Meijer - Falsley Accused of Shop Lifting. Accidently Forgot Ring Up Somehing in My Cart

Posted by At Your Service on 2013-01-13:

If I'm not mistaken, a 'civil fine' is Meijer saying to you that they believe you were caught in the act of shoplifting and that the amount of $65 is what they believe a judge would force you to pay should it come to that.

Did you sign an agreement to pay the amount? If so, this signature could be considered a binding contract. However, especially in this case, you could claim the agreement was signed under duress.

If you haven't paid the fine, you do have the option of disputing it and basically refusing to pay. From what you've stated here, they have no legal authority to force payment except for pulling you into court. Therein lies the issue. Meijer can still pursue legal charges against you. You may feel 'they have no proof' but they have you leaving without paying for the merchandise. That is, in fact, the proof. If they pursue the charges, you could be hit with both civil and criminal penalties and have the infraction put upon a record leading to other, even worse issues, like the loss of a job and/or denial of future credit.

If you admit to trying to leave without paying for the merchandise, regardless of why, you're in the wrong. $65 to not have them pursue further charges, in my opinion, is getting off easy.

Posted by ConsumerMan on 2013-01-13:

The last line of your review sums it up. You said they had no proof, but you had a chicken and two toys you didn't pay for.

Posted by jktshff1 on 2013-01-13:

Good info. Just another reason to stay off cell phones and avoid other distractions, especially when using self checkouts. While I understand your frustration, the store was well within it's rights to stop and fine you. At least this will not be a criminal charge on your record.

Posted by littleshorty on 2013-01-13:

I'm sure they've heard the "I forgot to pay for these items" excuse a million times. You may have made an honest mistake, but bottom line is: you left with unpaid items. By law, that is considered shoplifting. Just like if you accidentally ran thru a stop sign. A cop would still give you a ticket.

Posted by Dakota1015 on 2013-01-13:

Something similar happened to me at a Target. We had just finished moving into our new house and had run out to Target to get a few things. I was probably looking a little scruffy as I had spent the day moving furniture, etc. I waited for my wife while she used the restroom, which was near the door, but I stayed well within the main store area while I waited. While I was waiting there one of the checkout people accused me of preparing to make a run for the door with a cart full of merchandise. Really? I am thinking I could buy and sell this kid five times over, and he is accusing me of thinking about running from the store?
When my wife returned we checked out, asked to see the manager, who was not interested in what happened, and later contacted Target corporate in Minneapolis and never got a response.
Bottom line? We never set foot again in any Target store, and over the years this has cost them thousands of dollars.
As for the $65 charge Meijers charged you, that is simply another revenue stream for them, $65 of pure profit. If they said you had done it before, why hadn't they stopped you then?
I will stop using self checkouts after hearing this. If a mistake is made while checking out, let it be their fault, not mine. How many times are mistakes made by the stores that cost customers money (sale prices not coming up correctly, etc.). Can we charge them $65 every time they try to rip us off this way?

Posted by trmn8r on 2013-01-13:

A couple of things pop out here. As a "self serve" shopper myself, I am well aware of the "item that won't scan" problem. However, if you know a item isn't scanning, it is hard to argue that ultimately you thought it scanned if it didn't. From the store's perspective, I can see how they may find this a hard argument to believe.

As for the other two items, this adds fuel to the fire. Both not realizing the item didn't scan and not observing the items you had may be related to being distracted by the cell phone.

You should be able to see the store's position here - think of those (not saying you) who would argue "I was distracted and didn't know". Sadly, there are many who would do this to scam the store.

Posted by Nohandle on 2013-01-13:

I guess I'm the only one on the planet who doesn't utilize a self check out register (if available) but I'll just stand in line and wait my turn. Often it's no quicker to scan the items yourself. The time might come we all have to do the scanning ourselves but until then I'll let the store have the honor.

Perhaps the next time you are experiencing a problem you might consider letting your cell phone ring unanswered until you took care of business at hand.

Posted by DebtorBasher on 2013-01-13:

You're not alone NoHandle...I'm right with you...I hate those self checkouts. It's not like you're getting any discount on your items by cutting out the middleman (cashier) or anything...so, why not give them some job security? LOL!

It's just like pumping your own gas...the purpose of it was to pay less for gas if you pumped it yourself...all it did was put the pumpers out of a job.

Posted by trmn8r on 2013-01-13:

I'm begging to disagree with basher. Please basher, please? May I disagree?

I did "it" today - twice in fact! Scanning yourself in fact saves time, unless there are "full serve" checkouts open.

At my local WallsMart, that I strive to avoid, the self checkouts were replaced by "10 items or less" registers that are never open, because of all the thieves that frequent the store. How many people can shop at WallsMart and buy less than 10 items?

That's all I have on self checkouts. I'm going to go do it again...

Posted by DebtorBasher on 2013-01-14:

8er, 8er, my 8er...That's Basher with a capital 'B'!!!

Of course you may disagree with me...if you don't mind being wrong ;)

I have been to Walmart plenty of times and bought less than 10 items...they also use the 10 item or less counters for returns as well.