Photo: X/@SeeRacists
A Target shopping trip turned tense for two Black women after what they say was racial profiling at a self-checkout station.
In a viral video, the women are seen completing a Christmas shopping run with two full carts of toys and clothing. After scanning and paying roughly $455 for their items, one of the women noticed a Target asset protection employee speaking with a staff member nearby.
The shopper said she overheard the employee instruct the worker to watch them closely to ensure all items were scanned. She began recording the interaction.
“After he saw that I had the items scanned, he’s telling me I’m good to go,” the woman said in the video. But she added that the moment had already left her feeling humiliated. “Target staff embarrassed me in front of so many people,” she wrote.
Once the employee realized he was being filmed, he walked away. A store manager then stepped in but escalated the situation, initially telling the women they would not be allowed to complete their purchase and asking them to leave — despite the items already being paid for.
“We already bought them,” one woman said on camera. “Did you try to snatch my items?”
The manager later reversed course, telling them they were “good to go” and advising them to contact Target’s corporate office.
The video has renewed criticism of self-checkout, which many Black shoppers say often leads to heightened scrutiny and uncomfortable encounters. While retailers point to theft concerns, critics argue the systems create space for misinterpretation and racial profiling.
The clip surfaced on X on January 22 as calls to boycott Target intensified. The retailer has faced mounting backlash in recent months over rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and reports that ICE agents were allowed to use Target parking lots during immigration operations in Minnesota.
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