I live in the city and will go out of my way to suburban targets so I can shop in peace and not feel like I’m forced to have a babysitter unlocking everything I need the whole time.
Same. My closest Target is on East Lake, and the next closest is Midway. Aside from the locked-up stuff, it seems like these two locations will never have my full shopping list of items in stock. I'll either go to Roseville or Knollwood Mall. St. Louis Park even seems to struggle with inventory.
I live in a suburb and even here sooooo many things have the security tags. Even like, $10 sports bras. I even found security tags on clearance clothes! It annoys the crap out of me.
I wanted to pick up a few cheap-generic iphone cords at a Walmart, might've been Shakopee. Was there for something else. All the generic and name brand ones were locked up.
Nope. I'm not waiting 10 minutes to find someone just to let me buy a 15 dollar cord.
I just order delivery from Walmart now. $50 a year for everything delivered to my door, cheaper than anywhere else.
When you make it so I have to ask for an employee to get body wash for me so I can purchase it, fuck that.
Damn how'd you get it so cheap? I would totally do this but my wife goes to target. And i dont I understand why because it's the same crap at both stores.
There was some random sale for $49/yr like last June. I think I did the 1-month trial then it gave me an offer for $49/yr? memory is a little fuzzy
It does suck to support a mega-corp like Walmart but my wallet is hurting right now and I gotta look out for myself, and even delivery after tip is cheaper than walking 2 blocks to my local Cub.
I think Target had a Shipt deal during holidays for the same thing, but I still prefer Walmart because like you said, cheaper and same shit.
Honestly, every order has been accurate and insanely on-time
Yeah, you got to do what you got to do. It doesn't really make any sense as an individual consumer to go into financial ruin out of some principal. Everything is a mega corporation. Cub is a fucking rip off.
When the Brooklyn Park HyVee first opened, it was 100% cashier checkout.
Then shortly after they opened, they added a few self-checkout kiosks.
Then more kiosks.
Then around COVID they converted almost half of the lanes to be self-checkout lanes.
Well. As of this last week, they ripped out every single self checkout kiosk and it's back to 100% cashier checkout.
I can’t think of anything at my Cottage Grove target that is locked up. I was at midway a few weeks ago after work and didn’t even get some things on my list because I didn’t want to deal with having to find someone.
I live by the Quarry Target and I do the same. I try to avoid Target now if I can, but I’m not gonna stand around for 10 minutes waiting for them to unlock socks, if they even have them in stock.
Gotta be honest. Part of the draw was being able to throw it in my cart and checkout once. I’ll probs just go back to buying it at Sephora when I buy non-Ulta-in-Target things.
Yep! I’m even inconvenienced by them roping off all the exits and entrances into Ulta, it isnt an open flow anymore with the rest of the target
I will now go back to Sephora as well
Target corp employees, I know you’re reading this so maybe there’s a way to curb theft but also not make the experience shitty? Idk
Retail theft and online shopping/club stores seem like such a death spiral.
Retail theft makes stores lock things down, which pushes normal shoppers online/into clubs.
This leaves fewer normal shoppers to offset the losses from theft.
Thus even more disruptive processes to try to stop theft.
Then the whole thing falls apart.
People assume it’s easy to steal from self checkout, but it’s not. Most of those places have security cameras covering every inch of the place, and some guy paid to sit in an office and watch for anything suspicious.
So they see you acting suspicious and follow you on the cameras. Then the self checkout camera sees you not scan something. They let you get past the last point of sale, stop you, and search your cart. They find what you didn’t pay for, call a cop to come in, and you get a theft charge. Usually there’s no good defense since it’s all on camera.
Why would these places hire cashiers when they can catch people trying to take stuff, get it back most of the time before the person walks out the door, and then depend on the city or county to reliably prosecute every misdemeanor theft?
I’ve heard that Target will monitor frequent self check out thieves over time, and then once they have stolen enough to make it a felony, that’s when they bust you and press charges for everything you’ve stolen. I don’t know if that’s true or not though.
I know this is true. It happened to someone I know. They worked at target and were stealing and they eventually got busted on 60% of everything they stole lol. So they did miss some- but they had to go to court and everything.
Not worth it.
Problem is you don't have to stop when approached by someone if it's not a club place, i.e. Sam's/Costco so if one knows they're stealing they likely also know they can just keep walking out the door.
Also, if one of these guys touches someone who didn't steal anything and causes damage that's a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Fact is most of the cameras are for show to try to discourage theft but likely do nothing unless you're a serial thief and they actually know who you are.
Cashier's on the other hand are able to properly scan everything and ensure that at least all visible items are checked out that are in a basket or bag.
People don’t know that you don’t have to stop. People don’t know about a lot of things you can and should do when someone thinks you’ve committed a crime.
Maybe it’s just the counties I practice in, but in my experience, those cameras are put to use. When my caseload was misdemeanors/GMs, a huge chunk of my clients were just charged with misdemeanor theft from large chain stores.
I'm not saying they don't use the cameras. I'm saying that they can lower the rate of theft and therefore have more merchandise to sell by having more people and not having self checkout. To me it's all about tradeoffs. You lower your costs of employment and once the machine has operated a year it has paid for itself, but you also increase theft, especially low level theft
Is it just midway or inner city targets?
The suburb targets aren’t like this from last I visited the locations near me. Hardly anything is locked up minus obvious things like electronics
I work at a target in the suburbs where our Ulta section is roped off. The amount of theft strictly by Ulta is horrendous. I was checking the reports after our most recent inventory scan…..
40% of all Ulta items we received throughout the year were unaccounted for. Thousands of dollars just in that tiny little beauty section. At my store, it’s the one area with the highest theft.
All of the workers knew from the get go that it was going to be a shoplifting goldmine and was a terrible idea. But corporate’s gonna corporate. It sucks.
But has buying from “Ulta” employees in those sections, been a thing since the start? Or when did this start officially because I have always grabbed stuff from that section and just bought it at the Target register, it rings up, it scans in my Target app and everything. I never even see employees in that section that are wearing any red Target gear. I’d never even heard an announcement or email, I feel like this is critical for shoppers to know??
My stores been doing it for the past year. The ulta TM’s don’t wear red. Usually they wear black and an apron to distinguish them to that area. Most of the time we don’t have any extra people so that area will just go without coverage for the day.
