Last Updated on January 19, 2020
A Target manager, who has been nicknamed “Target Tori” by social media, has had almost $28,000 raised in her name following an incident where a journalist called the police on the store for mislabeling the price on a toothbrush for sale and refusing to honor the clerical error.
David Leavitt, according to his Twitter bio, is a Award-Winning Multimedia Journalist, with bylines at CBS, AXS, Yahoo, Examiner, etc, has previously tweeted his interactions with store clerks over similar store errors.
Leavitt begins his Target adventure by tweeting: “This @target manager Tori is not honoring the price of their items per massachusetts law.”
https://twitter.com/David_Leavitt/status/1218260304557158400
He goes onto tell the story as it unfolds, saying, “I just had to call the police because @target Refused to sell me the toothbrush.
“I did not call 911. I called the business number for the police and told them it was not an emergency and they could take their time and explained the situation.”
“The police verified @target displayed the price of toothbrush for $0.01 The store manager Tori refused to sell me the toothbrush for displayed price. The police said I need to sue them and that they are making me a verified report take to court @BBBConnection@AskTarget”
https://twitter.com/David_Leavitt/status/1218269543136747521
The tweet garnered immediate negative attention, developing a monstrous ‘ratio’ brimming with social media users voicing their disgust at the situation.
Leavitt continued his thread, adding, “Corporations like @target are not above the law. The police officer told me they’d testify that they saw the price and that the manager wouldn’t sell me the item for the price listed.”
“I have not been able to afford to go to a dentist in over three years. So yes I wanted a good toothbrush and was thrilled to see such an amazing prize on an @OralB but @target refused to honor it and now I have to take them to court”
https://twitter.com/David_Leavitt/status/1218281250676408328
“Target Tori” has immediately become an internet meme over her clearly unimpressed face following the exchange, publicized by Leavitt, where the blue check mark journalist claims to have called the police and is threatening legal action–over a toothbrush.
A GoFundMe page was set up in her name for any possible fees incurred by the incident and what appears to be a desperately needed vacation, by Carpe Donktum–a pro-Trump meme maker.
At the time of writing this article, the Go Fund Me page is at $27,815, which could send Tori on a very long vacation.
Leavitt has also had a history of going to extraordinary lengths to enforce pricing errors by companies, as seen in the below tweet.
https://twitter.com/haydengaspard/status/1218284280918544385
Leavitt also claimed to have not been able to afford a dental visit in three years, to try to gain sympathy for his actions, but a Twitter account dredged up a tweet proving the claim to be false.
https://twitter.com/SportsReUp/status/1218317169898983424
https://twitter.com/rising_serpent/status/1218324878736154624
The initial thread of tweets became subject of much anger directed at the journalist whose original tweet has almost three replies to every like.