Woman Praises Target Security After They Stopped Her Out Of Fear For Her Safety
She first thought she was being arrested.
Shabaz Usmani via Unsplash / @ninasotom via TikTok Target sweeps you up in its aisles and swallows you whole until you find at least a handful of things you didn’t know you needed. A similar experience happened to TikTok user Nina Sotom, who found herself stopped by Target security after a shopping spree.
The woman recounted her experience being stopped in Target's self-checkout.
Nina explained she was browsing in Target for about an hour before going through the self-checkout. One of the employees noticed a few items with security tags and removed them for her while she paid. When she was done paying, the employee said that Nina needed to stay there.
Nina was in shock and assumed that they thought she was stealing. She checked her receipt but everything that was on there was in her bag. The self check out worker went to help someone else but turned to Nina saying, “You can’t leave.”
At this point, Nina detailed that her heart was beating out of her chest and even thought she was getting arrested. “I remember grabbing my receipt and holding it flat out because I know that little camera up there can read the smallest print,” she recalled. The next thing she knew, the self-checkout worker was speaking to another woman whom she assumed to be a secret shopper.
The probable secret shopper introduced herself as a security worker. Nina then handed the security worker her receipt but was met with a polite, “no, ma’am.”
The security worker explained to Nina that there had been a man following her around the store and taking pictures of her for the last hour.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t catch it earlier, I would have thrown him out,” the security worker continued. They assured Nina that the man was outside by that point and couldn't harm her. Nina was escorted to her car by the security worker who watched her get in to make sure she was okay.
Nina thanked the security worker for watching out for her and for being so nice and apologetic about the situation, even though it wasn’t their fault. She wanted to tell her story to give attention to the security worker and how awesome she thought it was that Target had measures in place to keep their customers safe.
“Even if that man was just being creepy and sending those pictures to a random person, it makes me as a woman feel so secure and so safe to know that other people are watching out for me and it’s not just me watching out for me,” she reflected.
Users in the comments were shocked at the turn the story took.
One user said that they were not expecting that outcome but it was amazing that the security worker was only looking out for Nina. “Didn’t expect that at all so I’m glad they were paying attention and looking out for you,” another user wrote. A third user called the security worker an angel.
Other women in the comments were also sharing their stories about being followed by a man at a store. One woman recalled the time when she was pregnant and shopping with her three kids. There was a man following them around the store and taking pictures of her kids. The Target security wouldn’t allow her to leave until the man was gone and then escorted her out to her car.
A different woman said that there was a man following her around in a store and when he was caught by police, she found out he was wanted for stalking, abuse, and kidnapping.
A third woman mentioned that she had a man follow her out to her car and then was wandering around her car when the store security came out to look after her.
So many women have experienced being followed by a man.
At least 75% of women have been followed by a stranger and 3.4 million people over the age of 18 are stalked every year. That is a huge number! If you feel as though you are being followed in a store or anywhere, trust your gut. Always be aware of your surroundings, especially if you are shopping alone.
It is imperative that you notify a security worker or other member of the staff if you are able to. They can be extra eyes to watch out for you, as the Target worker did for Nina. They can also escort you to your vehicle to make sure you can safely leave the store without being followed.
The world is a dangerous place, especially for women. It is important to remember to stay safe. We would like to thank the Target worker too for reminding us that there are good people in the world and for giving us comfort in knowing that other people are watching over us too.
Tarah Hickel is a Washington-based writer and a frequent contributor to YourTango. She focuses on entertainment and news stories including human interest stories.