Black Target shopper accused of shoplifting

A Target shopper took to TikTok to vent after she said an employee allegedly followed her from aisle to aisle as she shopped. In a video that has been viewed more than 200,000 times, user @lastarnr says that a regular visit to the store turned into an awkward interaction with a staff member who made her feel like a thief.

“Why was I accused of stealing Target today?” the Columbus, Ohio user asks her audience.

@lastarnr It was more passive aggressive swearing at me🫢#storytime #fy ♬ Original sound – Starchild

The shopper, a black woman, claims a Target employee followed her from a cosmetics aisle to the store’s grocery aisle and finally to the self-checkout just to make sure she paid for all of her items.

“But when I’m on the grocery aisle, it’s the same lady who follows me,” she recalled. “And I’m like brothers, I know she doesn’t follow me.”

While attempting to deposit her money at the self-service checkout, the same clerk appeared to inquire about an item she believed he had picked up at the cosmetics department.

“Did you find the hair oil you were looking for?” the clerk asked the woman.

At this point, the TikToker was certain that she was being unfairly assaulted by the woman.

“If you want to see my receipt, you can definitely take a look because everything I’ve bought is on my receipt,” she said.

Many users in the comments section were able to relate to the woman’s ordeal and some even suggested new ways to deal with the uncomfortable situation.

“I turn it around and follow them,” wrote @Fefe_Delgado.

“I would have asked her if she could help me carry my stuff to the car since she’s following me anyway,” commented user @wintermiranda22.

“That’s what they did to me at Target. Followed me everywhere,” wrote another user. “I walked out and never came back.”

This isn’t the first time Target has made headlines after accusing a buyer of theft. A customer created a viral TikTok after saying a Target employee rescanned all of her items before she was allowed out of the store, an action she felt was unnecessarily intrusive and racially motivated.

However, Target isn’t the only store that sometimes makes mistakes when it comes to keeping shoplifters at bay. Another TikTok creator’s harrowing encounter with law enforcement after a Coach employee falsely accused him of stealing a wallet also garnered millions of views on the platform and earned him a much-needed apology from the brand.

The Daily Dot contacted the TikTok user and Target via email, but received no response prior to publication.