I've never seen this happen at any store I shop at. Hopefully it doesn't start up any time soon at the stores I frequent, and I've made a mental note to never shop at Best Buy now.

I have actually had one of the bag searches at fry's electronics catch an error (that would have cost me more money)

sometimes I'll just walk by them, sometimes I'll stop, depends on the day.

My time is valuable, if it's going to get me out of the store quicker... then I honestly don't care.

Any one of you pull that "no don't check my bag" crap when you are leaving a store before front of me, you wil have to deal with my wrath for holding me up... :D

Not to worry, from experience, while they are busy harassing my wife and I, you could walk out of the store with a cash register under your arm.

it doesn't bother me. i've got nothing to hide.

As I understand it, your only "contract" at stores like Best Buy is at the point of sale, where you put down your money and they hand you your merchandise.

At that point, they may choose to make it a provision of sale to search your bags, but if it isn't explicitely agreed to by both parties, then you never agreed to it.

They can of course refuse to let you shop at the store in the future, but I doubt that has ever happened.

It's bullshit. I've never submitted to such a thing.

Same thing happened to me at Best Buy, the day before I left for my vacation (2 weeks ago). Guy stopped me and asked if he could check the receipt. I said, "no, i've checked it, it's correct", knowing exactly what he meant. He asked again if he could see the bag and the receipt, being a total dick about it. I asked for his manager. He asked why, and I explained that he was about to get a lesson in how not to handle people who refuse bag searches. He said I could go, and I again demanded he get his manager. He finally budged and the manager came over. I explained what happened. The manager was peaved at me because i wouldn't just surrender. He told me I was still in the store, and I told him that he had no cause, no evidence, no witnesses to any wrongdoing. I told him that I had plenty of time and the number to the local police station, since I used to work right near there. I told him i'd call them right up, and he could be put in his place by a cop for trying to detain me.

He told me to go, and I obliged.

Thankfully, this is not a store location I will ever need to shop at- it was the one near where I worked at a cell phone store for 1 month, about 45 minutes from my house. No reason to go to that Best Buy again anyway, if it turns out i'm banned. lol

I didnt realize you could say no also. I still dont have the balls to do it though.

With all of the greatest respect for you, lurkette (and fear of ratbastid), I don't see the little things as being connected to Civil Rights violations. I know that it appears that way in print, but common sense tells me that I'm not sliding toward totalitarianism from Best Buy.

I think it's possible and quite common to experience little annoyances without them being synonymous with infringement.

Beautifully expressed. Put me down for that, too.

What do they do if they find an item in the bag that isn't on the receipt? They have no proof that you didn't have it with you when you entered, do they? Or do you have to empty your pockets before entering?

Overall, it does seem rather silly. I don't believe I've ever been asked. I rarely carry a bag around with me in any case, so what would they search, my underwear? =p

People who have shoplifted should not complain about being searched by stores. Glass houses and stones and all.

Our Best Buy isn't strict about it. Half the time they don't bother to look. When they do it's done in a tone of "Did they ring everything up right for you?" They look at the prices and quantities to make sure we got what we were charged for. The rest of the time they hardly look at you. I have not bothered with a bag at times with just one item and just held the reciept againt the flat side of the item and waved it at them like I'm waving goodbye. I just walk on and they don't ask to look closer.

Now that I think about it - Most of the time I'm with hubby who used to work their security (called something like quality control) and half the guys still working there know him at least by face. Maybe they don't ask cause of that. I never thought about it. It would all depend on if I was in a hurry or not and how many items I had. Do I want to wait while they check it all or not.

Yeah, I usually just let them look at my bag (because the look so hard...) but occasionally, usually when I'm in a bad mood or rush, I just walk past. Like StanT, everytime they've offered to detain me, I've offered to call the police for them. I don't have anything to hide, but there's no reason I should be forced to show them. If they feel the need to tell me that I'm not allowed to shop there anymore, whoopdie-freaking-do; there're three more stores within a block of here that sell the exact same things. So far however, there's not been a single time where that's happened.

I'd love to refuse one of these searches, unfortunately, I'm not sure what even being involved in one of these fiasco's would do to my CCW permit... :(

So, if I do do this, and they refuse to let me leave the store, I call the cops and tell them what?
I am being unlawfully detained?

no wonder the rest of the world laughs at america. It's a simple farking bag search and you people wanna go all constitutional on them and make a stand about your rights as an american citizen. Wow the kids of the future are gonna look back and admire their hero Joe sixpack who decided to take a stand against those bag searches by makign a scene outside the local retail outlet. A real American hero.

It's indicative of a greater social attitude and mindset. Namely, to be perfectly blunt, no one gives a shit about being free anymore or what it entails. It's no wonder to me so many people could care less about the PATRIOT Act, or will blindly shop at Wal-Mart because they have "always low prices" - nevermind that it's also the very reason those same people are losing jobs left and right.

The fact is, what was said earlier is entirely true: freedom is like a muscle. It must be regularly exercised and asserted or else it will atrophy. And it may have already atrophied for the country as a whole, but I will hold on to every last bit of freedom that I can while I can. Freedom from corporations who would like to treat me like a criminal (while most others take it up the ass and thank them afterwards like they deserve it, all in the name of "low prices") and freedom from government officials who would like to treat me like a criminal as well (DMCA, PATRIOT Act - while an equally large number of people accept it and even thank them for taking away their freedoms "to keep them safe")

As for ziadel, I doubt any of them would actually contact the police. If they did, simply explain that the bag, it's items, and all other things on your person are your private property and, unless they have reasonable cause to suspect you of theft, they do not have the right to search and seizure any more than the police officer does. Tell them you will gladly leave the premises with your things, but will not submit to a search without a reasonable cause.

