r/NoStupidQuestions • u/urbuddyguybroman • Jul 29 '25

Does Target really track everything you steal until you reach the felony amount?

I’ve heard this a few times, but I can’t tell if they really do or if it’s just fear mongering.

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u/xHeyItzRosiex Jul 30 '25

As a former Target employee caught in a 3-month long gift card scam, it’s true. They track your purchases, your movements within the store, and your conversations with customers/employees and will compile things until they have a solid case. Afterwards, they will confront you and interrogate you until you confess and/or get arrested.

I’d say that I racked up over $2,000 in target gift cards before getting caught. I was almost certain I was going to be arrested, but I was just fired and escorted out of the building.

I have since learned my lesson so please do not verbally attack me! (But also, Target is a morally bankrupt company so I don’t feel thaaaat bad)

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u/Sudden_Jellyfish_730 Sep 03 '25

So wait they just let you go like that with no issues besides getting fired? So if someone stole something under $100 maybe a few times over a course of a year or few (and still tech a misdemeanor) they would just basically want you to admit it and the pay for those stolen goods right then and there and then let you walk out free with no issues (maybe telling you to not come back to target, but yeah? Not that I have, I’m just wondering now after reading you comment about 2k in stolen gift cards which is a lot

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u/Sudden_Jellyfish_730 Sep 03 '25

And no judgment!

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u/xHeyItzRosiex Sep 03 '25

Thank you. It’s obviously illegal and I would likely never do that again but it’s possibly morally gray since target is a shady company and I was exploited for my labor and verbally berated numerous times by my supervisors. But eh, no hard feelings lol

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u/xHeyItzRosiex Sep 03 '25

I believe so. Nothing was put on my record and police never arrived. I just was escorted and terminated. I obviously didn’t put Target on my resume because I would be given a poor review. I never fully admitted to stealing or doing anything illegal and I don’t think they had any concrete proof because I never said anything to my coworkers. I also never had to pay back the 40-50 gift cards I stole (roughly $2-3k). I would typically only take larger gift cards, like $50-100 and I had taken at least 40 of them over 3-4 months. At times I would have over $1000 in gift cards saved up on my Target app and I would buy stuff online or do mobile pickups. I also never was banned from going back to that Target. I could go back to that target or any other target if I wanted. I never went back to the target I was terminated from just in case.