.....or extremely paranoid!!

I swear that I am on a "list" at two of the local Targets here. Very often when I shop, I feel like employees and/or security are following me around and it's just so obvious. I DO NOT steal.....I do buy and return a lot....and use a fair amount of coupons ... but it's all legit with proper receipts, etc.

Has anyone else felt this way? (Misery loves company! ) Do I fit a profile or something?? If you work at Target, is there such a list or a bulletin board with pictures of shopaholics or something??? LOL I admit that I am an endcap shopper....and I almost never go to Target with an only and specific purpose.

cj/

__________________
I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Admittedly, I've been feeling the same way this week, in particular.

I was dying to find the Archer Farms coffee (whatever the title is - the one with the snowflakes on the foil that was included in the holiday % off...) Well, as I rummaged through each row of coffee on each shelf all the way through to the back, I know I looked pretty suspicious...

I, too, would love to know if there are some particular customers that come in to each store that ALL the employees have their eyes on...

__________________
"The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." - Thomas Russell

Misery does love company and I'm glad I'm not alone anymore! I've been feeling this way too the past week or so. I guess because I've been running to Target so much. I can relate to the "rummaging"! I finally got annoyed today when the sixth Target employee asked me if I was "finding everything OK". I said that I was just browsing! ~Lisa

Add me to the list ladies. I can kind of understand why....it was the third day in a row that I arrived right after they opened the doors. I am also a huge end cap shopper. I helped several people today find the hidden rugs in the housewares department, and the socks/undies in the womens department. Finally, one of the employees heard me helping another shopper and they ran over and started cleaning out the areas where the *hidden* items were located. I also got strange looks while rummaging thru the coffee and candy looking for deals (Which by the way...I found :-). I always make sure not to make a mess. My oldest daughter actually worked at a Target in Florida, and always complained about having to clean up the mess, so even if I am a bit greedy...I am neat while searching for my deals.

I'm pretty sure they all know me well enough at my local store that I don't ever feel watched! If I do they are probably just seeing what I'm buying this time!

I forgot to add that I also feel like some of the customers are watching me. Today, it seemed like this older woman was following me around. She kept looking in my cart to see what I had. There was also another woman who seemed to always show up when I was scanning the price of things. I kept trying to scan when she wasn't around! Call me paranoid I guess! ~Lisa

I'm usually too involved in looking for deals that I don't pay attention, but then again I don't go no where near as much as I used to. I completely understand though, and don't doubt for one second they are doing that..ah well.

__________________
If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now, quiet! The're about to announce the lottery numbers... - Homer Simpson

Didn't you guys get the memo? Wear a red shirt when you go-that way you'll just blend in...

I totally feel stalked on occassion, but the deals are worth it. On the days I am stalked though.. I always feel a little shady. Like, what it is about me that they seem to be suspicious of? Then I find something for 75% off and it's all good again.

No lists at our store. We are occasionally shown pictures of people to watch out for but it's not of people that are actually paying for things no matter how good a deal it is. Our security doesn't follow people around in the stores physically but I wouldn't be picking my nose or picking wedgies because chances are good you'll be on "candid camera" I've actually seen more employees taken out in handcuffs than shoplifters.

__________________
Living well IS the best revenge!!

It is well known and documented on all the Target discussion boards (and K-Mart as well) that they DO target couponers.

They especially target people who do a lot of returns, so I would advise you to be more careful in your purchases to make sure you really want the item, that it's
the right size, etc., before buying.

Also make sure you are using 100% legitimate coupons. The front managers are known to go over to a register after you have left the store and pull all your coupons and review them.

If you think you may be abusing coupons or doing a lot of returns, I would advise you to lay low for a couple months.

I'm not sure I get what the problem is with the returns...what's wrong with returning things that you change your mind about under the posted return policy???

__________________
I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

LOL!


I haven't had that problem at Target. . .it always seems like they are too understaffed to do that. . .BUT I get that feeling at KMart. I usually don't shop there, but go on the double coupon days. Holy cow! Leave me alone. . .I am just going through my coupons and looking for deals. . .don't worry I'm going to pay for it. . .or make you pay me. Hehe!

__________________
"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

I've been there on days that I've been wearing a red shirt and khaki's and other people come up and ask me questions. I didn't know why the first few times!

I can understand an occasional return but if you're returning items "a lot", I can guess why they're watching you. The average customer doesn't return many items and excessive returns usually signal fraud of some sort. Your behavior is sending up red flags to them and they're following you because they think you're up to something.

Why do you return a lot? I shop frequently (not at Target but other stores) and I rarely return anything.

I felt this way the day before it went 75% because I was basically just scoping things out to see what I might like to get the next day and an employee was at every turn I made. Nice enough though, one gal that has worked there for a number of years mentioned to me that I had been shopping there for many years and when I said yes, and I am sure blushed, she whispered to me that it would for sure be 75% the next day and to come back in the early a.m. I loved that she was trying to be discreet about it.

I buy alot of stuff, I bring it home, I change my mind, and I return what I don't want. Why is that a sign of fraud? Target has a very good system that requires receipts or credit card lookup - which I always use. I have never returned anything without receipt there. The only thing that I can think of that would be frauD was if I was switching tags to return inferior or used merchandise...but I am not!