Really though, I *highly* doubt it would ever reach that point. Like an earlier poster said though, be sure to check the local laws regarding it too. I can't imagine many places would have any that would require you to submit to a search (and if they do, it's unconstitutional), but I wouldn't be surprised if I found out some places did.

The "rest of the world" is quite welcome to laugh. As citizens of the United States, we are largely here because our ancestors disagreed with yours about how things should be done. I see no reason to be concerned about a similar difference of opinion a few generations later. ;)

I don't find myself overly concerned with the opinion of the "kids of the future", although they will inherit the rights that we defend for them today. Countless people have sacrificed and died for my country to ensure that I had the rights I enjoy as a US citizen. I think that refusing to stand up for those rights would be a poor way to commemorate their efforts.

The issue at hand here may be small, but all big things usually start out small. Assuming that things will never get any worse and trusting to blind faith just isn't in my nature. The great thing about living in the US, is that the laws are determined by the concensus of the people. If enough folks disagree with my viewpoint then I'll find myself legally constrained to accept such indignities. Unless that happens though, I'll continue to find myself protesting in good company.

I have to say that I didn't ever think to refuse. I certainly don't agree with the logic in "Why bother if you have nothing to hide." Im not sure I've ever actually been searched, though I have certainly blown through a few. I don't think I'd have the juevos to refuse, frankly.

I think a relevant statement can be seen from former President James Madison:

I am inclined to agree with this, and interpret "those in power" not simply to mean those in governmental power, but those in elite power as well.

Is there a difference?

/cynicism

"Not submitting to a bag search = stealing" is the same line of thought as "asserting you're 5th amendment right = guilty". For some reason, people believe that others only assert their rights if they are trying to get away with something. Where did this mindset come from?

some stores do nothing. we have searches like this at a few local stores (walmart being one of them). sometimes i submit, sometimes i just ignore them--really just depends on how much of a hurry i'm in.

i do know that i once walked out of walmart without paying for a bottle of coke i was drinking while shopping. i noticed when i got to my car and went back in to pay for it. when i went up to the register and explained to the cashier that i hadn't realized i didn't pay for it (i was holding it while she rang up my purchases) and she told me she didn't ask about it because it was likely i had brought it into the store with me. so if you walk out with one, they won't stop you because they can't assume you stole it. now i can't imagine that would work if you walked out with a tv or something...but apparently drinks and snack food items are things you very well may have brought with you so they don't bother trying to prove otherwise.

I was reminded of this thread by a conversation I had over lunch. The other person, who is from out of town, basically had the same idea as a lot of the previous posters: that this is basically unconstitutional.

He was stopped at his local WalMart and asked to open his bag. Knowing he hadn't stolen anything, he asked why they were stopping him. When they told him it was "store policy", he told them that it was illegal policy and tried to walk away. When the clerk grabbed him (which was really the mistake here), he calmly told the clerk that he was calling the police to report being assaulted and illegally detained. The manager showed up as he was talking with the police and physically tried to take the phone away from him, apologizing as he did it.

It turns out that WalMart corporate knows that this is illegal and tells the managers that they're on their own if they decide to pursue this course of action. And that having the store sued won't reflect well on the managers' future employment. When the police showed up, my acquaintance told them it was all a big misunderstanding, but not before he told the manager that if it ever happened again, he'd press charges.

He was quite impressed with himself.

If I'm in a rush I'll tell the dude to go fuck himself, most of the time I only shop on weekends where I have the whole day to myself and I don't really care.

Turns outs they can search my bag all the want. They're unlikely to find all the SD cards and DVDs I just stuffed into my fat rolls.

...

Just kidding, I don't mind submitting to their loss prevention bullshit once in a while, but if I gotta move... I ignore them.

They don't have the power of The Man behind them, so it's a game where they pretend they have some ability to do such.

Pfft, I'd call my lawyer. They'd be paying for grad school. Outta state.

I'd be pissed if I was the cop who had to leave something important to deal with that situation, Jazz.

I have only dealt with bag searches when I'm walking in and out of public museums, airports, and the like - never retail establishments. There was one place I shopped regularly where there was a security officer stationed by the door, staring everyone down. Maybe they just don't ask to look in my bag.

I was going through this thread in utter bewilderment hoping to find a post that would mirror my feelings on this and this is it.

Jesus F Christ, I never understood the whole anti-authority position. Okay, the checkout guys aren't real authority, but why start shit over something that takes less than a quarter of a minute? Bah. If you're bored an looking for an argument, hit a cop car.

Here's the thing though, the cowards want an argument that looks big enough that they can win. If they were to ... say, hit a cop car, they wouldn't win.

If my shit is all bagged up, I ain't stopping for a check. If I have a big ass box with no bag around it, I'll show my receipt. There's not any store around here that bothers checking receipts though. I sure as hell wouldn't go to Best Buy anyway. Anything in that store can be bought cheaper on the net.

Touch my bag motherfucker and you might not live long enough to regret it.

I don't personally care if they search my bags. I have nothing to hide.