"I Start Panicking" — Man Followed This Woman Around Target

Unfortunately, we live in a world that's filled with creepy and inappropriate people. Over the years, we’ve heard countless stories of people being kidnapped, trafficked, and victims of more heinous crimes. That said, we must be diligent with being aware of our surroundings and taking the appropriate measures.

Sadly, as much as we can be cautious, sometimes things happen that are out of our control. In a viral TikTok video, a man followed a woman around a Target location without her even realizing it. And while she’s OK, it’s a reminder of the importance of taking proper safety measures. Here’s the scoop.

We truly have to look out for one another. In a June 29, 2023, TikTok video, creator Nina (@ninasotom), shared a video detailing her experience shopping at Target when she learned a man was following her around the store.

“Target’s security literally catches everything,” Nina said. “I was just in there for an hour browsing and I ended up checking out with five items. And I think two of them had little tags on them.”

Nina continued: “So, the self-checkout worker was like, ‘Hey, do you need those tags taken off? I said, ‘Yeah, that would be great. And I pay as she’s getting them off and then she comes back and she was like, ‘You can’t leave. You have to sit right here. And she was very adamant. ‘You have to sit here and you have to wait for me.’”

Nina then explained that she started panicking and shared that she just wanted to go home because she was in sweaty gym clothes. She was so nervous, she even looked over her receipt just to be sure that the items she purchased were in her bag.

Interestingly, the self-checkout worker was helping another customer, but she turned around and told Nina, ‘You can’t leave.’”

At that point, Nina shared that she was beyond nervous and thought she was getting arrested. She even held her receipt flat on the palms of her hands so Target's hidden ceiling cameras could read the receipt.

After waiting a while to be spoken to, the self-checkout worker walked over to another woman who wasn't in a Target uniform but had an earpiece in. Nina said that she was still holding her receipt flat in her palms and the woman with the earpiece went over to Nina.

“Hi I’m security,” the woman said to Nina as she was holding the receipt. The woman continued, “No ma’am, there’s been a man following you around for the last hour and he was taking pictures of you. I’m so sorry I didn’t catch it earlier. I would have thrown him out. But, by this time he is outside and he was waiting by his car.”

After security informed Nina about the situation, the woman walked Nina to her car and watched her get in.

“She was so sweet and so apologetic for a situation that was not her fault at all. If anything, thank you,” Nina said. “This was all just very confusing and shocking for me. So I didn’t get her name. You know who you are if you see this. You’re dope and I love you and I would love to send you a fruit basket, flowers, or something.”

“This video is not supposed to be an OMG this happened to me, but more like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing that Target has those things set in place or maybe it was just that one worker. I don’t know, either way, dope,’” Nina said.

At the end of the video, Nina said that she rewatched her TikTok and wanted to again express thanks to Target and the worker for looking out for her.

When it comes to hearing stories on TikTok about retail shopping experiences, most folks hold their breaths. After all, so many people have called out retailers for racial discrimination, bias, and so much more. So, when Nina shared that a worker actually looked out for her, TikTok users were able to exhale and be thankful.

“That lady could have saved your life! Glad you’re OK,” one user shared.

“I was in Target a couple of weeks ago and there was a guy with a knife. Those employees were on that so fast and warned everyone to stay calm,” another person shared.

“Wow, I was so mad they were going to accuse you of something. The power of staying calm,” another person said.

We are aligned with TikTok users who are happy that Nina is OK. And if we have to say it until we’re blue in the face, please be aware of your surroundings and look out for each other. You just might save a person’s life.