‘Creep’ in red follows woman through Target for 35 mins. She spots him wearing a mask and picking up the exact same items as her

A TikTok user named Deb (@user1067709521309) said a man in a red polo shirt followed her through a Target store for 35 minutes while she shopped. She posted the account in two videos labeled PART1 and PART 2, and the first TikTok video had reached 105,800 views. On-screen text in both parts read, “This creep followed me around Target for 35 minutes.”

Deb filmed from a low angle that appeared to come from a shopping cart. She showed a man wearing a red polo shirt, green shorts, flip-flops, and a black face mask. In the first video, he stood in a cosmetics aisle and looked at items on the shelves.

Deb said she first thought she was being paranoid. On-screen text stated she considered the possibility that he was picking up something for someone else. She also wrote that she even thought he might have been an employee.

Deb said matching items and aisle changes led her to start recording

On-screen text then said she noticed he was picking up the same things she did. She wrote that he followed her into random aisles she walked down and even followed her to the opposite side of the store. Other people in red Target shirts appeared in the background, pushing carts and stocking shelves.

Deb’s red shopping cart stayed visible in the foreground as the man walked away and she kept filming. The first video ended with on-screen text that read, “So I started recording this…” Such unsettling encounters can escalate quickly, as when a Dallas woman realized a man circling her was actually a store walker dressed like everyone else.

In the second video, the footage appeared rotated 90 degrees clockwise, so the store aisles looked vertical. Deb again showed the man near an end cap in a beauty or personal care aisle. He held a small green item and looked at products on the shelves. On-screen text in that part read, “He’s really bad at being subtle.” Later text said, “Here it is again in case you missed it.” Another line stated, “There he is creepin behind the end cap.”

Deb showed the man bringing the small green item to his ear as if talking on a phone, then lowering it. He bent down to examine items on a lower shelf, stood up, adjusted his mask, and looked around before turning back to the products. He appeared to linger in the same area while she recorded. This unsettling experience of being followed through a store is not isolated, as a San Diego woman reported a similar encounter during a squishy hunt at Nordstrom.

Viewers focused on details in the footage and on how they said they would have handled the situation in the store. One commenter pointed to the man’s hand and wrote, “He has a wedding ring on.” Another commenter asked about outside help, writing, “Did you call the cops.” A separate comment questioned the setting of the video: “What year is this and why is everyone wearing masks.”

Some viewers said they would not have stayed in the store as long as Deb described. One wrote, “I wouldn’t even have stayed there for 35 minutes.” Other comments called for a direct response inside the store. One person wrote, “Can we PLEASE normalize not ignoring this behavior and SAYING SOMETHING.”

Another said, “The level of volume my voice would get SO quickly would make him understand that I am in fact NOT the one.” A further commenter described going straight to staff: “I would of gone to an employee and told them I need security immediately..idk why ppl don’t have this sense.”