Ohio woman catches secret shopper following her at Target. So she pulls an UNO reverse—and follows them instead: ‘They think they’re so slick’
An Ohio woman noticed a Target secret shopper following her around as she tried to shop. So, she decided to follow back.
“I am in Target. They got a secret shopper following me [around],” said @ilovejayonna in a video with 641,000 views. She then filmed the woman, showing that she was indeed tailing her. But, @ilovejayonna decided to flip the situation around. “Now she gone, she walking. She running. Let’s go follow her,” she said.
TikTok commenters thought it was a humorous way to deal with the situation. Hoever, many expressed concerns about the racial profiling occurring in Target. After all, it’s not the first time that a person has been followed around in a Target store due to suspected shoplifting.
So, how often does Target employ “secret shoppers” to follow around customers? And, what’s the best strategy to deal with them?
What is a ‘secret shopper’?
A secret shopper is a worker at a store who dresses in regular, casual wear and walks around to observe others’ behavior. Sometimes, these workers are just there to evaluate employee performance. But stores also use these secret shoppers to keep track of how customers behave while shopping.
Does Target actually use secret shoppers?
Target, like many other larger corporate stores, uses secret shoppers or loss prevention employees. This is to keep an eye on customers to minimize shoplifting.
Stores like Target and Walmart have made bigger efforts in 2025 to prevent product losses due to shoplifting. That’s created some noticeable differences for both of these stores, as customers have noticed an increase in the amount of locked cases that directly harm customer experiences.
Previously, The Mary Sue reported on an incident where a customer was asked to check out early, as a supposed secret shopper followed the customer in-store. In that case, the customer discussed how “you can’t even shop in peace” due to the pervasive feeling of being followed.
Would following a secret shopper really stop them?
According to @ilovejayonna, one of the best methods to deal with pesky secret shoppers is to make them as uncomfortable as you are.
In her video, she points out that the worker moved between various aisles, following her no matter where she went. The TikToker mentioned that she “loves” rage baiting, so she decided to go look for her. She walked through each aisle to try and find the shopper again.
In a few clips, @ilovejayonna manages to capture the secret shopper, who indeed looks pretty uncomfortable being filmed.
She quoted another TikToker while saying, “ I love when I be racially profiled in the store. ’cause that’s when I start making them my [expletive]. So now I’m gonna go up to her if I [can] find her. She is running from me now, so I’m about to go up to her. And see if I [can] find her.”
Others recommended the strategy, saying that making “loss prevention” employees uncomfortable helps with their continued and pervasive aisle maneuvering. As one commenter described, “This happened to me, the dead giveaway is when they have no purse and no cart. I make them very uncomfortable, I make eye contact with them and follow them back.”
@ilovejayonna So a secret shopper at Target thought she was slick… until I noticed and turned the camera on. Watch how fast the energy changes ?. #target #stealing @Becauseimlex ?? #racialprofiling ♬ original sound – 1/1
‘We NOT welcomed’—What do commenters mean?
Despite having security cameras in-store, many people of color (POC) have noticed shoppers in corporate settings following them. Other commenters pointed toward incidents in stores like Ross, where secret shoppers have made it harder to feel comfortable shopping without scrutiny.
“You’re not supposed to be up there, girl,” said one commenter. @ilovejayonna replied, saying, “I know, they always prove to me why I should stay away too.”
Over time, stores like Target have slowly evolved from regular all-purpose retailers to unwelcome spaces. That’s made POC existing in these spaces uncomfortable, ultimately leading to some avoiding these stores altogether.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Target and @ilovejayonna for comment.
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