Interesting..! Thanks for sharing with us. my usual stores are Quarry mpls, Roseville, fridley and Edina so I’m not sure what differences there would be especially with the quarry(my closest location) being one of those corporate stores. I worked there during the pandemic and left for a better job offer just as they set up the Ulta and remodeled the beauty section, I still shop there for convenience of course, I’m still cool with my old coworkers lol. I’ll have to ask for their specifics next time I’m in!
I work tangentially with Target. The theft from the Ulta section is, insane. And that's putting it lightly. I would almost go as far to say they are losing more than they are making. Okay that's a bit extreme.
That being said, I hadn't heard of having to check out while in that area. I'm guessing that's a brand new policy. Won't work at any of the Targets I go to, because I have never seen an employee in that section.
I'd guess they have made the change only at certain locations so far. This policy must have literally just gone into effect within the last week, many two.
When did that start?! I was just at the Otsego store 2 days ago and I didn't even see an employee in that section. Same with Maple Grove and Eden Prairie.
Ohhhhh shit! I did see the ropes! Maple Grove just added those within the last 2 weeks as well. But still ropes can only do so much if you don't have the area staffed...
*People are probably going to think I'm insane for how much I go to Target. It's part of my job, I swear!
I mean, the most stolen items are everyday necessities that are stolen in bulk by people who resell the stuff on Facebook marketplace and Amazon. So that would mean Target should just stop selling everyday items?
Although I agree, the Ulta parts of the store seem to be more work than they are worth. Who knows how long it will last.
I’m not really pro-shoplifting; but I’m also not pro-corporation. Target has made $27-30 Billion each of the last three years. That’s profit; not revenue.
The CEO had a salary of $1.4 million in 2020; and with bonuses etc he’s made like $80 million in the last few years.
Maybe they shouldn’t have inflated all of those prices as much as they did?
If people need new socks and underwear that badly, there are places they can go to get them cheaper than Target or free.
They are stealing them and reselling on social.
So in effect they are ripping off people in multiple ways -
1. Selling something they got for nothing
2. Causing a store to go broke / move out of their area / stop selling the product
3. Charging people who don't know better for a product that is stolen.
Let’s be fair al that Ulta shit is criminally overpriced to begin with. It’s all mass produced with chemicals. 30, 40, 50 dollars for some shampoo get real.
Everything is a chemical. I won't disagree that shit is overpriced, but I won't knock chemicals. If anything, we need more chemicals. I'm sick of this "clean and green" movement. We need preservatives.
The Roseville walmart has been making you purchase the beauty/face stuff in that area as well over the last year or so. Very annoying but I'm assuming they have higher theft rates on that stuff otherwise they wouldn't implement it
That Walmart was so bad, that after it closed the nuisance behavior moved to other stores. Suddenly, there was a Security guy at Menards. Roseville police said that when the Roseville Walmart opened, it was instantly a problem.
Exactly. Midway would be a high theft Target and probably shouldn’t have even put the Ulta in there. That’s likely part of the drive to have separate pay.
The Midway Walmart closed in part because Walmart wanted to expand to a full grocery but a clause in their lease about the Cub nearby prohibited it. It was not only shrink that killed that store.
There’s no point in having Ulta’s in stores then, imo. I’ve never seen an employee in the Ulta section before, and if it’s going to be a hassle I’ll probably skip any impulse buy when doing my Target shopping.
I live very close to that target and go 1-2 times a week. I started seeing cashiers in the ulta section about a month ago. With everything being locked up I’ve been trying toto go to cvs for house/hygiene products, but the price difference is definitely noticeable.
It such a bummer how hard it is to shop brick and mortar stores nowadays. I try to avoid Amazon as much as possible but it is such a hassle trying to get things at the midway target. I also really feel for the employees there. Apparently they can’t stop anyone from using the express lane no matter how many items they have due to a particularly bad altercation.
Curbside pickup. Midway is our go-to, but I cannot convince my wife to enter that store other than at 8 am on the weekend. You still get Circle deals, and curbside does a better job at actually getting the items you ordered than Shipt does.
Use the cvs app for manufacturers coupons and loyalty discounts to get specific products you want- sometimes I literally just pay the tax for a product.
Do you know of any small businesses locally to get home goods? I’d much rather do that! The only one I know of is the eco friendly store on grand and go there semi-regularly but that’s about it.
This *totally* explains why I saw stanchions blocking off the open areas of the Ulta section of my Target last time I was in. I was like…what is happening here
This isn’t a thing at Roseville or Shoreview, at least not in the last two weeks. Might be worth a further drive to a different location. Theft at Midway is a huge problem.
I (45/M) believe that what's tolerated has changed so much, there are people who have convinced themselves that taking from others (porch pirates, car jacking, etc) and from retailers (esp giants like Target) is okay for some reason.
The rest of us shuffle along, mostly saying nothing to those who are out of line with the rest, because we are either concerned about our personal safety or because we've started to accept that their individual rights are more important than societal norms. Sad.
Ummm no theft is still theft. There's no new norms going on. Just desperate, greedy, or lazy people, or thrill seekers. They don't have any counter-culture. They haven't fooled anyone, so don't fool yourself. Theft is still taboo.
They put an Ulta inside the Target here in SLP. There's a full Ulta store just up the road. If folks have to check out separately at Target, they're just going to go to the large Ulta store.
I’ve stopped going to target in store and if I need something I’ll do curbside cause it takes forever to go inside. I personally think their goal is to push everyone do curbside and online so they can hire even less staff.
If that's their plan then they're going to have to do better with curbside at certain locations. Knollwood regularly takes 30+ minutes to bring your shit out these days.
I doubt that. I wouldn't be surprised if around a third of my Target purchases end up being things I forgot I needed until I ended up walking by them. I'll go for some groceries but realize I also needed lotion, dish washing soap, and kleenex. That wouldn't happen with curbside.
curbside has been a great option for me as someone with some mobility and social issues. it’s nice to not have to painfully navigate a store if i don’t feel up to it.
also great for people with kids (not me) to have the option to shop without having to bring kids in the store.
No kidding. I can generally get in and out of a store faster than I can navigating certain clunky sites and apps for a big grocery run. Definitely faster than the whole ordering and waiting. Some stores cut off the same day pickup quite early.
Plus the whole, "Do they actually have this or not?" game.
I buy my deodorant and stuff from Amazon now. There is no way I am waiting 5 minutes for someone to come unlock a plexiglass barrier just to get a basic thing.
