Target shoppers fear they’ll be ‘patted down at checkout’ as customers notice worrying new security trend in stores

TARGET has continued to lock various random items on their shelves leaving customers concerned about what could be next.

The superstore implemented locked shelves as an anti-theft attempt, but customers continued to rage against it.

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“They locking toothpaste? What did you guys do???!!!” tweeted a shopper on X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside a picture of the locked toothpaste shelves.

In response to the locked shelves, another user said that Target and Walmart in New Jersey were also locking a slew of random items.

“Toothpaste, glade plug-ins, laundry detergent, socks, car fresheners, body wash, deodorant, baby formula, protein drinks, scented candles…” they wrote.

A third person chimed into the thread explaining where they first saw the anti-theft method.

“Oh yes, Kearney was one of the first places I saw the foolery! I had to wait for someone to unlock the Tide at Target’s Clifton location,” they tweeted.

“Next, we’ll have to be padded down at checkout!”

The initial tweet received over 4.6 million views and 163 comments.

In November, Target’s CFO Michael Fiddelke warned the “significant financial headwind” to come.

“Growth in shrink remains a significant financial headwind and we’re determined to continue making progress in the years ahead,” he said as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

“It’s not one that we’d expect overnight,” he added.

However, the company said shrink in the most recent quarter was “smaller than expected” and “better than we faced earlier in the year.”

The company announced that by October 21, 2023, they would be closing nine locations.

At other stores, Target implemented locked shelves as an anti-theft measure.

Target’s CEO Brian Cornell claimed that customers were thankful for the new measure.

“Actually, what we hear from the guests is a big ‘thank you,’ because we are in stock with the brands that they need when they’re shopping in our stores,” he told CNBC in November.

“And because we’ve invested in team member labor in those aisles and make sure we’re there to greet that guest, open up those cases, and provide them the items they’re looking for.”

The U.S. Sun reached out to Target for comment.