They know when you’ve been bad or good!
Social media users were left torn after Target’s Asset Protection team was captured tracking down an alleged thief on a walkie-talkie during the holiday shopping rush.
During the viral TikTok video, a man, sat outside of the retailer’s building, listened in on Asset Protection’s radio channel as they discussed a customer, believed to be suspected of shoplifting goods, through the store.
Over the radio, a Target worker claimed they had an associate by the woman’s cart before they started naming items the woman had in her cart, including diapers, burgundy pants and kitchen appliances.
They then noticed the suspect seeming more and more suspicious.
“Look up her previous incidents and see how hard she would go if you can,” the team member said over the walkie-talkie after eyeing the shopper acting strange.
The suspected shoplifter had a history of stealing from the store, workers claimed in the video.
Neither the particular Target store nor its location were revealed in the video.
“I’m going to attempt to regain visual. I don’t want to get close because I know she already saw me in boys,” one team member said as he hunted her down before the video ended.
The video, which has amassed over 2.5 million views since being posted on Wednesday, captured the attention of disturbed customers and left many viewers concerned they may be being followed when shopping at one of America’s largest retail chains.
“This is creepy. I hate shopping at Target now. It didn’t used to feel this way, but I can tell who is obviously with LP now and who is spying,” one user commented.
“This explains the debilitating pressure I feel to put things back where I got them even if I change my mind on the other side of the store,” wrote another.
“Well. I’m not shopping in target anymore lol,” one user shared.
“I have thyroid issues and I’m always sweating and looking like I’m having a meltdown. I’ve always wondered if they think I’m stealing,” another shared.
While many were concerned about being watched, others found the lighter side of the situation, with most saying they’ve been targeted before because of how they shop.
“Me who’s never shoplifted a day in my life, but am always paranoid, when I have no clue what I want and wandering aimlessly, that LP is watching me,” one TikToker commented.
“I’ve probably been watched bc i zig zag back to every aisle and put stuff back where it doesn’t belong and then do one more lap around before I check out and I’m always anxious,” another user shared.
“No wonder why asset protection was eyeing me down when I couldn’t decide whether or not I need to try the elf grip primer or the putty one,” one user wrote of their experience.
Target said it expects shoplifting will continue to be a “significant financial headwind” despite the big discounter’s recent move to shutter locations popular with pillagers.
“We think progress there probably doesn’t happen quickly,” chief financial officer Michael Fiddelke said back in November during an earnings call with Wall Street analysts.
New York City has led the US with the sharpest increase in the number of reported shoplifting incidents since before the pandemic, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.
The Big Apple saw a 64% increase in reported incidents of retail theft between mid-2019 and June 2023, while Los Angeles experienced a 61% surge in the same metric.