‘How the rich stay rich’: Target shopper shares self-checkout kiosk trick to getting money back—you probably didn’t even know this button existed
We’ve seen all sorts of money-saving tricks go massively viral on social media. After all, every cent counts as grocery prices continue to rise. But some methods leave viewers baffled and may not be fully on board, including the Colorado-based Target shopper who shares her trick to shave a few cents off her total.
The Target method in action
In an eight-second clip, Colorado TikTok creator @ak353337 films the Target self-checkout kiosk screen. Then, demonstrates her budget-friendly ‘life hack.’ First, she presses the ‘use my own bag’ icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen. For each personal bag entered, 10 cents is deducted. Although she didn’t bring any of her own, she still inputs five of them. From there, it removes 25 cents from her total.
Viewers were split
The video amassed 3 million views and sparked a heated discussion. The overwhelming majority of viewers condemned this for various reasons.
“All that for 25¢,” one viewer remarked.
“Yeahhh soon enough target will start making cashiers come over to verify the bags,” another commented. “Congratulations on making the check out line process take longer.”
“Now they’re gonna get a system update to remove the feature,” a third wrote, referring to the phenomenon where companies nip any viral hack in the bud.
Even an alleged Target worker was critical and warned of the potential consequences. “Coming from a target [team member] .. that’s technically theft and [they’re] watching; but do as u please,” they cautioned.
However, very few did jump to her defense.
“How the rich stay rich,” one commenter stated.
“Yall are making fun of it but 25 cents every shopping trip adds up over time,” a second said.
Does Target build cases on shoplifters?
Indeed, they do. Since 2023, their methods for combating theft have become more comprehensive. In fact, there are rumors that the chain will allegedly allow customers to steal until the amount exceeds the threshold for felony grand theft larceny. For instance, the content creator’s home state, Colorado, has a $2,000 threshold. California-based public defender Vee, as previously reported by The Mary Sue, reinforced these ramifications of every penny stolen.
“They don’t just get you on the freaking one dollar that you think you got away with one time,” she explained. “They get you, they ID you, and they aggregate every time that you steal until the amount goes over to be a felony charge. You’re not getting away with it. They are waiting on you. They are looking at you.” On the other hand, Target denied any such claims to Business Insider.
“We don’t have any policies in place to hold or bundle shoplifting charges until they reach a felony level,” they stated. “The people that Target waits to build a case on are not your run of the mill shoplifter; these are professional thieves.”
Target monitors for theft through high-resolution cameras, on-site security officers, additional third-party guard services, and a partnership with Homeland Security Investigations. Even self-checkout uses cameras to monitor customers’ every move within line of sight.
Whether it’s lying about bringing your own bags or conveniently forgetting to scan an item, it’s best not to take the chance.
@ak353337 i stay doing this #target #discount #money ♬ STRIPPING IN THE CLUB HNM MEGAMIX – LEOPARD
The Mary Sue reached out to @ak353337 via TikTok comment and direct message as well as Target via press email.
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