Target worker points to a device attached to store baskets. Then declares customers are being tracked for data

A Target employee filmed himself inside a store and pointed at a small black rectangle on a Target shopping basket handle. Elijah, who posts on TikTok as @user60342208753, said he wanted to make a PSA. On-screen text in a red box reads, “target is now tracking YOU even more while shopping.”

He picked up a red Target basket, pointed at the piece on the handle, and said, “You are now being tracked at Target. These baskets, this thing, that’s a tracker.” He added that they are now tracking shoppers at Target, at local Target stores, “for supposedly consumer habits.” He ended the clip with a peace sign.

The TikTok video reached 3.4 million views, 392,300 likes, and more than 11,800 comments. The caption read, “mote data for them ig.”

Follow-up video shares FCC listing and an asset-locator page

In a second TikTok clip with the caption “just some more info if u needed,” Elijah appeared in a room in a black T-shirt and a silver chain. On-screen text read “stating the obvious fr.” He said the main takeaway from his last video is that big companies are doing even more stuff to get more of your data. He said they are just going to sell that to maximize profits from anyone. More on-screen text read, “you should care for YOUR privacy, its effecting YOUR wallet.”

He said he would put the comments of the tracker below. The video showed a link to an FCC user-manual page for device 2ADCB-ATG2 and a second link to Atrius Asset Tracker. Text on screen with the second URL read, “this is something we should care about more.”

A HuffPost article described Target changing prices by location and said a shopper could be charged more just for walking inside a store. Money-saving expert Andrea Woroch said changing prices based on time of day, demand, or location is something seen with many other retailers and is known as dynamic pricing. She said the practice is not illegal.

HuffPost cited a 2019 KARE11 check of 10 products that found the total bill $262 cheaper from the back of the parking lot than inside the store. University of Minnesota professor George John told KARE11 that somebody at Target programmed an algorithm which says someone who is 50 feet within the store is willing to pay more. This practice has sparked frustration among shoppers, such as when a Target customer discovered a discounted Mario backpack was scanned at a higher price.

The HuffPost writer compared an 18-pack of Target Up&Up toilet paper and listed $15.39 with a Chicago suburb selected, $15.89 for a New York City neighborhood, and $16.29 for Los Angeles. A Target spokesperson told HuffPost, “For online orders that are fulfilled by our stores, prices reflect the local market.” The spokesperson also pointed to Target’s Price Match Guarantee.

Woroch said Target and other retailers can track location when a person shops online or in the mobile app, and that many shoppers share location without thinking about how that will affect prices. She said Target also analyzes location from the shopping account and profile, earlier orders, and a saved address.

An article on SmallUsefulTips described the Target app tying in-store buys to the point-of-sale system and a RedCard or loyalty account. That piece said the app uses location services and geo-fencing near a store, plus Bluetooth low-energy beacons and Wi-Fi signals that can involve a device MAC address. It said machine learning is used to study buying patterns for personalized offers.

The SmallUsefulTips article said shoppers can turn off location in the app and that Target describes the data as anonymized and subject to GDPR and CCPA. HuffPost listed turning off app location, asking for a price match, and checking in-app coupons as steps shoppers can take.

Commenters reacted first to the setting. One person said filming the warning in a work vest stood out, writing, “Giving this message while in uniform is wild.” Others treated the black device as familiar hardware. One wrote, “Stop, I have one at home.”

Some framed the clip as a reason to skip baskets or skip paying. One wrote, “This is why I steal from target.” Another said they already avoid the equipment: “Jokes on them, I awkwardly carry everything in my arms to the register because I never think I need a cart or basket.”

A few offered advice if the video cost him the job. One wrote, “hey friend! if they fire you for this video make sure to sue under whistleblower law & employment law bc it will be a form of retaliation.” Store connectivity came up as well. One commenter wrote, “don’t ever join their wifi either.” Data collection by retailers is a growing concern, such as when McDonald’s used customer data to predict future visits and spending, as one journalist discovered in a 515-page file.