I set one off at one store and kept going. A kid comes running out behind me yelling Sir I must look at your bags. I said I have a receipt in hand for all items in this bag. He said you must let me look. I asked him do you have a witness or have me on camera stealing anything? He said no. I said well then if you don't then your not searching me then as the items are now my personal property. I then said now if you have proof of me stealing then you better call the police right now otherwise I'm leaving.
I got in the car and he stepped aside and was writing something down. I rolled down the window and asked what are you doing now. He said writing down your plate number and calling the police. I said and just what will you tell them? I didn't show you a receipt? I imagine the police told him what I did.
There is no state or local laws where I live that say I must do so. In my state unless there is a sign stating all items subject to search they can not legally search you at will or random without proof of theft. The anti-theft devices at doors are not by any means proof. Anything can set them off including a tag embedded in clothing you bought elsewhere, a cell phone, even a CB radio out in the parking lot, etc.
One of the funniest things I saw happened a long time ago. A rent-a-cop at a K-mart stapled a tag into a guys motorcycle helmet strap as he was entering the store. The guy said OK now call your manager. The manager came and the man said you can now buy me a new helmet for stapling {damaging} the straps on mine. The manager had to oblige him.
The helmet thing was sad. What was the K-Mart guy thinking? “I think I’ll tear into the fabric that holds this helmet on to protect this rider’s head.”
Those stickers when you come in do make me mad. If they demand to put one on one of my possessions as I’m entering a store, I just walk right out and go to different one. Those things don’t come off easily. They’re usually good about it, but a long time ago they wanted to put a sticker on a very beat-up portable cassette player I had (seriously, this thing had been through countless field exercises and a war, and it looked like it). Common sense ain’t so common.