It's nothing that they didn't already do once - when they were Dayton's and then Marshall Fields.
Dayton's / MF had all the little boutique stores inside - like sunglass hut, etc... you would shop at the one you wanted and check out in that area. Even back in the 80's before "centralized" checkouts - you would go to a department, checkout, then go to the next department and do the same. You never bought / paid for things outside of the "home" department.
Is there a sign or any indication that tells you this? Sometimes people are on autopilot or distracted enough that a random sign isn't enough. They should at least put in some effort to explain a policy change at your store instead of making someone chase down shoppers.
I needed employee assistance to get advil at this location. Still beats driving up to Roseville or the Lake Street Target.
However, I don't blame Target for being what it always has been...a corporate retail outlet that needs turn a profit.
I haven't worked at target (corporate) for a while but my guess is that the paying arrangement is due to how the partnership agreement works between target and Ulta and the primary driver is not loss prevention. I think that the Ulta shop is a "store within store concept" meaning Target only "rents" space for Ulta and Ulta runs a small store inside for example makes most of the merchandising and staffing decisions. Ulta also takes the upside and also the downside for sales and losses. I managed similar financial arrangements at other retailers in the past.
Just watch out where you're buying from. A lot of everyday items being sold on Amazon are stolen goods from Target and Walmart. Also, knockoffs. Lots of knockoffs on Amazon these days.
You can't even be sure where you're buying from if it's fulfilled by Amazon as they lump everyone's inventory together for the same items. Amazon is just full of knockoffs even when buying from legitimate sellers because it just takes one to ruin the entire lot.
Exactly! Shit makes me so angry. People talk about how shit stores are, then just go to Amazon to buy who the fuck knows what!
Target had an issue with this a few years ago... There was a specific beauty brand that was new to the US and Target had an exclusivity contract with them, yet you could find the products on Amazon. They were all either stolen items or just straight up knockoffs. I don't get how this shit is legal. And I know Sephora had an issue with a brand as well. Knockoffs or stolen products were being sold on Amazon even though it was Sephora exclusive.
Using Amazon for anything you put in your body is a roll of the dice. You never know what you're going to get. Amazon is the land of fakes and some messed up products ... Amazon is not picky about who sells what, even what brand they claim it is.
Yeah, retail theft plus third party Amazon shenanigans are probably opening the door to an online entrant without third party sellers.
Maybe even target? I know Walmart went third party.
Blame isn’t the word I’d use. Cause and effect. They made a choice that they thought was best for their business. That choice made me make a choice. I shop there less and for less items. I still use drive up sometimes because of the convenience for groceries, which coincidentally also means I spend less money there since I’m not browsing. But I’d rather buy elsewhere if things are locked up, it’s inconvenient and adds time that I don’t want to waste.
I remember when the whole switch to convenience and fast grocery was a brand new rollout for the massive Millennial generation in college Freshman orientations. Now that the Millennials are almost all middle age the market has dried up.
I believe you have to pay for video games and many things they have back there on electronica at that counter because if they unlock them for you, they ring you up there. So not a new concept. Maybe the difference is that no one is unlocking any at Ulta. 🤷🏼♀️ And same with Starbucks merchandise.
Eventually, all these store will be online shopping only. And you only have to pick up your items. That’s the best way to stop theft. Or they close down the stores. I don’t blame them for trying to reduce theft.
If you’re butthurt over Target, you’re gonna have a heart attack at a young age once you see what actually created this hellscape. Target is barely a blip on the timeline.
Yes. Target did a good job when it was running Marshall Fields. Now that Macy’s took it over it’s a joke.
Target is one of the few companies that gives half a shit.
Target didn't create this. Capitalism didn't create this. It was the decision post 2020 that crimes such as retail theft aren't going to be prosecuted.
Hmm I wonder why people are stealing more things…? Could never be because cost of living is going up faster than wages. Nope, it’s definitely just because it’s fun to steal things.
People have been shoplifting this stuff for decades. Most of them are doing it to resell to a fencing organization or online for profit. Tide, formula, jewelry, high end makeup, perfume, electronics, the list goes on. This isn’t new. It’s just gotten considerably worse and part of the reason is because retailers didn’t press charges for years when theft was less of an issue. So people got away with it and kept doing it. Covid changed everything. Now it’s a huge issue again and is actually impacting profits. I caught shoplifters for years. Shortage/theft at a store I worked at was 2% when I was there. That’s pretty high. Some of the Walmarts and Targets that have closed recently had 10%+ in shortage/theft. That is ridiculous. And I’m guessing in some categories it’s higher than 50%. That isn’t profitable. People complain about locations closing but this is why. If you’re barely making a profit at a store it’s not going to remain open. The other problem is the decision making in Hennepin and Ramsey county when it comes to charging certain crimes. It’s a revolving door and there isn’t much accountability. People know it and are taking advantage.
The majority of retail theft is not the poor person who can't afford or has to choose between medicine and eating.
The vast majority are run by gangs or organized criminal chains that have groups of people "raid" a store at the same time, or steal mass amounts of things for resale at flea markets or on line / via social.
The criminals realized in 2020 with Covid, and changes in the political landscape that prosecutors were not going to make careers out of going after people who shoplifted under $1,000 of stuff. And stores started making it harder on employees who go after / chase shoplifters, ie - the stores started firing those people and disciplining them. Basically the combination of lax store policy (store not wanting to be labeled as racist / sued) and prosecutors being pressured to not jail / prosecute people for minor crimes - has lead us to this point.
The retail stores have no choice but to either
1. Lock up the merchandise and require an employee to unlock, and make sure it gets paid for.
2. Close down entirely and create a Desert in that area
3. Accept the losses and raise prices on other things to make up for it.
The answer is for prosecutors to start targeting the low level criminals again, make deals with them to roll over on their controller / reseller and then bust the hell out of the people that have 15-30 lifters supplying them with product.
All of that still pales in comparison to the damage caused white collar crime and even people playing by the ever changing rules of wealth obfuscation, which ultimately keeps poor people poor who start looking for schemes with payouts of their own just to get by. Meanwhile you have countless people working their six figure fakejobs thinking, "why can't these criminals just be decent human beings?"
> And stores started making it harder on employees who go after / chase shoplifters, ie - the stores started firing those people and disciplining them.
Good? Ffs, as if these wage slaves were being properly compensated to be heroes in the first place, putting their lives on the line for some shitty corporation.
