Not sure exactly when this started, but several of the Target stores we have visited recently, including our local one here in Alameda, now have groups of armed men in military-style uniforms, and body armour at the entrance.
This is an odd decision for Target, which claims to be a family-friendly shop, and has a stated policy of asking people not to carry weapons into their stores to help them “create an
atmosphere of family-friendly shopping that’s safe and inviting for our
guests and team members.” Having these armed men at the door does the exact opposite of that, for a number of reasons.
Armed Guards Increase Risk
An analysis of FBI data on bank crimes between 2007 and 2011, totaling more than 31,000 incidents, found that the risk of a violent outcome was much higher when armed guards were present. Unsurprisingly, it is the guards themselves who face the biggest risk – armed guards were 64 times as likely to be injured compared to unarmed guards.
“Personally, my company doesn’t do any armed work. None of the clients I have want armed officers. When they ask for them, my first question is always, ‘Who do you want us to shoot?’ ”
Glade Johnson, security company owner and Georgia state regulator
That quote, from the article, echoes the question I put to Target’s CEO: under what circumstances are these armed guards allowed to use those weapons? At the time of writing, I have not received an answer to that specific question – Target’s guest relations responded with:
At select locations, we partner closely with highly trained and licensed security contactors. Security remains a top priority with us at Target, and we will continue to commit to the safety of our guests and team while shopping in our stores.
Target Guest Relations
Target’s own security personnel now wear jackets stating they are “Asset Protection.” One has to assume that the armed ones are also present not for the protection of customers, but to limit Target’s losses. If somebody runs from the store with a bag of electronics, would they use their guns to stop that thief?
Perceived Threat
More important than any of the data though is the first impression stationing people in military-style uniforms at the entrance to a store gives. My son, who has been through several years of active shooter drills at school, did not want to stay in the store the first time we saw them there, and does not want to go there again if they are there. He was concerned that their presence indicated an expectation of armed robberies at the store, and the potential for a gunfight while he was in the store.
The response from Target that these are only in “select location” also implies that they believe some stores have a higher risk of armed robberies. I checked local news archives and I can only find evidence of two armed robberies in bay area Target stores, one in 2017 and one in 2021. Why do they suddenly add them at the end of 2022? Is there an increased risk of armed robberies in their stores that justified paying to have armed para-militaries at the door to all the stores in the area? If so, I think my son’s idea may well be right: avoid Target stores, for fear of getting caught up in a gunfight between thieves and security staff, who may not have customer safety as their top priority, especially if they are being shot at.
Still Family Friendly?
Honestly, the answer has to be no, not while they have guns at the front door. If they had chosen either their own security uniforms, or something that didn’t resemble a cos-play soldier, it might not have felt as much like we were entering a war zone, but the impression that if they need armed security to protect the store, then there must be an increased risk of armed robberies there is hard to escape. Especially when no other stores we’ve visited in the area have armed security.
It also sends a clear message that they are more concerned with financial losses than the safety of their customers and employees. I am more concerned for the safety of my family, so we will be avoiding their stores until these guards are removed. More guns is never the answer – it only leads to an escalation of violence, as demonstrated in the article referenced above.
Should I receive an answer from Target’s CEO about the scenarios where they allow these weapons to be used, I will add an update here. Hiring a private security firm does not release Target’s management of responsibility for their actions, so I would hope they already have answers from the company they hired as to when any kind of force would be allowed.
So thankful for this article as I was just the victim of harassment by Target and their paramilitary guards at the Target store off of Geary and Masonic in San Francisco.
After shopping without any assistance offered and paying for my things in self -checkout without any assistance offered ( there was a a Target rep standing there completely disconnected from customers and offering no assistance or any sign of approachability).
I completed payment and approached the door to exit the store when a man who seemed to be a Target employee (dressed in a red shirt) asked for my receipt. Behind him were two armed men dressed in paramilitary gear. I had already put the receipt in my wallet in my backpack and was running late to get back to work.
I asked why he needed my receipt. He said because I had a large item in my cart ( a comforter). I said it was highly inconvenient at this point to be digging for my receipt. He said that was the rules.
I showed him my receipt and he said okay you can go. I said thanks but offered that perhaps the Target rep standing there by checkout doing nothing could have done this receipt check. Or perhaps that Target rep could have warned me to keep my receipt in hand and that I may be randomly stopped by paramilitary security guards for questioning. Or perhaps she could have added an orange dot or something to my purchase rather then having me endure being stopped by men with guns and basically accused of shoplifting.
The two armed paramilitary guards moved much closer to us during this verbal exchange and said to just follow the rules. I asked if this was still a free country and whether or not a customer at Target had the right to voice a complaint or make suggestions.
They just stared at me. I asked if it was still a free country where I can complain about the rules. I gave the man my receipt when he asked for it. I was also disagreeing with Target’s implementing armed guards at the exit to intimidate customers. The armed guard said yes and backed off a bit. it was scary.
And what if I had made a mistake during self-checkout. It’s possible right? Someone could scan an item and it doesn’t register properly? Then what? Would I have been arrested?
I exited the store and got in my car. I felt angry and at the same time wanted to cry. Not sure of what had just happened. What an ordeal to go through for one comforter and two pairs of joggers.
Oh and by the way, I discovered red plastic security tags on both joggers when I arrived home. After all of this I left the Target store with two items that needed to be returned.
And let me clarify that I am a white professional older woman. What if my demographic had been one far more vulnerable due to so many isms and issues in this country including systemic racism. It’s scary to think how quickly things could have escalated.
I returned to this Target store with my husband two days later and returned the joggers. I was told by the Target employee that I should have come to them to have the tags removed at time of purchase. I said I didn’t even notice them before I got home.
The language used by this employee around what I should have done or what I should have known was also indicative of the climate of shaming and blaming of customers at Target.
So glad my husband was there to witness the complete disregard for the customer. No apologies for my troubles for having to return the items.
I then and there decided to speak with a Target manager. A Target floor manager named Donovan spoke with us. He listened and seemed concerned and perhaps a bit overwhelmed by my story. He clearly was not in a position to do anything about this level of policy.
But he did offer to bring this information to the attention of someone above his level. It was then that I realized I had been a victim of harassment. I believe what happened to me was intimidation and harassment by armed paramilitary at my local Target store. Something needs to change.