Enjoying Video Games Is Not A Crime, Except Maybe At Target

Things that Michael could not be trusted to do at Target: carry a game from the electronics department to the front of the store without stealing it, and provide a reliable price-matching amount from Amazon. It’s totally excellent that they’re willing to price-match Amazon and all, but Michael shared his story because he’s sort of bemused that something as simple as a game got him treated like a criminal.

Today I went to target to purchase a new game on sale as well as a few other household items. After browsing for what I needed, I went to electronics and asked for a game from behind the glass, a helpful employee (rep #1) gets it, then tells me it has to be walked up front. I joked how it’s funny I could carry around other items priced at hundreds of dollars but not a $40 game. We waited around for a few minutes when I asked about purchasing the game. I’m told employees cannot adjust prices back in electronics, it must be done ‘up front’. The issue was the rep was covering the regular electronics employee and cannot leave the department, so we wait several minutes for someone else to ‘walk the game’ up front, because I’m a criminal and all.

My escort (rep #2 ) and I get to customer service, where I let rep #3 know that I want to price match amazon. Of course their iPad doesn’t work, stating it cannot connect online. Rep #3 calls over a supervisor as about five minutes have passed and there is now a line of multiple customers waiting for assistance behind me. I offer my iPhone and show them the amazon price, they still insist on making the iPad work. At that point I commented how it’s amazing I’m automatically some criminal, that I cannot touch a game nor show them the price on a similar idevice, now being ten minutes from originally getting the game back in electronics.

In the end I begrudgingly purchased my items and left, though target as a brand lost a ton of respect from me today.

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