or something, and so the policemen walking by took one look at me and apparently suspected that I was being the lookout, while my friend was inside casing the joint.

Lol.

 

[G-Lexington]

Lex

 

[peeonme]

Could be that what you did fit the MO of someone who had been running a scam with fake ID's and multiple credit cars.
I just got back from wal mart, the woman in front of me questioned why the clerk asked for her ID, the clerk explained that any purchase over $100. required ID if it was a credit card purchase. The customer then said that no one had done it before. The clerk told her that they should have.

After listening to this for a while I told them that I had been taken in to another room and required to undress some times.
The clerk lost it and the woman stopped questioning her.

 

[Thad1527]

...After listening to this for a while I told them that I had been taken in to another room and required to undress some times.
The clerk lost it and the woman stopped questioning her.

You are truly wicked.

I hate thieves. But requiring separate receipts doesn't seem like theft at all. Rebate offers might require original receipts. And personal accounting should be expected.

 

[Dominus]

I once had a "Secret Shopper" come through my line and make 22 purchases.

What's a secret shopper?

Edit.

To be clear. I was shopping for myself, a friend, and my office.

 

[G-Lexington]

A secret shopper is hired to come in and make purchases, to ascertain that everything is handled correctly (and that customer service is up to snuff). The fact that you knew it was a secret shopper suggests that they weren't doing it very well...

Lex

 

[MakeDigitalLove]

From my experience, and this is literally 10+ years of it, Loss Prevention does not call the Police unless they actually caught you stealing and keep you at the store.

Cops barely come out at all anyway, I’ve dealt with multiple situations where there was at least 500 dollars worth of items stolen and the Police still didn’t show up. So this story seems a bit off to me.

Either way as already stated multiple transactions are generally always suspicious because of fraud. People try to to do this kind of thing with Gift Cards because stores generally limit the amount in one transaction.

 

[rareboy]

You are probably lucky they didn't call in the S.W.A.T. team.

Although you aren't black, so they were probably confused as to what the default response should be.

 

[sixthson]

Why didn't you ask WM or the cop?

 

[Dominus]

Why didn't you ask WM or the cop?

It didn't occur to me to ask at the time.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

From my experience, and this is literally 10+ years of it, Loss Prevention does not call the Police unless they actually caught you stealing and keep you at the store.

Cops barely come out at all anyway, I’ve dealt with multiple situations where there was at least 500 dollars worth of items stolen and the Police still didn’t show up. So this story seems a bit off to me.

This..........

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

Although you aren't black, so they were probably confused as to what the default response should be.

You know that's one of zombiekiller's hot button issues sis, don't get her started.

 

[Willie Boy]

What it turned out to be was that this shop had previous trouble with attempted robberies or something, and so the policemen walking by took one look at me and apparently suspected that I was being the lookout, while my friend was inside casing the joint.

Lol.

But that's actually a reasonable concern, given that the store was previously robbed. That foot officers would stop and ask just means they're doing their job. Although a search under such conditions does seem a bit extreme. Then again, not actually being there myself I don't really know, they may have been reacting to some other issues as well, maybe they were called to be on the lookout for potential armed thieves in the area and were just being extra cautious, maybe there was a history of violence in the area..... So many unknown variables.

 

[Rickrock]

I was surprised that they did this to you also until I started reading other's comments. If you were using a stolen credit card and not sure of the limit on it, you might have wanted at least part of the transactions to go through without a problem.

 

[Alistair]

The Wal-Mart near me frequently checks IDs to verify credit cards. They've told me that they do it any time they get word that other businesses in the area have had an increase in CC fraud.

There's usually always a cop sitting in the Wal-Mart parking lot I go to. It's a small college town, the Wal-Mart is in walking distance to the college, at the corner of 2 state highways. I think the cops are there just for protection for the college students, and to keep an eye out for drug trafficking offenses.