By Stacy Fernandez

Copyright dailydot

A Target employee has sparked debate online after speculating that stores are removing price tags from clothing and other items to make it harder for customers to track price increases.

Turns out, Target may not be the only huge retailer doing this.

Beware of potential price increases at Target

In a trending video with more than 186,000 views, content creator and Target worker Kaitlin (@kaitlinsonday) shared the potentially sketchy thing Target is doing with it’s clothes.

“We are so cooked, we are now ripping out all of our price tags,” Kaitlin said.

She explained that as of a month ago, there were still price tags on all of the clothing at Target, but employees have now been instructed to rip them off.

Kaitlin said they’re now coming off the truck without any price tags at all.

Kaitlin also suggests that Walmart appears to be doing something similar, and she speculates that it’ll only end up screwing over consumers.

“So, like, we’re not gonna see any price tags of anything because then that means they can fluctuate the prices without us literally knowing,” Kaitlin said. “We are in a really bad time, and I’m so scared, truthfully,” she said. “That’s literally the only reason I can think of companies taking their price tags off.”

She also questioned whether inflation was the real driver behind price changes or if something more nefarious was going on.

“Are companies doing this and raising their prices because of actual inflation, or do they hop on this trend where they’re like, oh my gosh. We can use this as a really good scapegoat?” she asked, pointing to examples during the pandemic when the cost of essentials like sanitizer and toilet paper surged.

@kaitlinsonday SO COOKED😭 ♬ original sound – kaitlinsonday

According to Kaitlin, most price changes she sees in the system are increases. “Every single thing is going up. I quite literally have only seen a couple things go down.”

She cited examples of an electronic item’s price rising by around $50 and makeup going up by a few dollars. “We’re so cooked.”

Is this real?

Reports from multiple outlets suggest that Kaitlin’s viral claims reflect a broader trend across major retailers.

Retail Brew reported that social media posts from workers and shoppers show employees at Target and Walmart removing price tags from private-label apparel, including Target’s Auden and A New Day and Walmart’s Wonder Nation. One Target worker said she spent “almost a whole 8-hour shift” ripping tags.

When Retail Brew visited a New York City Target in August, they found many items missing prices or re-stickered with increases of $2–$5.

Shoppers online accused the retailers of hiding tariff-driven hikes, with one commenter saying prices should be left on “so America can see what they would’ve been without these tariffs,” Yahoo reported.

Both outlets report that Walmart has publicly acknowledged changes to its labeling process.

A Walmart spokesperson told Retail Brew that some prices are now displayed on shelves or pegs rather than hang tags, and some items may be re-stickered. Walmart framed the move as a way to “remain flexible and competitive,” Yahoo stated. In the latest earnings call, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said that “as we replenish inventory at post-tariff price levels, we’ve continued to see our costs increase each week.”

Target, by contrast, has not publicly responded to questions from either Retail Brew or Yahoo about the missing price tags.

Commenters react

“Target is already overpriced,” a top comment read.

“Ours has been like that for about a month or two now,” a person said.

“I won’t buy something if I can’t see the price. Hope the higher-ups know that most people, too, seem like Target doesn’t want any business. It’s something every day with you all,” another wrote.

Other retail employees shared their thoughts as well. “I work at Five Below, and we’re doing the same thing, no price tags on the items, most of our clothes are 10 dollars now,” said one.

“I work in merchandising. It’s tariffs. The company needs to meet strict financial goals. The company has to account for the extra cost from tariffs, and they know consumers will pay a little bit more because other stores are raising their prices too,” shared another.

“I work retail part-time and my store started doing this last year due to constant price hikes,” shared another TikToker.

“It’s not a horrible world, it’s a horrible America,” a commenter summarized.

The Daily Dot reached out to Kaitlin for comment via email and Instagram direct message and to Target via email.

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