A Target shopper says that the popular retailer banned her from shopping online after she tried to order something to freshen up her wardrobe.
Jenna Katz (@jennakatz31) says that she ordered a pair of brown ballet flats from Target’s website. Right away, Target canceled the order, she says.
Katz was a bit miffed but didn’t think too much of it.
“I thought maybe they didn’t have my size in stock because I wear a five and a half,” she says in a TikTok about the experience.
So she tried again. Yet again, the order was canceled.
She figured that Target was truly out of stock of her size, so she tried to order the same shoe in a size six.
“Immediately canceled,” Katz says.
“So I call customer service, I’m like, ‘My order keeps getting canceled, I’m not sure why,'” Katz continues. “And they said I got flagged as a reseller and it goes against Target’s terms and conditions.”
Katz was confused. She says she isn’t a reseller, and besides, why would Target’s site flag an order for a single pair of shoes?
She tried to convince Target’s customer service representative that she isn’t a reseller, she says. “I was like, ‘Look at my order history. You can see I barely shop at Target,'” she recounts.
But they weren’t having it. They told her that she had to go to the store to buy the shoes, and could only buy a limited quantity.
“I only want one pair of shoes,” Katz laments with apparent frustration. “I just want the one.”
Is reselling prohibited?
Resellers typically buy large quantities of items from retailers and then resell them at a markup. It may seem harmless, essentially just capitalism at work. But many argue that retailers do have a legitimate interest in clamping down on the practice.
Critics say reselling can hurt a brand’s image, make its products inaccessible to lower-income consumers, and potentially violate its intellectual property rights. There are also licensing requirements, tax considerations, and other policies that resellers are supposed to adhere to.
These are some of the reasons why many brands only allow licensed dealers to sell their products.
Target’s policies directly address reselling. “Target reserves the right to prohibit purchases of any merchandise to resellers,” its terms and conditions state.
Why did Katz get flagged?
Katz insists she has no idea why Target’s website decided she’s a reseller. It does indeed seem odd that buying a single pair of shoes could put someone at risk of being deemed a reseller.
In comments, people offered various reasons why she was flagged and workarounds to get the shoes.
Some are convinced that Target uses artificial intelligence (AI) to decide whether someone is buying items to resell elsewhere.
“Everyone is using AI. I was randomly banned on [Facebook] for no reason,” wrote one.
Another agreed, “It’s probably some AI bot. Little rhyme or reason.”
Many said they, too, have been erroneously banned by various merchants, including Target.
“This happened to me too and I can’t even use drive up anymore!!! It’s the worst,” wrote one.
A few suggested workarounds so Katz can get her shoes, such as using a different credit or debit card, having someone else buy the shoes, or emailing Target’s CEO about the mistake.
Katz agrees that she could have someone else place the order, but notes this is a short-term solution.
“I could but forever?? Haha so annoying!” she wrote in the comments.
Neither Katz nor Target immediately responded to emailed inquiries sent Monday morning.
@jennakatz31 @target ♬ original sound – Jenna Katz
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