The war on shoplifting that stores claim is rampant has opened a new front with Target joining retailers like CVS and Walmart in locking up entire aisles of merchandise.
The new precautions mean customers have to wait for an associate to unlock the items they want, but one TikToker is asking the company’s new measures kill off the the good vibes that make it so popular.
@laurenmoneto Have y’all been to @target lately? Are the vibes ruined? Spoke with an employee and their plans are to roll this new look out across the nation. Is your Target changed already? In an effort to combat theft they’ve added locked cabinets to aisles and increased self check out? If you need something from one of the locked aisles you have to press a button and wait for someone to show up. Gone are the days where I’m reading the back of every product. Drop your comments down below. I’ve been debating this with everyone all weekend 🤣
♬ original sound – Lauren Monet
Lauren Monet (@laurenmoneto), a lifestyle and fashion creative, posted a video to TikTok showing the new locking cabinets at her local Target. As of this article’s publication, it has over 553,000 views.
In the caption of the short clip, she asks her viewers, “Have y’all been to @target lately? Are the vibes ruined?”
Lauren also writes, “In an effort to combat theft they’ve added locked cabinets to aisles and increased self check out? If you need something from one of the locked aisles you have to press a button and wait for someone to show up.”
Viewers had a lot to say about the new system of locking away products at Target and other retail stores.
One viewer pointed out the irony of having fewer employees at the registers and more to unlock the cabinets, writing, “I have to ask someone to get the goods for me but I have to scan everything myself at checkout.”
Many people also commented that asking an associate to pick up a hygiene item rather than grabbing it themselves made them uncomfortable.
One user wrote about Target’s locked items, “I’m so upset lol, as an introvert and someone who likes to read labels and compare products there’s no way.”
Another echoed, “This would make my shopping anxiety so much worse having to wait for someone to unlock each item I want.”
“It was so awkward when I wanted to smell a body wash before deciding which to get,” a third viewer added.
Retail stores like Target claim there is a wave of retail theft and blame security upgrades, like locked up products, on the increased stealing. But many researchers say the stores’ own numbers don’t add up to support this theory.
Ironically, according to CNN Business, “Fewer workers in the store may have increased profits for store chains, but [leave] them without enough personnel to deter shoplifting.”
As things stand, it may be that shoppers will find themselves having to accept these measures as the new normal. As Monet notes in the video’s caption, “Gone are the days where I’m reading the back of every product.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Monet via TikTok comment and Target via email for a statement.
