Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in California

Re: Unlawful Detainment

Normally when you purchase goods from a store, they are yours; and the store does not have the right to detain you. The practice of some stores of checking receipts has been challenged as false imprisonment (and has led to interesting confrontations and even arrests; read consumerist.com for entries on this subject). Note that people who join "membership" stores such as Sam's Club or Costco sign an agreement which gives the stores the right to stop patrons and check their receipts. In my opinion, with the exceptions noted above, you have every right to exit the store with your goods without stopping. If you are detained in any way, I would love to hear from you.