An angry shopper has slammed the retailer for selling everyday products behind lock and key.
The shopper sharply criticized Target after the retailer began placing its items behind plexiglass due to rising crime.
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“@Target used to be my favorite place. Now it’s awful,” they tweeted.
“Half the store is locked, there aren’t enough employees to open it when you need something, and the prices are twice what they used to be. Almost everything I used to buy there I now get from Amazon.”
The company is taking new measures to combat organized shoplifting, which it says is a growing problem.
In September, nine Target stores had to close after numerous thefts.
“We cannot continue to operate these stores because theft and organized retail crime threaten the safety of our team and guests and contribute to unsustainable business development,” Target said in a press release at the time.
Consumers reported that many of their essential shopping items are currently locked away behind plexiglass.
Shoppers know that expensive items like televisions and other electronics should be locked away to prevent shoplifting.
However, retailers are now moving towards locking up everyday items.
Several Target shoppers noticed that baby formula, socks and even underwear were out of reach.
Customers have to wait for employees to unlock their items, which unnecessarily lengthens the shopping experience for many consumers.
But as these new measures have been rolled out across stores nationwide, customers are finding it difficult to adjust, with some frustrated customers even considering shopping elsewhere.
Another X user said that he used to enjoy browsing the shelves at Target, but no longer does.
Over 25% of consumers surveyed by Coresight Research said they would only consider shopping online if their local stores continued to sell out of items.
One consumer claimed that her shopping trip to Target now takes over an hour and is no longer “fun.”
Latest changes to self-checkout
Retailers are developing their self-checkout strategies to shorten checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart customers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at several locations were made available only to Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that the self-checkout lanes were closed at certain times and more cashiers were offered instead.
While customers feared that shoplifting was the reason for the changes, a Walmart spokesperson said store managers were simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment involved an RFID-supported self-checkout kiosk that was intended to eliminate the hotly contested receipt check.
However, this test run was discontinued.
At Target, the number of items at self-checkout lanes is limited.
Last fall, the brand tested new express self-checkout lanes with a maximum of 10 items in 200 stores to increase convenience.
Starting in March 2024, this policy will be expanded to 2,000 stores in the United States.
Customers have also noticed that their local Walmart stores are limiting the number of customers at self-checkout lanes to 15 items or less.
Despite this outcry from Target customers over frustrating anti-theft measures, Target CEO Brian Cornell said shoppers are grateful that their staples are in stock.
“In fact, we get a huge thank you from guests because we stock the brands they need when they shop in our stores,” Cornell told CNBC.
Although Target attempted to take additional security precautions, such as increasing security guards and hiring outside security guards, these measures were not enough to deter thieves.
Other major retailers, such as Walmart, are also locking away their merchandise in response to increasing thefts at checkouts.
Meanwhile, an angry customer has sharply criticized Walmart for refusing to pay.
And Target customers were furious over the design of a viral water bottle.
