A TIKTOK user is calling out Target after coming across a store shelf that they say had darker shades of makeup products locked up for security.
The video of the incident allegedly shows that lighter shades of the same product sit out in the open right next to it, sparking outrage from others on TikTok.
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TikToker Eli Levi, posted the video on April 1.
The TikTok post starts with the video showing two rows of luminizing tinted serum from the beauty brand Versed.
On the left side is a row of packages of the tanning product in the shade of “sheer bronzed,” with the packages sealed individually in plastic anti-theft boxes.
In the next row, viewers can see another line of the Versed luminizing face drops, this time in a slightly lighter shade called “sheer golden.”
The packages of the lighter shade, however, are not locked up in security boxes like the darker shade.
“Target, please explain to me why the lighter shades are perfectly out while the darker shades are packaged and security sealed,” Levi can be heard saying at the beginning of the video.
“That is racism at its finest in the beauty section at Target.”
Some users responded in the comments with shock and anger.
“OMG” one TikToker wrote.
“Yup. they’ve been getting away with this for years. #shopsmall,” another said.
According to the product description on Versed’s website, as first reported by Daily Dot, the pigments in the product “enhance skin’s natural glow.”
“These liquid illuminating glow drops feel like a serum, act as a serum, and look like your most radiant skin,” the description reads.
The product description also notes that “both shades work well on almost all skin tones and can be mixed together.”
One commenter attempted to explain that the decision is made based on how often something is stolen.
“As someone who’s been the person locking these boxes, they lock up products that are stolen the most.”
Others agreed that it was probably a decision made based on numbers, but still thought it was problematic.
“My guess is that the security boxes are assigned to items…from a loss prevention log, but I still think it’s a really bad look,” one user wrote.
Responding to people saying it was merely a business decision, Levi wrote:
“if it wasn’t racist, they would have locked up both shades NOT JUST THE DARKER ONES! Y’all are not passing the vibe check…”
In March, Target released details about its strict approach to shoplifting.
The retail chain said it has two forensic labs that go through evidence to catch shoplifters across the company’s 300 stores.
In recent years, retail chains Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS have made decisions to stop locking multicultural hair and beauty products in locked cases, NPR reported.
The policy changes came on the heels of a 2018 lawsuit against Walmart for locking African-American beauty products away from products for non-African-Americans.
The Sun reached out to Target for comment about the allegations in the video, but has not received a response from the company.
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