A TARGET shopper has been left furious at how a supposedly quick trip turned into an ordeal that lasted an hour.
The customer was furious at how much time he spent standing in the aisles.
In recent years, Target has been among the retailers that have been locking up items.
The move is just one measure the chain has taken to try and mitigate the impact of theft.
But it is a policy that has left shoppers hugely frustrated.
Jobie Battle, a realtor, branded the measure a “big inconvenience,” according to an X post.
He scoffed at the retailer, claiming that all items were now under lock and key.
And he was less than impressed at how the measure had impacted his shopping trip.
“Now my quick little trip to Target has now turned into 1 hour because 50 of those minutes I’m waiting for an employee to come open up the locked cases,” he said.
Jobie is just one customer who has lashed out at the retailer over the locked cases.
Shoppers have been less than thrilled when they noticed healthcare products had seemingly been locked away.
Meaghan Halligan of California revealed that shopping at Target used to be her favorite hobby, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
But that was before company chiefs started locking items in cases.
Halligan claimed the policy “destroyed” the shopping experience and revealed she’s turned to alternative methods.
“You might as well just go online,” she said.
Surveys have revealed that locked cases are not a popular measure.
Anti-theft measures rolled out by retailers
Retailers across the US and Canada have rolled out strategies designed to combat theft. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of measures that have been implemented at stores.
- Locking items in cabinets
- Security pegs
- Security cameras
- Signs warning about the impact of theft
- Receipt scanners
- Receipt checks
- Carts with locking technology
Data from Consumer World reveal that only 32% of shoppers ask a staffer to unlock a case.
And over half of shoppers admit that they would try to buy the item elsewhere.
More than one in ten admitted they will try to find a different item that is not locked up.
“Most shoppers don’t want to be bothered flagging down a store clerk when a product they want to buy is locked up,” Edgar Dworsky, the founder of Consumer World, explained.
Experts have warned about the risks of using anti-theft strategies, like locking items away.
Joe Budano, the CEO of Indyme, warned that there is a risk that friction could increase between 15 and 25%, as reported by Forbes.
Despite polling data and analyst warnings, Target CEO Brian Cornell doubled down on the policy.
In November 2023, he caused a stir by suggesting that customers welcomed the policy.
He told CNBC shoppers welcomed the fact that certain products were in stores.
However, Cornell has since revealed that he hopes the chain will be able to remove locked cases from stores.
“To be clear, we do not like locking up product, but we like running stores, and we want to keep our stores open,” he told Yahoo Finance.
His remarks came a year after the company closed nine stores across the US due to theft.
