A shopping trip can become uncomfortable quickly when a routine checkout starts to feel like something more. That is what one woman says happened during a recent visit to Target with her children.
TikTok creator Prettyki shared a video from a Target store in Brookfield, Wisconsin, where she questioned why an employee printed another copy of her receipt after she had finished paying. The interaction left her feeling singled out, particularly because she believed another customer with a larger order had not received the same attention.
According to Prettyki’s caption, she had more than 30 items in her cart, including groceries and clothing. She says an employee stopped her before she could enter the self-checkout area, so she opted for a regular register instead. During the transaction, another employee repeatedly approached her cart and watched the register screen.
Why the extra receipt caught her attention
The attention became noticeable enough that the woman says her daughter commented, “Mama, she just keeps coming over here watching your cart and the screen.” After the transaction, the employee, who was not operating the register, allegedly printed a copy of the receipt and took it away.
The extra step concerned her because she had already paid and had not been accused of doing anything wrong. Similar situations have arisen when shoppers have been asked to explain or show receipts after paying, including in a recent Aldi encounter.
Prettyki then asked why the additional receipt had been printed. In the video, she points out that she had used a regular register rather than self-checkout before asking, “Why does she print out my receipt and nobody else.”
The manager does not appear to have an immediate answer. Instead, she says, “I’m gonna call AP see if they kind of knew anything. I can go talk to them.”
Store employees can have considerable visibility into what is happening during a checkout, including the items being scanned and whether a transaction needs attention. That can make employee monitoring a noticeable part of the shopping experience, particularly when a customer is unsure why their purchase is being watched. A previous look at Walmart’s system showed how much employees can see during the process.
The conversation then shifts to Prettyki’s decision to record. The manager tells her, “I can’t assist you if you’re going to record.” When the woman questions why, the manager adds, “I can’t service if we’re going to record because there we’re not allowed to do that.” She continues asking how the situation is fair before requesting Target’s corporate contact information.
Some commenters suggested there could be an ordinary explanation for the additional receipt. One viewer wrote, “Maybe she did it by mistake.” Another offered a possible explanation for Asset Protection becoming involved, saying, “Sometimes AP asks for a receipt so they can check on the cashier. Sometimes they ask for it to check prices. Sometimes it has nothing to do with you, but those who are waiting on you.”
Another commenter took a broader view of the retailer, writing, “I’m still boycotting them they definitely don’t like us.”
Prettyki says she believes the treatment was connected to racial profiling. The video does not independently establish the employee’s motive or why the additional receipt was printed, however, so that remains the creator’s allegation.
The concern ultimately comes down to the explanation she says she never received. While the manager said she would speak with Asset Protection, the exchange shown in the video does not provide a clear answer about why the additional receipt was printed in the first place. The shopper continued to question why her transaction received that extra attention, asking, “How is it fair?”
Published: Aug 11, 2026 07:29 pm