Chicago woman’s Target self-checkout turns into a predatory nightmare as an employee allegedly launches lewd demands: ‘Let me see more of that body’
Hopefully, he was fired.
A Chicago shopper claimed that an employee harassed her while she was at the self-checkout at a local Target. He was allegedly making crude remarks about her body and refused to take no for an answer. The shopper then left the store immediately after finishing her transaction and reportedly avoided the location for a long time.
TikTok creator Serenity (@serenityxrose21) shared details of the encounter in a video that has accumulated thousands of views. She claimed that while she stepped into the store for a brief errand, an employee assigned to the front area approached her while she was completing her purchase.
The conversation allegedly began with standard compliments. However, it crossed professional boundaries when the worker allegedly pressured her to go out with him despite her visible reluctance. As she turned back to finish her transaction, the employee allegedly made explicit comments about her appearance while other staff members and customers reportedly stood nearby without intervening.
A routine self-checkout at Target allegedly escalated into persistent harassment by an employee
Describing the interaction, Serenity noted that she initially did not think much of the employee’s approach, assuming he was simply being polite. “So basically, he was like, ‘Oh, you look so beautiful today, just wanted to tell you.’ I was like, ‘Oh, thank you, I really appreciate it,’” she recounted.
However, after the initial compliments, the employee allegedly turned to solicit her into going out with him. “He was like, ‘Oh, what are you doing after this? Do you have any plans? Like, I would love to take you out sometime,’” Serenity claimed.
She also added that she clearly told the employee she wasn’t open to his invitation, but instead of stepping back, the employee allegedly persisted, saying they would have a good time together. As Serenity focused on scanning her items, the worker reportedly walked behind her station.
“I was facing away from him, he was behind me, and then he was like, ‘Oh, let me see more of you, beautiful. Turn around. Let me see more of that body. You look amazing,’” Serenity recounted. “And I’m like, oh my god, nobody is saying anything. There’s no employees saying anything to this man.”
After completing payment, she reportedly hurried out of the store to her vehicle and drove away while the employee allegedly continued attempting to call after her.
Why witnesses might fail to intervene during public harassment
Serenity claimed in her video that despite several customers and store employees standing within earshot, no one spoke up or intervened on her behalf. This failure to step in is documented as the bystander effect. It was first identified by researchers John Darley and Bibb Latan in their seminal work on bystander intervention in emergencies in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Although this research offers one possible explanation for the inaction Serenity described, it does not establish why the individuals present chose not to intervene. Subsequent research further documents the bystander effect. It shows that the presence of other people can reduce an individual’s likelihood of intervening in an emergency.
A 2011 meta-analysis published in Psychological Bulletin, examining more than 7,700 participants across 105 independent effect sizes, found an overall reduction in helping when other bystanders were present. This phenomenon may be influenced by how individuals interpret others’ inaction and perceive their own responsibility to act. However, the effect varies depending on the nature and perceived danger of the situation.
Harassment in retail spaces undermines basic customer safety, particularly when it comes from employees tasked with helping customers. While Serenity noted that the employee was no longer present when she eventually returned to the store, the alleged silence of surrounding onlookers underscores the ongoing need for clear bystander intervention practices in public spaces.
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