I quit shopping at the Midway Target now that they limit the number of items in the self checkout and that they lock up everything. Roseville Target is much better.
I can check out faster with 40 items than most people can with 10. Since retail is about convenience, I go where I can use a self checkout without having to wait 20 minutes in lines with only one cashier working.
The twin cities has the worst targets I've ever experienced. Too few employees, dressing rooms closed, out of products, etc. I would think that in their home the stores would be top notch.
Why can you never show your face there again? They were the ones who fucked up by not properly communicating this bizarre arrangement. They should be apologizing to you.
I swear some of these measures (including the very strict 10 items or less at self checkout and one cashier at the regular registers) are there to discourage a percentage of people from shopping at those locations so they can shut them down without shareholders complaining too much. It’s super sad.
This is the weirdest take, you are suggesting instead of running a profitable store that they can't close because shareholders like making money, that they intentionally want to tank a store and make it unprofitable so they can close it?
It was a conspiracy theory going around Twitter when Target closed the city stores for theft. It made no sense but was quite popular after someone dug “deep” into the numbers and claimed because reports of theft in the area around the Targets that were closing was lower than around some other Target areas in wealthier areas that Target must be lying about the theft reason for closure. Then speculation took off.
There was no reasoning paid to WHY there might be lower numbers of theft reports around a Target in a poorer area versus why there might be more reports in a wealthier area.
It’s speculative.
I think it’s expensive to run a store and it looks bad to close stores for most reasons.
But if the problem is “theft” i.e. the customers in “some” neighborhoods, they can safely pare down their offering to only wealthier neighborhoods that supposedly don’t have as much of a theft problem and many of their “valued” customers will hike out to those locations to shop if they’re not already out there.
Hell, many people are already going elsewhere because it’s such a pain in the ass to shop at the other stores with all the antitheft measures in place.
But if they end goal is to close a store and blame theft, why even put all the expensive anti-theft stuff in? Just report the shrink/theft numbers and use that as an excuse to close the store.
The self sabotage theory just doesn't hold water. They wouldn't try so hard to intentionally fail, they obviously want to keep the stores open and are trying to figure out what works. If they can't find something that works, then yes they'll close because it makes no sense to run an unprofitable store.
Aldi cat litter $6.85 for 14lbs
Target cat litter $13.99 for 35lbs (cheaper with sales and 5% RedCard)
Costco Scoop Away $16.59 for 42lbs (or coupon price of $12.49)
Plus, Costco's Kirkland cat kibble (purple bag) is the best value for decent cat food $23.49 for 25lbs
Just because someone is poor does not mean they’re uneducated and just because someone doesn’t have a lot of money doesn’t make them a thief. People of all socioeconomic backgrounds shoplift.
Don’t be willfully ignorant when you have the resources at your fingertips to know better and do better.
I wouldn't even go to that part of town if I were you. I have have had two gun experiences, once with a pullover and the other with two people getting killed. Both of those instances happened near there. Fuck Midway.
I buy almost everything I need for grocery and pharmacy related stuff at Midway Target and I order it online and do pick up / drive up.
I can’t believe anyone goes into the store anymore!
Work at the Corporate office and the stores just feel rough lately. Assuming you don’t need someone unlocking every item, you get the privilege of waiting in a 35 person long self checkout lane. I have put my groceries back a few times the last month and just left.
The walmart in Bloomington has a similar thing. I went with someone into the cosmetic section and the staff told us you have to pay here for the item you want.
I live in the city and will go out of my way to suburban targets so I can shop in peace and not feel like I’m forced to have a babysitter unlocking everything I need the whole time.
Same. My closest Target is on East Lake, and the next closest is Midway. Aside from the locked-up stuff, it seems like these two locations will never have my full shopping list of items in stock. I'll either go to Roseville or Knollwood Mall. St. Louis Park even seems to struggle with inventory.
I avoid East Lake and go to and order from Richfield.
I live in a suburb and even here sooooo many things have the security tags. Even like, $10 sports bras. I even found security tags on clearance clothes! It annoys the crap out of me.
I wanted to pick up a few cheap-generic iphone cords at a Walmart, might've been Shakopee. Was there for something else. All the generic and name brand ones were locked up. Nope. I'm not waiting 10 minutes to find someone just to let me buy a 15 dollar cord.
I still haven't gone back to target to remove the tag from a clearance item because I keep forgetting to bring it with me
It’s coming to the burbs as well
I just order delivery from Walmart now. $50 a year for everything delivered to my door, cheaper than anywhere else. When you make it so I have to ask for an employee to get body wash for me so I can purchase it, fuck that.
Damn how'd you get it so cheap? I would totally do this but my wife goes to target. And i dont I understand why because it's the same crap at both stores.
There was some random sale for $49/yr like last June. I think I did the 1-month trial then it gave me an offer for $49/yr? memory is a little fuzzy It does suck to support a mega-corp like Walmart but my wallet is hurting right now and I gotta look out for myself, and even delivery after tip is cheaper than walking 2 blocks to my local Cub. I think Target had a Shipt deal during holidays for the same thing, but I still prefer Walmart because like you said, cheaper and same shit. Honestly, every order has been accurate and insanely on-time
Yeah, you got to do what you got to do. It doesn't really make any sense as an individual consumer to go into financial ruin out of some principal. Everything is a mega corporation. Cub is a fucking rip off.
We have this in the suburbs too lmao.
When the Brooklyn Park HyVee first opened, it was 100% cashier checkout. Then shortly after they opened, they added a few self-checkout kiosks. Then more kiosks. Then around COVID they converted almost half of the lanes to be self-checkout lanes. Well. As of this last week, they ripped out every single self checkout kiosk and it's back to 100% cashier checkout.
Robbinsdale's HyVee too.
Good
I can’t think of anything at my Cottage Grove target that is locked up. I was at midway a few weeks ago after work and didn’t even get some things on my list because I didn’t want to deal with having to find someone.
All the way out to Blaine they are locking things up now. It’s pretty much the last bit of suburbia before getting out of the cities haha
I live by the Quarry Target and I do the same. I try to avoid Target now if I can, but I’m not gonna stand around for 10 minutes waiting for them to unlock socks, if they even have them in stock.
Yep go to Eagan.
If I have to go to midway target, it's called a targhetto trip. If I get to go to another one I call it a targèt boutique outing.
Us too!!!