So although it's annoying, they can follow me around all they want but they're barking up the wrong tree and ought to be spending their loss prevention resources somewhere else....

cj/

__________________
I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

I'm still curious as to why I need to lay low when I'm not doing anything wrong. The only coupons I have are cut out of my Sunday newspaper (1 of each is all I have, no printables, etc). Why can't I bring home 10 pairs of pants for my DS to try and bring back 9 of them. Who cares? And what's wrong with that? Why do I have to be sure I will keep them?

cj/

__________________
I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

What do stores do with returned items anyway?

__________________
Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have!

If Vegetarians eat Vegetables. Do Humanitarians eat Humans?

'Vegetarian' is an old Native American word for bad hunter.

Think if they needed to profile me and stalk me around a store they can keep their stuff and I'd go somewhere else.

__________________
Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com

My other favorites
www.paperbackswap.com
www.wheresgeorge.com
www.geocaching.com

They put them out again to be sold...why wouldn't they? That is why they ask if the item was defective or not when you return it.

__________________

I wonder how their reordering system works. I know at the store I work at (not a target) when an item is scanned at the register, that item is then "gone" and the computer system knows to reorder. I wonder if you buy the extra 9 pair of pants and their computer system reorders and then you bring them back, they'll have extra merchandise. Just a thought anyway as to why some stores limit returns.

Do some stores really limit returns if you have the original receipt? I've never been turned away with an original receipt, but then again I am not a big shopper so therefore don't return much. I think at Wal-Mart you can only do a certain number of returns without a receipt in a certain time period and I think they track it by your driver's license number or something. I can't imagine being told that I couldn't return something even though I had the receipt and I was complying with the other terms (ie, computers one week unopened, unopened dvds, no returns past 90 days, etc.)

__________________
I've had a Foreman Grill for about six years. I've done about 85% of my cooking on it, but I've never burnt myself. Probably because I don't use it as a pillow.

Walmart is the only place that I've every really heard about denying people on returns so not sure about other stores in general, but no personal experience yet. We haven't had a Target in our town for several years now, but there is one about an hour away and haven't been there for awhile now. Whenever I could get there, all the good stuff was always gone .

Because you're baaaad!

Just kidding!

And I believe that is denying returns without receipt. I had heard that before there was a limited number of no-receipt returns at some stores...but I don't do that. I always have my receipt or a credit card lookup. Well, I take that back, DH got some Hanes undershirts for Christmas that I don't know where they came from and I exchanged them evenly for a different style at Kohls. No problem on that....

cj/

__________________
I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

That's good that they only limit it to those that don't have a receipt. As I said no personal experience yet, but have heard other's talk about it on another forum. Sometimes it's hard to figure out if what people post on there is always the complete truth .

Well if anyone was stalked person it would be my mom who simply loves loves the store Sears.We always joke and say the store should be renamed Anna's Sears Store, because no matter what you need as far as clothes or household or appliances she insists on getting everything there so does my dad. However when it comes to returning items she is so famous for that and at this point I cannot believe they have not forbid her to enter the store. She returns everything and sometimes with no receipt or better she brings the items to the front and just empties a whole bag of receipts and tells the cashier its in some where. God love her, she can be so funny.Honestly I firmly believe you should be able to return anything you want as long as you have the correct receipt what is the harm. For me personally I am the famous Pathmark stalker me and my other coupon nut friend Maria , they definitely know us, they know us because we do use alot of coupons. However things to be considered we never ever use more then 4 of the same coupon per order, we use the right coupon for the right item, we never ever use any expired or any other store logo coupons. However within doing all the correct things we still get bothered and noticed and there are times we know a manager is following us around and watching. However bottom line, they accept triple coupons four of the same kind , we are doing nothing wrong. However it does sometimes make us feel uneasy like we are comman criminals and some of the cashiers are so nice, while others are plain nasty. But again I will always say this is what we love and its my money and its your job and its part of your job description to accept my manufacturers coupons like it or not...I do believe there was however a lady who was banned from a store because she was using all those coupons and getting the items for free and then returning them, that however is simply not right. Oh well Peace to all .Catherine

I very rarely return anything. In fact, I can't remember the last time I did. What about things that are opened.. like a pack of socks or something. Do they have to send those back to the manf. to get repackaged?

__________________
Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have!

If Vegetarians eat Vegetables. Do Humanitarians eat Humans?

'Vegetarian' is an old Native American word for bad hunter.

I am not a big returner either, but do so now and again, especially w/ the Christmas season, when I realize I bought too much of something. I am, however going to Walmart this weekend to return an $80 paintball gun that I bought for my son. He never had a chance to use it "in the field." He went and shot it in the woods around our neighborhood, and the first time he really used it, it pretty much fell to pieces. He is 15, and was very proud and thrilled to have it, and was quite concerned when he asked me if it was still under warranty. Inside the package was a note saying, "Do not return to store where purchased. Please contact xxxxxxx. BS! You know what, Walmart, you sold a pc. of crap. I will return this to you, and then you can return to the manufacturer. I don't want to buy from that Brand again.

This is what I was thinking. There are many items that just can't be put back the way the manufacturer had them set. That makes it a pain for the store. How can they put items that can't be originally packaged out for sale?

If they did have to send items back to the manufacturer, wouldn't that cost the store money? I'm sure they'd pass that along to the customer population.

What about stores with "restocking" fees? I've always wondered why some stores do that, but I didn't think of this. It might cost them money to be able to shelve it again, or they just plain have to send it back to the manufacturer.

OP - I'm not sure what all is being returned so often, but maybe it would help to go to the store - see something you want - go home - then see if you really still want it later on. I've done that with some bigger items. It really helps me decide if I truly want something. That might help cut down on returns. It sounds like you shop fairly often, so you already make several trips.

__________________