I Think I Was Followed by Security at Target

[Anonymous]

I was doing some Christmas shopping at Target yesterday. While looking at items in the holiday candy/food aisle, I noticed there was a young man a few steps away from me rearranging items on a shelf. I spent a relatively long time in the aisle because I was buying candy items for multiple family members and because I was reading ingredient labels due to a family nut allergy. The young man stayed there the entire time and it seemed that he would knock items off a shelf and then put them back and rearrange them. He looked normal and didn't seem to have any mental health issues. After some time, I asked him if he could reach a bag of red and green chips for me from a high shelf. He looked startled but did get the chips and then scurried off. I then moved to the next holiday item aisle, and a woman showed up and started rearranging items on a shelf. The items looked perfectly fine to me, and she would just keep rearranging the same items that were already on the shelf.

Was I being followed by store security? The people were not reading ingredient labels, etc. and were just rearranging the same items over and over. I am a middle-aged woman, was dressed in a typical "mom" outfit of a sweater and jeans, don't have tattoos or piercings or hair dyed an unusual color, and wasn't carrying a large bag or anything suspicious. I am white, so it could not have been a case of racial profiling.

Am I being paranoid? The whole situation just felt strange.

[Anonymous]

🥱

[Anonymous]

Another one of these posts?!

If you notice security, you are doing something suspicious even if you don't mean to. Just do your shopping and get out and stop worrying about who is around you or watching you.

[Anonymous]

White suburban women are just as capable of stealing as any other demographic in the eyes of Target security.

[Anonymous]

I look like a thief. I’m followed all the time. I find it hilarious because I often see other people steal. Doesn’t bother me anymore.

[Anonymous]

Stop acting like a theif then Op. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Better yet, just order online and have it delivered. Target does same day delivery on $35+ orders, you are aware?

[Anonymous]

Geez, you all are mean.

[Anonymous]

Of course, white suburban women are just as capable of stealing. I googled what characteristics security workers usually look for when targeting shoplifters, and I didn’t fit any of the criteria. One security worker also wrote that he targets people who smell heavily of cigarette smoke, which I found interesting.

[Anonymous]

I've noticed some of these stores hire a lot of new security for the holidays. Some of them are not well trained and can be abrupt. I don't worry about it. I know they will be gone by Feb. at the latest.

[Anonymous]

They are novices practicing their surveillance on the non criminals because it's safer.

[Anonymous]

If they're having fun at your expense, OP, might as well have a little fun too. Figure out how to mess with them a bit, and go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was doing some Christmas shopping at Target yesterday. While looking at items in the holiday candy/food aisle, I noticed there was a young man a few steps away from me rearranging items on a shelf. I spent a relatively long time in the aisle because I was buying candy items for multiple family members and because I was reading ingredient labels due to a family nut allergy. The young man stayed there the entire time and it seemed that he would knock items off a shelf and then put them back and rearrange them. He looked normal and didn't seem to have any mental health issues. After some time, I asked him if he could reach a bag of red and green chips for me from a high shelf. He looked startled but did get the chips and then scurried off. I then moved to the next holiday item aisle, and a woman showed up and started rearranging items on a shelf. The items looked perfectly fine to me, and she would just keep rearranging the same items that were already on the shelf.

Was I being followed by store security? The people were not reading ingredient labels, etc. and were just rearranging the same items over and over. I am a middle-aged woman, was dressed in a typical "mom" outfit of a sweater and jeans, don't have tattoos or piercings or hair dyed an unusual color, and wasn't carrying a large bag or anything suspicious. I am white, so it could not have been a case of racial profiling.

Am I being paranoid? The whole situation just felt strange.

Yes, you were being watched by security either as a practice or as a real target.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t already know what candies are safe for your nut family? You were being weird spending a lot of time. If you weren’t stealing or planning to then shrug it off and let them do their jobs.

Allergy labels can and DO change all the time jacka$$. What was safe last Christmas might be cross contaminated this Christmas. Maybe OP was also just indecisive, which is not a crime.

Go pound sand.

We just had Halloween. OP was being weird, dingleberry. M&Ms don’t change. It’s the same damn candy every holiday.

No it isn't. If you got off your lazy ass to shop, you would know. DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t already know what candies are safe for your nut family? You were being weird spending a lot of time. If you weren’t stealing or planning to then shrug it off and let them do their jobs.

Allergy labels can and DO change all the time jacka$$. What was safe last Christmas might be cross contaminated this Christmas. Maybe OP was also just indecisive, which is not a crime.

Go pound sand.

We just had Halloween. OP was being weird, dingleberry. M&Ms don’t change. It’s the same damn candy every holiday.

No it isn't. If you got off your lazy ass to shop, you would know. DP

To shop for candy? Lol. If this is so normal loss prevention wouldn’t be all over it?

[Anonymous]

Who knows, but whenever you feel uncomfortable in a situation, it's a good idea to leave.