Dr. Emily Long (@dr.ems) posted a viral TikTok that’s garnered over 1.1 million views on the popular social media app after declaring that the “era of the Target run” to be “officially over,” because of extreme security measures implemented in her local store.
Long noticed that there was something strange about the types of items being locked up in her store: they were “essential” products like lower-priced toiletries. This led to some speculation in the comments section about retailers’ attempts at pushing shoppers to conduct more of their shopping online, by making it inconvenient for them to get necessary, lower-margin offerings in person.
@dr.ems It literally felt like @target doesn’t even want us to shop there anymore #targetrun #dystopia #endstagecapitalism ♬ original sound – Emily Long, MD
“The era of the Target run is officially over because tell me why it just took me an entire hour for this,” Long said as she held up a mid-size Target bag of goods. “…I’ll tell you why, it’s because they’re essential, and apparently, Target now locks away all essential items. So while you could get like $40 La Roche-Posay or makeup that was sitting out, my $8 body wash was locked away as was my deodorant and my husband’s body wash and his razors and the basic things that I went to Target to get.”
The clip then transitions to her recording the interior of the Target store she visited. She showed shelves of locked items behind glass— many of them basic toiletries.
“Behold the dystopian nightmare that is my Target now, look at it,” she said. “And I, like many other former Target lovers, was planning on perusing the fall items maybe sniffing a candle or two, maybe buying one I didn’t need, but I was literally fighting for my life in that store. I was so desperate to get out of there, and then I finally get to the end, there’s a giant line.”
She’s not the first person to complain about long queues at checkout — one long line made national headlines back in 2019 due to a tech outage, but there are Target lovers who’ve shared their “hacks” for getting past the notoriously long lines that are known to accrue at some of the chain’s locations.
Long continues her TikTok, explaining the reasoning behind the massive line.
“Oh and to top it off my Halloween section didn’t even have a Lewis,” she said, referencing showing off a popular Jack-o’-lantern decoration.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Target and Long via email for further comment.
Viewers who commented on Long’s video seemed to commiserate with her shopping experience when it comes to perusing items locked behind glass doors: “I don’t even understand because once it’s unlocked and given to customer they can still try to steal it? Am I not getting something? Lol,” user Paigey (@stripedtshirts) wrote.
Another user, @sha.nah.nah, said that they had the same issue when shopping for laundry detergent: “Waited 20 [minutes] for the laundry detergent cabinet to be unlocked. Left the detergent in the cart in the middle of the aisle on principal.”
Target isn’t the only retailer where shoppers are complaining about locked-up items ruining their shopping experience. One Walmart customer went viral after they posted about the chain putting its steaks under lock and key, and another said that they ultimately left the store without purchasing the $4 battery they wanted because it was under lock and key, and it took too long to get an associate’s help.
