SHOPPERS at Target have been met with an age restriction sign at one store.
The location is not allowing unaccompanied minors to shop in the store, thanks to a mall policy.
Shoppers have found the sign at a location in Washington DC, Retail Dive said.
According to the report, a sign outside the location says “all guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult at this Target store.”
That means teenage shoppers will need to make different plans if they want Target goods.
The company’s policy appears to be the result of a rule enforced by the mall where this Target is located.
The development, DC USA, has an identical policy.
It’s located in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of DC.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Target for comment.
MINOR INCONVENIENCE
Rumors have previously swirled that a Target near Sacramento, California may implement a similar policy.
Target said that it had no such policy in effect at that location.
It’s not uncommon for retail spaces to ban unsupervised youths.
Many malls nationwide have similar restrictions on teenagers shopping without adults.
For example, Garden State Plaza, in Paramus, New Jersey, requires those under 18 be accompanied by someone older than 21.
WHERE TO GO
Teen shoppers have several other options in the area.
There is another Target on Connecticut Ave NW, about an 8 minute drive or 35 minute walk away from DC USA.
There are four other Target locations in the District.
It’s best to check with individual stores before shopping to make sure they don’t have similar restrictions.
SHOPPING SWITCHES
The U.S. Sun has tracked a number of store changes impacting customers.
Target has drawn both praise and rage surrounding a new self-checkout system.
Latest self-checkout changes
Retailers are evolving their self-checkout strategy in an effort to speed up checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at various locations were made available only for Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed during specific hours, and more cashiers were offered instead.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting fueled the updates, a Walmart spokesperson revealed that store managers are simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment included an RFID-powered self-checkout kiosk that would stop the fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, that test run has been phased out.
At Target, items are being limited at self-checkout.
Last fall, the brand surveyed new express self-checkout lanes across 200 stores with 10 items or less for more convenience.
As of March 2024, this policy has been expanded across 2,000 stores in the US.
Many stores now limit self-checkout machines to those with ten items or fewer.
Other locations have limited self-checkout hours.
Target will soon decrease the number of DVDs it sells, as the tech continues to decline.
Walmart made a controversial change that has some refusing to use self-checkout machines.