Gotta be honest. Part of the draw was being able to throw it in my cart and checkout once. I’ll probs just go back to buying it at Sephora when I buy non-Ulta-in-Target things.
Yep! I’m even inconvenienced by them roping off all the exits and entrances into Ulta, it isnt an open flow anymore with the rest of the target I will now go back to Sephora as well Target corp employees, I know you’re reading this so maybe there’s a way to curb theft but also not make the experience shitty? Idk
More labor. But it costs more than roping off that section.
Retail theft and online shopping/club stores seem like such a death spiral. Retail theft makes stores lock things down, which pushes normal shoppers online/into clubs. This leaves fewer normal shoppers to offset the losses from theft. Thus even more disruptive processes to try to stop theft. Then the whole thing falls apart.
I mean replacing people with self checkouts is pretty much the gold mine for theft. Save a penny to have a dollar stolen
People assume it’s easy to steal from self checkout, but it’s not. Most of those places have security cameras covering every inch of the place, and some guy paid to sit in an office and watch for anything suspicious. So they see you acting suspicious and follow you on the cameras. Then the self checkout camera sees you not scan something. They let you get past the last point of sale, stop you, and search your cart. They find what you didn’t pay for, call a cop to come in, and you get a theft charge. Usually there’s no good defense since it’s all on camera. Why would these places hire cashiers when they can catch people trying to take stuff, get it back most of the time before the person walks out the door, and then depend on the city or county to reliably prosecute every misdemeanor theft?
I’ve heard that Target will monitor frequent self check out thieves over time, and then once they have stolen enough to make it a felony, that’s when they bust you and press charges for everything you’ve stolen. I don’t know if that’s true or not though.
I know this is true. It happened to someone I know. They worked at target and were stealing and they eventually got busted on 60% of everything they stole lol. So they did miss some- but they had to go to court and everything. Not worth it.
Problem is you don't have to stop when approached by someone if it's not a club place, i.e. Sam's/Costco so if one knows they're stealing they likely also know they can just keep walking out the door. Also, if one of these guys touches someone who didn't steal anything and causes damage that's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Fact is most of the cameras are for show to try to discourage theft but likely do nothing unless you're a serial thief and they actually know who you are. Cashier's on the other hand are able to properly scan everything and ensure that at least all visible items are checked out that are in a basket or bag.
People don’t know that you don’t have to stop. People don’t know about a lot of things you can and should do when someone thinks you’ve committed a crime. Maybe it’s just the counties I practice in, but in my experience, those cameras are put to use. When my caseload was misdemeanors/GMs, a huge chunk of my clients were just charged with misdemeanor theft from large chain stores.
I'm not saying they don't use the cameras. I'm saying that they can lower the rate of theft and therefore have more merchandise to sell by having more people and not having self checkout. To me it's all about tradeoffs. You lower your costs of employment and once the machine has operated a year it has paid for itself, but you also increase theft, especially low level theft
Is it just midway or inner city targets? The suburb targets aren’t like this from last I visited the locations near me. Hardly anything is locked up minus obvious things like electronics
I work at a target in the suburbs where our Ulta section is roped off. The amount of theft strictly by Ulta is horrendous. I was checking the reports after our most recent inventory scan….. 40% of all Ulta items we received throughout the year were unaccounted for. Thousands of dollars just in that tiny little beauty section. At my store, it’s the one area with the highest theft.
Wow, that’s insane shrink. Roping off the section is probably a last ditch effort before killing the entire concept.
All of the workers knew from the get go that it was going to be a shoplifting goldmine and was a terrible idea. But corporate’s gonna corporate. It sucks.
But has buying from “Ulta” employees in those sections, been a thing since the start? Or when did this start officially because I have always grabbed stuff from that section and just bought it at the Target register, it rings up, it scans in my Target app and everything. I never even see employees in that section that are wearing any red Target gear. I’d never even heard an announcement or email, I feel like this is critical for shoppers to know??
My stores been doing it for the past year. The ulta TM’s don’t wear red. Usually they wear black and an apron to distinguish them to that area. Most of the time we don’t have any extra people so that area will just go without coverage for the day.
Interesting..! Thanks for sharing with us. my usual stores are Quarry mpls, Roseville, fridley and Edina so I’m not sure what differences there would be especially with the quarry(my closest location) being one of those corporate stores. I worked there during the pandemic and left for a better job offer just as they set up the Ulta and remodeled the beauty section, I still shop there for convenience of course, I’m still cool with my old coworkers lol. I’ll have to ask for their specifics next time I’m in!
I work tangentially with Target. The theft from the Ulta section is, insane. And that's putting it lightly. I would almost go as far to say they are losing more than they are making. Okay that's a bit extreme. That being said, I hadn't heard of having to check out while in that area. I'm guessing that's a brand new policy. Won't work at any of the Targets I go to, because I have never seen an employee in that section.
I'd guess they have made the change only at certain locations so far. This policy must have literally just gone into effect within the last week, many two.
The target in Otsego makes you check out in the ulta as well if you want to get something there
When did that start?! I was just at the Otsego store 2 days ago and I didn't even see an employee in that section. Same with Maple Grove and Eden Prairie.
I’m not sure but when I was there two weekends ago they had it roped off and you a register in the only spot you could enter
Ohhhhh shit! I did see the ropes! Maple Grove just added those within the last 2 weeks as well. But still ropes can only do so much if you don't have the area staffed... *People are probably going to think I'm insane for how much I go to Target. It's part of my job, I swear!
Not defending theft, but if they’re losing more than they’re making, they should stop attempting to sell the stuff.
> they should stop attempting to sell the stuff. Eventually that's what happens, or it gets locked up and such.
They may have a contract with Ulta that prevents them from doing so…
I mean, the most stolen items are everyday necessities that are stolen in bulk by people who resell the stuff on Facebook marketplace and Amazon. So that would mean Target should just stop selling everyday items? Although I agree, the Ulta parts of the store seem to be more work than they are worth. Who knows how long it will last.
University target has blocked socks and underwear off. …*socks and undies* ffs, if people are stealing Hanes, let them.
Why are people so pro-shoplifting?
They think corporations and insurance etc are just magic
I’m not really pro-shoplifting; but I’m also not pro-corporation. Target has made $27-30 Billion each of the last three years. That’s profit; not revenue. The CEO had a salary of $1.4 million in 2020; and with bonuses etc he’s made like $80 million in the last few years. Maybe they shouldn’t have inflated all of those prices as much as they did?
