I was purchasing 7 rolls of processed film through the self-scan register which I use all the time. I had trouble at that same register the previous night and an employee assisted me through the rest of my transaction.
I know that when you place something in the bag that didn't scan properly the system will alert you that the item cannot be recognized. This time with the film, I scanned the package of film and placed it in the bag and repeated the process 7 times. Never once did I hear the system alert me and when I clicked Finish and Pay I noticed the system catching up as I was moving swiftly. I paid for the items and exited the store where I was rushed upon by two loss prevention employees who told me there were items in my bag that I did not pay for to come follow them to their office.
Once there, each of the LP employees proceeded to turn off all the monitors and ask me to empty the contents of my pockets and open my purse. She asked for my drivers license and social security card. She got very rude when I told her I didn't carry anything on me with my social security number on it and asked me if I evern had a job. They proceeded to take seats and write out reports, took photos of the film suspected not to have scanned and took photos of me. She said that I only scanned every other one and held the items back in my hand before putting them in the bag.
This is not true, as I stated, I scanned the item and placed it in the bag and did that 7 times without hearing any alert. The items that did not scan totalled $25.59. She called a police officer back and she immediately told him that she had caught a shoplifter when he walked in the room. The LP employee issued me a criminal trespassing warrant telling me I can never enter or go onto the property of any Walmart, Sams Club and named about 4 other places. She told me I was not allowed to even send anyone in to pick up my layaway which were Christmas gifts. I had to send someone in to cancel them and get my money back.
The office took me outside to write me a ticket and while waiting on the backup office to arrive he explained that he has seen those registers just the night before not working. The other officer arrived and discussed whether to write the ticket or not. They ended up not writing the ticket and letting me go simply because they've seen this type of thing happen before. I wonder if they had tape of me that evening so they could see that I was scanning each item. They never offered to show me why I was suspected of theft. Should I contact the management or corporate office? I feel that since this has happened before with the self-scan registers, why did they treat me like a criminal.
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