Some stores like Target offer “price matching” services. This allows customers to show an attendant at the store a valid price from a list of competitors, then have Target match that price.
However, as the system has the potential to offer a substantial discount on many items, customers are quick to try to abuse it, as many Target employees have explained to viral success.
One of those viral employees is TikTok user Sariyah (@kayystewie). In a video with over 128,000 views, Sariyah stitches with another video in which an employee tells a customer off for trying to do a fake price match.
While some accused the original user of taking her job too seriously, Sariyah says the employee’s reaction has more to do with common human decency.
“When guests do that…at that point, they’re playing with your intelligence,” she explains. “Like, no way you just walked in here with a homemade screenshot saying that Amazon is selling iPad Pros for $70, and you think that I’m going to believe that.”
@kayystewie #stitch with @che.leche can’t go won’t go 😂 #kayystewie #retailjob ♬ original sound – sariyahthescientist
“I feel like you’re calling me dumb at that point,” she continues. She later adds, “It’s not even about how much you get paid or how serious[ly] you take the job. I just quite literally can’t let nobody take me for a dummy. That’s just it.”
In the comment section, users shared other motivations for rejecting these false price matches.
“…When we let them do that they think they can always get away with it and they become more aggressive,” offered a commenter. “Our kindness and lax return policies have made the guest entitled and rude.”
“When i was a cashier they literally tracked how much discounts were given on my till and we were given like a certain threshold before we got in troub[le],” alleged a second.
“And if we get fired, how will these customers help us? They not. So why demand we risk our jobs?” questioned a third.
Some users responded to the specific idea of “taking a job too seriously.” While many agreed that it’s possible to overdo it, some users noted that it’s difficult to not feel attached to one’s primary source of income.
“Also who doesn’t take their job a little seriously,” said a user. “My job pays my rent, so ya i’m not going to do things i’m not suppose to do.”
“The way people purposely misuse ‘i don’t get paid enough’ to mean ‘purposely doing your job wrong’ & not ‘doing your job description as u should,’” stated an additional TikToker.
The Daily Dot reached out to Target via email and Sariyah via Instagram direct message.