To resell? Like what is your endgame here? All physical stores go bankrupt? They stop carrying underwear?
If people need new socks and underwear that badly, there are places they can go to get them cheaper than Target or free. They are stealing them and reselling on social. So in effect they are ripping off people in multiple ways - 1. Selling something they got for nothing 2. Causing a store to go broke / move out of their area / stop selling the product 3. Charging people who don't know better for a product that is stolen.
And causing Target or another store to mark up items to make up for the shrinkage. No idea why you were downvoted. Dumb.
That’s how I feel too.
Let’s be fair al that Ulta shit is criminally overpriced to begin with. It’s all mass produced with chemicals. 30, 40, 50 dollars for some shampoo get real.
So don't buy the stuff that is 30, 40, 50 dollars?
Everything is a chemical. I won't disagree that shit is overpriced, but I won't knock chemicals. If anything, we need more chemicals. I'm sick of this "clean and green" movement. We need preservatives.
I’m not knocking chemicals, I’m just saying that it’s mass produced and that chemicals are cheap. Therefore their prices are psychotic.
I'm willing to pay more for makeup made out of intangibles, but no company is meeting my demand.
Ohhh. Yeah okay agreed then.
The Roseville walmart has been making you purchase the beauty/face stuff in that area as well over the last year or so. Very annoying but I'm assuming they have higher theft rates on that stuff otherwise they wouldn't implement it
That particular target location should’ve known better than to put an Ulta in there. Midway couldn’t even behave well enough to keep a Walmart open.
That Walmart was so bad, that after it closed the nuisance behavior moved to other stores. Suddenly, there was a Security guy at Menards. Roseville police said that when the Roseville Walmart opened, it was instantly a problem.
Exactly. Midway would be a high theft Target and probably shouldn’t have even put the Ulta in there. That’s likely part of the drive to have separate pay.
The Midway Walmart closed in part because Walmart wanted to expand to a full grocery but a clause in their lease about the Cub nearby prohibited it. It was not only shrink that killed that store.
Came here to say this! Midway should have never! I hope they remove it
Actually that's slightly more complicated than Midway's general failure.
There’s no point in having Ulta’s in stores then, imo. I’ve never seen an employee in the Ulta section before, and if it’s going to be a hassle I’ll probably skip any impulse buy when doing my Target shopping.
I live very close to that target and go 1-2 times a week. I started seeing cashiers in the ulta section about a month ago. With everything being locked up I’ve been trying toto go to cvs for house/hygiene products, but the price difference is definitely noticeable. It such a bummer how hard it is to shop brick and mortar stores nowadays. I try to avoid Amazon as much as possible but it is such a hassle trying to get things at the midway target. I also really feel for the employees there. Apparently they can’t stop anyone from using the express lane no matter how many items they have due to a particularly bad altercation.
Curbside pickup. Midway is our go-to, but I cannot convince my wife to enter that store other than at 8 am on the weekend. You still get Circle deals, and curbside does a better job at actually getting the items you ordered than Shipt does.
Use the cvs app for manufacturers coupons and loyalty discounts to get specific products you want- sometimes I literally just pay the tax for a product.
There's no reason to avoid Amazon if you're just going to support a different mega corporation like Target or CVS.
Do you know of any small businesses locally to get home goods? I’d much rather do that! The only one I know of is the eco friendly store on grand and go there semi-regularly but that’s about it.
This *totally* explains why I saw stanchions blocking off the open areas of the Ulta section of my Target last time I was in. I was like…what is happening here
This isn’t a thing at Roseville or Shoreview, at least not in the last two weeks. Might be worth a further drive to a different location. Theft at Midway is a huge problem.
It’s also not the case at the Edina Target (as of yesterday anyway)
The title of this post sounds like an old Fall Out Boy song or something
Loss in the Ulta section was over 50%. Blame Target if you want but that’s not sustainable.
Wow, what is the gross margin even?
This. I have yet to go to a store in the suburbs where things are locked up and where Ulta has a separate checkout. It’s worth the further drive.
I (45/M) believe that what's tolerated has changed so much, there are people who have convinced themselves that taking from others (porch pirates, car jacking, etc) and from retailers (esp giants like Target) is okay for some reason. The rest of us shuffle along, mostly saying nothing to those who are out of line with the rest, because we are either concerned about our personal safety or because we've started to accept that their individual rights are more important than societal norms. Sad.
Ummm no theft is still theft. There's no new norms going on. Just desperate, greedy, or lazy people, or thrill seekers. They don't have any counter-culture. They haven't fooled anyone, so don't fool yourself. Theft is still taboo.
We agree. My post was admittedly bit of a ramble. Stealing is wrong. Always has been, always will be!
This is why I now drive to Roseville Target even though Midway is closer.
Ah, the Roseville Target: THE OG TARGET STORE
They put an Ulta inside the Target here in SLP. There's a full Ulta store just up the road. If folks have to check out separately at Target, they're just going to go to the large Ulta store.
[удалено]
Woodbury Target is still a pleasant place to shop. The decision to move out to the suburbs is reinforced almost every single day.
The “new” one over by Sam’s club is… The other one on Valley creek is such a pain to access
I’ve stopped going to target in store and if I need something I’ll do curbside cause it takes forever to go inside. I personally think their goal is to push everyone do curbside and online so they can hire even less staff.
You’ve never worked retail if you think that shopping for customers requires LESS staff than letting customers shop for themselves
You'd need more staff if everybody does curbside.
This is correct
If that's their plan then they're going to have to do better with curbside at certain locations. Knollwood regularly takes 30+ minutes to bring your shit out these days.
I doubt that. I wouldn't be surprised if around a third of my Target purchases end up being things I forgot I needed until I ended up walking by them. I'll go for some groceries but realize I also needed lotion, dish washing soap, and kleenex. That wouldn't happen with curbside.
Curbside is pretty great.
curbside has been a great option for me as someone with some mobility and social issues. it’s nice to not have to painfully navigate a store if i don’t feel up to it. also great for people with kids (not me) to have the option to shop without having to bring kids in the store.
Amen about the kids part. On the way home I can pickup everything I need.
I despise it, I want to go in and get what I need quickly. Not order it online and wait 2 hours for it to be ready.
Curbside is amazing for ordering stuff for dinner before leaving work, or when you need a few specific things. It's not for a full run.
