Target shopper accidentally leaves with security tag. Then she learns how to turn it off

TikToker Maxine (@maxine365) shared with viewers what to do when you “accidentally leave with a security tag.”

At the start of the viral video, Maxine films a friend filling a bowl with water while holding a buzzing security tag from Target that’s going off with a screeching noise.

Out of frame, another friend suggests, “Put it in water, but add salt to the water.”

Maxine asks, “Why?”

The friend responds, “Because of the ions and stuff.”

They place the buzzing security tag in the water and pour a heaping amount of salt into the bowl, covering the tag.

The buzzing continues, and Maxine suggests putting salt inside the tag.

The friend on camera pulls the security tag out of the water and pours salt directly into the crevices on the surface of the tag before putting it back into the water.

Someone off-screen explains why they need to add more salt: “Sodium ions from the salt will allow it to breach the circuit.”

As the tag sits in the water, the buzzing sound slowly starts to fade away.

Soon, the sound is completely gone.

“It’s done! It’s done! We did it, guys!” they all yell in unison.

The viral video has 6.2 million views and thousands of comments.

@maxine365 what to do if you accidentally leave with a security tag😀 #diy #target ♬ original sound – Maxine

Many viewers remarked on the science-savvy friend off camera who knew how to stop the beeping of the security tag.

“The friend in the back is SMART SMARTTT,” one viewer wrote.

Another commented, “What an amazing, intelligent friend—you guys are blessed to have her.”

Why saltwater silences security tags

Other viewers provided additional context on why the saltwater stopped the beeping.

“Water is not conductive. Saltwater is conductive. It overloads all the circuits by essentially connecting them to each other through the ions,” one viewer explained.

According to Home Science Tools, “When you put salt in water, the water molecules pull the sodium and chlorine ions apart so they are floating freely, increasing the conductivity. These ions are what carry electricity through the water with an electric current.”

Security tags typically have a circuit that activates the alarm. When you submerge the tag in saltwater, the increased conductivity can interfere with the electronic components of the security tag, leading to the alarm turning off.

Alternative suggestions

While this viral video showcased science as an effective method, viewers also shared their own alternatives for dealing with loud security tags.

“Wait, I flushed mine down my dorm toilet, and you could still hear it through the pipes,” one viewer shared.

“This happened to us, except we threw it in a field near our house; it chirped for two years before it finally stopped,” another remarked.

One viewer shared, “Omg, one time this happened to me, and I freaked out and buried it in my backyard.”

“As a Target employee, I’m thinking, why not bring it back with the receipt of purchase? But I get it,” commented another viewer.

The Daily Dot reached out to Maxine via TikTok comment and Target via email.