Can I ask to see the security cameras at Walmart or other retail stores?
You can ask but the store will say no. Stores don't want anyone (including hourly employees) to know the full extent of their camera coverage.Walmart will review video upon request if a customer loses something or thinks they've been ripped off. Walmart also shares video with any and all law enforcement agencies upon request.In your circumstance, most store managers will allow their asset protection associates to review security video (with the time, date, and location information you provided) to try to help I've done it myself hundreds of times.
Is it illegal to take pictures in stores?
I had heard this before and thought it was store policy but not an actual law. I asked a friend of mine who was GM of a large department store and he confirmed that it WAS, in fact, against the law to photograph displays and products in retail stores. Apparently the laws being broken have to do with protecting trade secrets. Although it may seem all the same to us, how each store labels its product, places it within the store and displays it all falls under the category of "merchandising." My friend equated it to going into a musician's studio and taking pictures of his unpublished sheet music....although you are not physically "stealing" anything, you are copying his work. That said, a person isn't likely to be prosecuted unless they actually sell their information to a rival company. You might be asked to leave the store or to delete the pictures from your camera/phone if you do it without asking anyone. You could ask for permission, but they might also say "no." If you're looking for ideas, I'd just ask for a catalog.
Why do many retail stores not allow people to take pictures inside?
Why do many retail stores not allow people to take pictures inside?Traditionally this had to do with competitor research and intelligence and was a means of restricting said competitors from monitoring, analysing and the environment, processes; customer journey, in-store theatre, material choice, footfall, staff engagement, and knowledge, etc., etc. It was all part of a covert form of qualitative/quantitive research whether aimed at a brand or retail target.Technically in the UK, the store's security staff could NOT either confiscate the camera device or remove any film/files, and their only course of action was to ask that you leave the premises and if you failed to obey, have you escorted on the grounds of trespass. This normally resulted in people stood just outside the door of the store trying to take photos inside, whilst the security jumped up and down to stop them (yes, such things did happen).Due to the advent and success of phones with excellent photographic qualities, together with a culture shift in the use of photography and social media, instore photography is today seen less of an issue. In some sense, it can be viewed as beneficial to the store particularly where deferred purchases are concerned, and at the same time a practical impossibility to prevent.This subject is of course viewed differently by both specific channel and country. In certain countries, there are legal restrictions based around personal privacy.A proud member of the British Chapter of the Gigi J Wolf Bottom Writers™ Guild
Is it illegal to keep buying and returning stuff to retail stores?
It depends on the return policy of the store. Fraud is a crime, but if the policy is generous enough to permit what your older brother is doing, he's in the clear. Essentially, it's not fraudulent to circumvent the spirit of the return policy, so long as there's nothing expressly prohibiting frequent returns or returns without a legitimate reason. I once returned a PS3 to Walmart, after having played with it for nearly the entire refund window. They asked me what was wrong with it, and I told them "Nothing, I just don't want it anymore." The return proceeded without incident. At a store like Walmart, they are aware that this happens, but it is a trade-off in terms of customer satisfaction. Like coupons, the few who take advantage of them are not enough to significantly impact the bottom line.
Is it illegal to put cameras in bathrooms?
In the U.S. there is a legally defined “expectation of privacy" that prohibits photographing/filming people without their consent in locations where they might partially or completely disrob . Bathrooms, bedrooms, changing rooms, locker rooms are all examples of places people are expected to disrobe.The installation of a camera in these locations, even if never used, is still illegal under the assumption that you intended to use it illegally.As for bathrooms, outside the stalls is a gray area. I don't think you are going to get a consensus from people on whether partial disrobing might happen. So you are gambling on what judge and jury you'll get. Because clearly is is close enough, if caught, to deserve a trial.
Is it illegal to film inside a public store?
It is best to ask the manager depending on what the video will be I was making a Student Body office campaign video and went into Target and an employee told me to get out when he saw our equipment. I asked to talk to the manager and was able to do the video! So if your video is not profitable and not offensive then you should be allowed to do it if you talk to the manager!
Can I legally eat something in a grocery store if I haven't paid for it yet?
It’s illegal. In every state, they don’t even have to wait for you to pass the last point of purchase. All the police need is your behavior to indicate that you’re taking that which you haven’t paid for. Whether you consume it now and pay for it up front or stick the Snickers in your pocket, eat it tonight and return to pay for it tomorrow, you’re taking that which doesn’t belong to you.Stillllllll, I mean, come on, right?I do this all the time. I am forever grabbing a soda at Publix, drinking it during the shopping trip and then putting the bottle on the counter. I have a long history of spending substantial sums of money at that store and it’s not like I was stuffing the bottle in my purse (sorry … I mean “murse”). It gets paid for.Most companies will not stop you until you actually march past the last point of purchase (the checkout counter). As a practical matter, they won’t ever bust someone who takes a bite out of a piece of fruit, even if you don’t pay for it. The whole matter of stopping shoplifters is quite contentious inside of corporate management and a lot of companies believe that LP is a waste of time.But, all that said, you should pay for it first.
Legally, if a stolen credit card is used at a store can you demand the surveillance camera footage?
To the best of my knowledge, it may or may not be a law, depending on which state you reside with. You need to contact your state's Dept. of Consumer Affairs to see if state law mandates that they check identification. However, every credit card company does have a policy that merchants are suppose to check the customers identification when making a credit card purchase. If they had not checked for identification, then they're liable in a civil court for violating the credit card companies' policies. Sounds like this merchant wants to make a sale at any cost, even if its a stolen credit card. You can sue in small claims court (to keep the lawyers out of this) on grounds that the merchant failed to abide by the terms of the credit card company that he was suppose to check for identification. Get document proof of this by contacting your credit card company and getting their merchants' policy on how to process credit card sale. You may try to argue that his failure to cooperate is aiding the thief in his operation, which makes him an accessory to the theft of all the personal belongings. A legal trick to pressure him to release the video is to throw in "punitive damage." Say you lost $500 in stolen property (your actual damage), which you'll prove by showing all your pass receipts, or receipts of everything you've spent to replace these stolen items. If the small claims court has a maximum of $3,000 claim, you'll now throw in $2,500 in punitive damage. The merchant will be pressured to fully cooperate with you, or he will risk having the judge give you some or all of your damage claim. If you can afford an attorney, then you can claim a bigger damage and file a civil lawsuit, because the merchant had failed in his duty to deal in good faith with the general public. He has a moral and legal duty to abide by the credit card companies policy to check identifications, which he had violated. You should also consider filing a formal complaint with the credit card company to have this merchant's credit card privilege suspended, or at least amend his contractual terms so that he's paying a higher interest rate commission, because he's proved himself to be a high-risk merchant who accepts stolen credit cards.