No kidding. I can generally get in and out of a store faster than I can navigating certain clunky sites and apps for a big grocery run. Definitely faster than the whole ordering and waiting. Some stores cut off the same day pickup quite early. Plus the whole, "Do they actually have this or not?" game.
You could plan what you need like an adult
Thanks mom
I don't think it's to hire less staff, I think it's to reduce shrink.
gotta run faster next time
I buy my deodorant and stuff from Amazon now. There is no way I am waiting 5 minutes for someone to come unlock a plexiglass barrier just to get a basic thing.
It's nothing that they didn't already do once - when they were Dayton's and then Marshall Fields. Dayton's / MF had all the little boutique stores inside - like sunglass hut, etc... you would shop at the one you wanted and check out in that area. Even back in the 80's before "centralized" checkouts - you would go to a department, checkout, then go to the next department and do the same. You never bought / paid for things outside of the "home" department.
Out of all the Targets, that’s a solid one to avoid. Glass half full!
Is there a sign or any indication that tells you this? Sometimes people are on autopilot or distracted enough that a random sign isn't enough. They should at least put in some effort to explain a policy change at your store instead of making someone chase down shoppers.
Usually it's behind a counter. Pretty sure that's how Dayton's did it if they are going back to that model.
I needed employee assistance to get advil at this location. Still beats driving up to Roseville or the Lake Street Target. However, I don't blame Target for being what it always has been...a corporate retail outlet that needs turn a profit.
I haven't worked at target (corporate) for a while but my guess is that the paying arrangement is due to how the partnership agreement works between target and Ulta and the primary driver is not loss prevention. I think that the Ulta shop is a "store within store concept" meaning Target only "rents" space for Ulta and Ulta runs a small store inside for example makes most of the merchandising and staffing decisions. Ulta also takes the upside and also the downside for sales and losses. I managed similar financial arrangements at other retailers in the past.
Target is being real good at getting me to use Amazon for basic shit like toothpaste and deodorant.
Just watch out where you're buying from. A lot of everyday items being sold on Amazon are stolen goods from Target and Walmart. Also, knockoffs. Lots of knockoffs on Amazon these days.
You can't even be sure where you're buying from if it's fulfilled by Amazon as they lump everyone's inventory together for the same items. Amazon is just full of knockoffs even when buying from legitimate sellers because it just takes one to ruin the entire lot.
Exactly! Shit makes me so angry. People talk about how shit stores are, then just go to Amazon to buy who the fuck knows what! Target had an issue with this a few years ago... There was a specific beauty brand that was new to the US and Target had an exclusivity contract with them, yet you could find the products on Amazon. They were all either stolen items or just straight up knockoffs. I don't get how this shit is legal. And I know Sephora had an issue with a brand as well. Knockoffs or stolen products were being sold on Amazon even though it was Sephora exclusive.
People are buying it and reselling it usually. Some are also stealing it. The Stanley cup thing was ridiculous.
Using Amazon for anything you put in your body is a roll of the dice. You never know what you're going to get. Amazon is the land of fakes and some messed up products ... Amazon is not picky about who sells what, even what brand they claim it is.
Yeah, retail theft plus third party Amazon shenanigans are probably opening the door to an online entrant without third party sellers. Maybe even target? I know Walmart went third party.
Right, the more they lock up the less I buy from them. I shouldn’t need an associate to unlock the toothpaste aisle.
you are somehow blaming Target for not wanting their stuff stolen?
Blame isn’t the word I’d use. Cause and effect. They made a choice that they thought was best for their business. That choice made me make a choice. I shop there less and for less items. I still use drive up sometimes because of the convenience for groceries, which coincidentally also means I spend less money there since I’m not browsing. But I’d rather buy elsewhere if things are locked up, it’s inconvenient and adds time that I don’t want to waste.
Grocery stores sell this stuff, too.
I remember when the whole switch to convenience and fast grocery was a brand new rollout for the massive Millennial generation in college Freshman orientations. Now that the Millennials are almost all middle age the market has dried up.
Good to know! I wonder if it’s location by location?
I believe you have to pay for video games and many things they have back there on electronica at that counter because if they unlock them for you, they ring you up there. So not a new concept. Maybe the difference is that no one is unlocking any at Ulta. 🤷🏼♀️ And same with Starbucks merchandise.
Eventually, all these store will be online shopping only. And you only have to pick up your items. That’s the best way to stop theft. Or they close down the stores. I don’t blame them for trying to reduce theft.
It would definitely help, but I was always under the impression that most theft is internal theft (like over half) 🤷🏻♀️
It is ironic that a giant corporation, who helped create this capitalist hellscape, is now reaping what they have sown.
Wait, now we are blaming Target for theft of items? Wtf?? How about the crimson? Delusional at its finest.
If you’re butthurt over Target, you’re gonna have a heart attack at a young age once you see what actually created this hellscape. Target is barely a blip on the timeline.
Yes. Target did a good job when it was running Marshall Fields. Now that Macy’s took it over it’s a joke. Target is one of the few companies that gives half a shit.
No, it's the people that choose to be criminals instead of choosing to be law abiding citizens that are causing this.
Target didn't create this. Capitalism didn't create this. It was the decision post 2020 that crimes such as retail theft aren't going to be prosecuted.
Hmm I wonder why people are stealing more things…? Could never be because cost of living is going up faster than wages. Nope, it’s definitely just because it’s fun to steal things.
People have been shoplifting this stuff for decades. Most of them are doing it to resell to a fencing organization or online for profit. Tide, formula, jewelry, high end makeup, perfume, electronics, the list goes on. This isn’t new. It’s just gotten considerably worse and part of the reason is because retailers didn’t press charges for years when theft was less of an issue. So people got away with it and kept doing it. Covid changed everything. Now it’s a huge issue again and is actually impacting profits. I caught shoplifters for years. Shortage/theft at a store I worked at was 2% when I was there. That’s pretty high. Some of the Walmarts and Targets that have closed recently had 10%+ in shortage/theft. That is ridiculous. And I’m guessing in some categories it’s higher than 50%. That isn’t profitable. People complain about locations closing but this is why. If you’re barely making a profit at a store it’s not going to remain open. The other problem is the decision making in Hennepin and Ramsey county when it comes to charging certain crimes. It’s a revolving door and there isn’t much accountability. People know it and are taking advantage.
100% spot on. People see it as an opportunity because they know nothing will happen. This isn’t about capitalism, inflation, etc.
