2 weeks Ago By Jacob Willeford
A TARGET shopper has been left furious after a recent trip to the store left them waiting to checkout. They blasted their local store , claiming staff wouldn't help with the purchase. Not only that, but the shopper said they'd also pressed a button to notify any employees in their Target that they were ready to pay for their merchandise and leave.
"@Target been waiting for 15 minutes ask 3 people for help use the ready to buy button nothing!" the customer, Jay, wrote in a post to X on New Year's Eve. Included was a clip of the electronics area of the Target, where Jay was seemingly waiting to get assistance from staff. Target quickly responded and apologized for the situation.
Read More on Target "We're sorry to hear that you have not been assisted by a team member at one of our locations," the retail giant replied . "Please DM us with the store location and more about your experience, so we can share that feedback with the store leadership." It's unclear if the incident was ever resolved, and The U.
S. Sun has contacted Target for comment. It wouldn't be the first time Target customers have complained over long wait times in-store over the past few months.
Most read in Money LOCKED AWAY Several have specifically criticized Target's anti-theft security measure of locking some merchandise behind glass at select locations. Target implemented the feature after increased theft rates in recent years and even closed nine of its now 1,963 stores in 2023 due to safety concerns and rampant stealing. While the locked cabinets are effective in preventing theft, some law-abiding customers have cried out over having to wait for employees to come and unlock cabinets for some essential items.
A mother in California, Mary, claimed last month that she was unable to get cold medicine for her sick daughter and had to wait "nearly 15 minutes" to get it, per an X post. While she waited, Mary also tried to get some other items like laundry detergent but couldn't "because they were all locked up too." Mary threatened to boycott Target over the incident, saying she'd buy from Amazon instead to avoid the waits.
Target has implemented multiple anti-theft measures to combat crime in the store. The retail giant has placed some items behind locked cases , which has resulted in customer backlash. In April 2024, reports surfaced that it is planning to add TruScan cameras to its self-checkout registers.
Target also added weight sensors to its self-checkout registers in another move to combat theft. NOT THE SAME Similarly, another customer named Jen said she'd "go elsewhere" for her purchases after waiting over 10 minutes for items locked behind glass at her nearest Target store. A third shopper, Kristen, called the merchandise locked behind glass "utter insanity" and said that the shopping experience was slowly becoming "dystopian" as a result.
She also said she opted for Amazon for most purchases now that she used to get at Target. While anti-theft glass cabinets can protect merchandise from being stolen, several retail experts have confirmed that there can also be a negative impact on sales . Joe Budano, CEO of anti-theft tech company Indyme, noted that sales could decrease by as much as 25% for retailers who use the measure, per Axios .
Retail analyst Neil Saunders also warned of shoppers turning to e-commerce for everything instead of brick-and-mortar due to the changes. "Locking up products worsens the shopping experience, and it makes things inconvenient and difficult," Saunders noted. Read More on The US Sun Some customers recently went as far as to claim the in-store shopping experience at Target was "destroyed" because of the locked cabinets.
One of the longest alleged wait times by a Target customer to get their merchandise unlocked was around 50 minutes ..
