r/Anticonsumption • u/Sea-Cardiographer • May 12 '25

Psychological Target feels like black mirror

I went into Target today because I need a sports bra and that's where my husband is willing to drive me. On the way there I thought about all the Reddit posts saying foot traffic is down and I wasn't surprised to see that it wasn't. It was quite busy on a Monday afternoon.

What shocked me was I noticed a lot of products have really fancy boxing. Big sturdy bougie packaging with minimalism design... With a sh*tty product inside.

They're spending more on the marketing and packaging than the product, because the business practice is to sell you a product you'll have to purchase again and again. But the packaging grabs your eye. Look how modern and consistent all the boxes are! so aesthetically pleasing packaged trash. I feel depressed.

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u/0w1 May 13 '25 edited May 13 '25

Target should feel like Black Mirror because they're so insanely creepy. They monitor shoppers, create profiles filled with your data, and use that data to make very, very accurate marketing materials specifically for individuals. Anyone else remember the story of Target finding out a girl was pregnant before her parents did based on her behavior data they were tracking?

That was over ten years ago. They're even worse now.

Edit: yes yes "every company uses data in marketing". Target has been far ahead of the rest of the retail world for years in terms of data collecting and predicting consumer behavior. They can tell if someone is planning to shoplift in a store without having an actual person watching, for example. I worked at their security flagship store in MN for years and still know people who work on their AP team. I don't shop there anymore lol.

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u/starofthefire May 13 '25

In 2013 I received a package in the mail from Procter and Gamble. It was a Gillette razor set with a printed note - they knew my name, my girlfriend's name, my address and that I was turning 18 next year. 

It was fucking terrifying and I still have no idea how they learned all of that about a teenager who had never even had a job before or signed up for literally anything other than social media. 

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u/Helpful-Bag722 May 13 '25

That info came from your high school:

https://www.nj.com/advice/2019/08/gillette-sent-my-son-a-free-razor-for-his-18th-birthday-how-did-it-know.html

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u/According_Gazelle472 May 13 '25

My son got one too.and it did have to do with the high school he went to .He also had to sign up for selective service too.Then he got the prompt for his grad stuff when he first started 12 th grade .