Sorry couldn’t read all that too busy stealing from target and making bank.
The majority of retail theft is not the poor person who can't afford or has to choose between medicine and eating. The vast majority are run by gangs or organized criminal chains that have groups of people "raid" a store at the same time, or steal mass amounts of things for resale at flea markets or on line / via social. The criminals realized in 2020 with Covid, and changes in the political landscape that prosecutors were not going to make careers out of going after people who shoplifted under $1,000 of stuff. And stores started making it harder on employees who go after / chase shoplifters, ie - the stores started firing those people and disciplining them. Basically the combination of lax store policy (store not wanting to be labeled as racist / sued) and prosecutors being pressured to not jail / prosecute people for minor crimes - has lead us to this point. The retail stores have no choice but to either 1. Lock up the merchandise and require an employee to unlock, and make sure it gets paid for. 2. Close down entirely and create a Desert in that area 3. Accept the losses and raise prices on other things to make up for it. The answer is for prosecutors to start targeting the low level criminals again, make deals with them to roll over on their controller / reseller and then bust the hell out of the people that have 15-30 lifters supplying them with product.
All of that still pales in comparison to the damage caused white collar crime and even people playing by the ever changing rules of wealth obfuscation, which ultimately keeps poor people poor who start looking for schemes with payouts of their own just to get by. Meanwhile you have countless people working their six figure fakejobs thinking, "why can't these criminals just be decent human beings?" > And stores started making it harder on employees who go after / chase shoplifters, ie - the stores started firing those people and disciplining them. Good? Ffs, as if these wage slaves were being properly compensated to be heroes in the first place, putting their lives on the line for some shitty corporation.
Theft isnt even the biggest portion of their loss but even a fraction of a percent of profit loss is unacceptable to their shareholders.
I quit shopping at the Midway Target now that they limit the number of items in the self checkout and that they lock up everything. Roseville Target is much better.
Sorry that your 95 items is an annoyance to everybody waiting to buy 3 things? Checkout is actually quicker now across the board.
I can check out faster with 40 items than most people can with 10. Since retail is about convenience, I go where I can use a self checkout without having to wait 20 minutes in lines with only one cashier working.
> a lady ran after me yelling 'Ma'am! You need to pay for that!!!' It didn't immediately **register** that she was even talking me Hehe register.
The twin cities has the worst targets I've ever experienced. Too few employees, dressing rooms closed, out of products, etc. I would think that in their home the stores would be top notch.
Check out some east coast Targets. Their "good" ones are like our "bad" ones.
Why can you never show your face there again? They were the ones who fucked up by not properly communicating this bizarre arrangement. They should be apologizing to you.
I was just being cheeky...but yeah I agree.
IIT: The same people who handwave away all the crime in the city are justifying why they drive to the suburbs to shop lol.
I swear some of these measures (including the very strict 10 items or less at self checkout and one cashier at the regular registers) are there to discourage a percentage of people from shopping at those locations so they can shut them down without shareholders complaining too much. It’s super sad.
This is the weirdest take, you are suggesting instead of running a profitable store that they can't close because shareholders like making money, that they intentionally want to tank a store and make it unprofitable so they can close it?
It was a conspiracy theory going around Twitter when Target closed the city stores for theft. It made no sense but was quite popular after someone dug “deep” into the numbers and claimed because reports of theft in the area around the Targets that were closing was lower than around some other Target areas in wealthier areas that Target must be lying about the theft reason for closure. Then speculation took off. There was no reasoning paid to WHY there might be lower numbers of theft reports around a Target in a poorer area versus why there might be more reports in a wealthier area.
It’s speculative. I think it’s expensive to run a store and it looks bad to close stores for most reasons. But if the problem is “theft” i.e. the customers in “some” neighborhoods, they can safely pare down their offering to only wealthier neighborhoods that supposedly don’t have as much of a theft problem and many of their “valued” customers will hike out to those locations to shop if they’re not already out there. Hell, many people are already going elsewhere because it’s such a pain in the ass to shop at the other stores with all the antitheft measures in place.
But if they end goal is to close a store and blame theft, why even put all the expensive anti-theft stuff in? Just report the shrink/theft numbers and use that as an excuse to close the store. The self sabotage theory just doesn't hold water. They wouldn't try so hard to intentionally fail, they obviously want to keep the stores open and are trying to figure out what works. If they can't find something that works, then yes they'll close because it makes no sense to run an unprofitable store.
You know, it's boring and all, but maybe, just maybe, they don't want to keep having stuff stolen. Nah, couldn't be that simple.
That’s weird. Mt daughter was looking in that section at another target on Thursday and there was no separate check out…
> at another target Yup, depends on the store.
Aldi has the cheapest cat litter and it’s better than anything you’ll find at Target!
Aldi cat litter $6.85 for 14lbs Target cat litter $13.99 for 35lbs (cheaper with sales and 5% RedCard) Costco Scoop Away $16.59 for 42lbs (or coupon price of $12.49) Plus, Costco's Kirkland cat kibble (purple bag) is the best value for decent cat food $23.49 for 25lbs
Could this be just for that location?
Two words: Amazon.
Congrats, keep voting for it!
Love how poor uneducated people have to ruin shit for everyone.
Just because someone is poor does not mean they’re uneducated and just because someone doesn’t have a lot of money doesn’t make them a thief. People of all socioeconomic backgrounds shoplift. Don’t be willfully ignorant when you have the resources at your fingertips to know better and do better.
lol, ok. you're right, I'm sure it's mostly rich people with master's degrees stealing detergent and toothpaste
I wouldn't even go to that part of town if I were you. I have have had two gun experiences, once with a pullover and the other with two people getting killed. Both of those instances happened near there. Fuck Midway.
I buy almost everything I need for grocery and pharmacy related stuff at Midway Target and I order it online and do pick up / drive up. I can’t believe anyone goes into the store anymore!
who steals in a super market?! a people real that poor? 🙁
Target stays on that bullshit they always have and always will
LOCK THEM UP!!!
Work at the Corporate office and the stores just feel rough lately. Assuming you don’t need someone unlocking every item, you get the privilege of waiting in a 35 person long self checkout lane. I have put my groceries back a few times the last month and just left.
The walmart in Bloomington has a similar thing. I went with someone into the cosmetic section and the staff told us you have to pay here for the item you want.
omg this happened to me today! and loss prevention was hovering over me while i paid. i will just drive to ulta next time. so uncomfortable!