Shoppers are facing a new reality at Target.
The retail giant is reportedly monitoring your shopping activities through technology embedded in its shopping carts.
Recently, an employee, known as Elijah P on TikTok, confirmed this unusual tech. He shared a video showing where the tracking device is located on the carts, stating, “These baskets, this thing, that’s a tracker. So they are now tracking shoppers at Target….for supposedly consumer habits.”
If that sounds strange, it gets even weirder. The technology in the shopping carts links to lighting systems overhead to track customer movement.
This system is referred to as “intelligent LED lighting.” Target has installed these LED bulbs that not only light up the store but also monitor shopper behavior via “real-time positioning services.”
Acuity Brands, the company behind this tech, announced its partnership with Target nearly a decade ago, with the first implementations appearing in stores in 2017. They also mentioned plans to integrate Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology into the shopping carts.
So, the smart LEDs and BLE work together to observe “customers’ shopping behavior and monitor employee activity.” This is done using small signals embedded in the system.
The press release from Acuity Brands noted, “The new asset tracking functionality utilizes BLE radios embedded in intelligent LED lighting from Acuity Brands and BLE-enabled sensor tags.”
These tags can be attached to items like shopping carts to help track their movement, giving retail staff insight into shopper behavior while also keeping an eye on employee actions.
The company isn’t exactly trying to conceal this information. Its own privacy policy acknowledges collecting location data while customers are in-store. And it seems this data collection isn’t limited to the Target app.
According to Target, it collects information automatically during customer interactions, whether in-store, on the website, through the app, or via online ads and emails. But you can opt out by disabling the sharing feature on your device or within the app.
It’s important to note that even if shoppers choose to opt out of geolocation sharing, Target can still keep tabs on shopping patterns based on the shopping cart. Some customers are not pleased with this practice.
One shopper commented, “Yet another reason to not shop at Target.” Another expressed outrage, stating, “This is an invasion of privacy!!”
Some users went as far as comparing the situation to “Black Mirror,” the dystopian series that explores the dark implications of modern technology.
One commenter remarked, “It’s giving Black Mirror. Unacceptable Target WTAF.”
Attempts to reach out to Target for a comment have gone unanswered for now.
