When Customers Are Treated Like Thieves
September 24, 2005 – 10:59 pmI had a decidedly disturbing experience at Target today. I went in to pick up various toiletry items, a roll of duct tape, some packaging tape, and a pocket knife. First, I offer a little backstory. I went to a concert recently with Heather and Paul, about which I previously wrote. They performed a security sweep at the door, and my pocket knife was taken from me.
I am now in a position of wanting to replace the pocket knife, as I usually am about twice a year or so. Between security searches at airports, when reporting for jury duty, going to concerts, and other such events, my poor pocket knives don’t stay in my possession for too long. Fortunately they are all of nine dollars, so budgeting twenty bucks per year for pocket knives isn’t going to cause me to miss any meals.
Thus, I am at Target, looking for the pocket knife, the last item on my list. I quickly found the knives, but something is different this time. Every pocket knife is locked up. Even the nine dollar knives that I usually buy. A sign on the merchandise rack tells me to find a “team member”, and they will direct someone to come unlock the knife I wish to purchase. After searching a few minutes for such a team member, I then have to wait longer still for another team member with appropriate pocket knife clearance to come unlock the merchandise rack.
The inconvenience does not stop there. The first team member I found was then directed by the second team member to escort me to the register. One option they gave me was to have this team member follow me around as I finished my shopping; the second option was for them to follow me to the register to place the knife in safe-keeping while I finished the shopping on my own. Fortunately I was finished with my shopping at that point, so I only had to be escorted up to the register with a Target employee, walkie talkie in hand, making me look like I had just tried to shoplift something.
I understand the concept of high theft items. I have some idea of how much money each Target store probably eats annually in items that just disappear. But escorting the customer around the store and to the cash register to prevent them from stealing a nine dollar pocket knife? Give me a break. I have sixty bucks worth of shampoo and toothpaste in my hand basket, and it’s the nine dollar pocket knife that’s going to put me over the edge. What a joke.
One Response to “When Customers Are Treated Like Thieves”
Is this at the Target on Colorado near Lake or the one farther east on Colorado? Because I would swear that as of a couple days ago they had their pocket knives out in the open just like always.
Another pain-in-the-ass policy at Target is their policy on pseudoephedrine (aka Sudafed), which as you probably know is for treating nasal congestion. There is a drug, Claritin D, which is essentially Claritin (the actual chemical is loratadine) plus a lot of sudafed. This treats allergies (loratadine) and the resulting congestion (sudafed). And, if I don’t take one a day, the chances of me getting sinus infections skyrocket.
Now, there’s another thing that sudafed is used for. It’s used in the production of crystal meth. Thus, Target has removed all (or most) products containing pseudoephedrine from the shelves and made them items for which you have to talk to a pharmacist. So, if you get there after the pharmacy is closed, then you’re out of luck. That, plus a law-abiding, allergy-suffering citizen like me gets lumped in with all of the crystal meth-producing trash out there. It’s not like Target is the only store selling sudafed, or even the biggest store, so anyone wanting to make crystal meth simply has to go to Walmart or Wallgreens or their corner drug store. Essentially all this policy does is make it that much harder to get the drugs that I need. I’d go get the stuff somewhere else, but Target makes it so damn cheap.
By Adam on Sep 25, 2005 at 2:57 pm