A receipt-cheat story

[Croney]

I bought something at a sports-apparel store and noticed the clerk's sleight-of-hand with the receipt as he appeared to put it in the bag. I asked where it was. He said it was in the bag. I looked, under the items and all around, and it wasn't. He said oh I'm sorry, here it is -- as he scooped it from a box of receipts I could see under the counter.

What is the point of this? So I couldn't return anything? Or does the clerk sell the receipts at a discount, along with matching stolen items, so someone can return the items for credit?

I'm still puzzling over this.

[hlthe2b]

1. Given the losses from returns for merchants, I'd bet it could be either one.

You were wise to check.

I might add that some merchants are only emailing receipts so one needs to be cautious about deleting your emails. I had Target do this for an order I picked up for my sister who had placed via phone. Great, I guess, but that left me in a position to carry out merchandise with no receipt. I was not pleased.

[Croney]

3. I often pick up Target items I've ordered online.

It does feel odd not having a receipt as I walk out the door.

I went to the store's FB page and left a review describing my experience. Maybe it will be read by the right people. Probably not.

[RockRaven]

2. If the items don't have security tags, do they even need the stolen goods? Or can

the perpetrator walk into the store, browse around, pick up the item to be returned and then go to the return desk/cashier? If the store is big enough/crowded enough the store employee dealing with them likely will not have seen them enter empty-handed.

In any case, this scam would not work long-term because over time the store would build up a stock to register data mismatch and if one was prompted by that evident loss to pore over security tapes one could spot what was going on... but short term, like during a busy holiday season, and especially if the employee is not there long-term as with many retail jobs, I think your hypothesis of a scam based on receipts is at least plausible.

[Croney]

5. Good point. His friend can walk in, grab the item, and return it

using the pre-chosen receipt. Works for a while and then they move on.

[NightWatcher]

4. Give receipt to a friend and allow them to "return" an identical item to what you bought for cash

Did you pay cash? Were there any high dollar items?

I used to work in "loss prevention" as they call it.

[Croney]

6. I paid cash, but no expensive items really.

From the looks of that box under the counter, he was saving any and all receipts he could.

[Farmer-Rick]

7. When I was a cashier many, many moons ago

The supervisor told us to put forgotten or left behind receipts in a small box under the register. She would empty the box once a month and said it was done in case the person came back for the receipt.

But this was in an auto parts store where we got a lot of exchanges on high price items because of sizing confusion. It helped several people who thought they had lost their receipt.

[Croney]

9. What a nice thing to do!

[SWBTATTReg]

8. Sounds very fishy to me. If I were you, I'd alert the management of the store and let them know ...

what's happening. I suspect that they probably don't know that this is happening.