That little plastic piece on some Target shopping baskets may look like part of the handle and rim design. However, it is actually a Bluetooth Low Energy beacon used to track the basket’s location inside the store.
I only noticed the thing because I was standing at the front of the store, tugging a basket off a tall nested stack. The top handle flopped down with a little click. My eyes caught the small molded tab where the handle meets the rim. I stood there for a second wondering what on earth it was doing there. Then, like everyone else, I ended up down an internet rabbit hole about whether Target was secretly tracking me through my basket. The rumor turned out to be the interesting part.
What the Little Piece Actually Does
Look closely and it may appear to be molded straight into the basket. That is part of what makes it so easy to mistake for an ordinary piece of the handle. But on some Target baskets, the piece people have been pointing out online is actually an electronic device.
The device identified on these baskets is a Bluetooth Low Energy beacon. It contains electronic components, including a power source and antenna. It is designed to communicate the basket’s location within the store.
In other words, it is not simply a plastic catch or pivot for the folding handle. The beacon can transmit information that allows the basket’s location to be determined within the store.
That does not necessarily mean the basket itself knows who you are or is collecting personal information about you. The beacon reports the basket’s location. When other store systems are involved, that location technology can be used for features such as indoor positioning and retail analytics.
Why People Think It’s a Tracker
Here is where the confusion started. A video went around claiming an employee had discovered that Target fitted its baskets with trackers to follow shoppers around the store. It spread fast across pretty much every platform.
The part worth knowing: some Target baskets really do carry a Bluetooth beacon that transmits the basket’s location as part of the store’s indoor positioning system. So the general idea of location tech in baskets is not made up out of thin air. That claim checks out.
And the small piece people have been pointing at is not necessarily separate from that technology. On baskets equipped with the device identified in reports about the viral claim, that piece houses a battery-powered Bluetooth Low Energy beacon. Therefore, the beacon communicates the basket’s location to the store’s positioning system. It does this rather than serving simply as a mechanical catch for the folding handle.
And because different stores and different basket batches vary, I would not make a blanket promise either way about what your local Target uses. Check before you assume.
The Mini Baskets That Add to the Confusion
Then there is a whole other basket muddying the water. Target also sells tiny shopping baskets that have nothing to do with the ones you grab at the door.
There is a little Spritz mini shopping basket sized for a single hand, sold as a cute holder for small gifts, treats, or display. There is also a red toy shopping basket made for pretend play. It is aimed at little kids playing store.
Photos of these floating around online get mixed up with pictures of the real in-store baskets and the tracker talk. Suddenly nobody is sure what they are looking at. These mini versions are toys and decor. People use them for classroom treats, gift holding, and shelf styling. If you like that sort of small storage trick, you might enjoy these ways to organize with dollar store baskets too.
So Should You Worry About It?
The tracking conversation is real. On some Target baskets, the small piece people have been pointing out houses a Bluetooth Low Energy beacon that can transmit the basket’s location as part of the store’s indoor positioning system. That does not by itself mean the device is identifying or personally tracking the shopper carrying the basket. Exactly what your local store uses is worth checking rather than assuming. The mini baskets are just cute toys.
