Tattooed mum calls out Bunnings over 'targeted' behaviour—here’s why she’s fuming
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It’s a frustrating experience many shoppers quietly endure — feeling watched, judged, or even followed based on nothing more than their appearance.
One woman’s recent trip to a popular retailer left her feeling humiliated and fed up after what she believes was a clear case of profiling.
Her story has now sparked a wider conversation about how people are treated in stores — and who’s really being targeted.
Being followed around a store is something Madeline Wood said she was used to — but that didn’t make it any less upsetting.
The 31-year-old mum from Melbourne shared that she often felt like she was under surveillance while shopping, recalling moments like wandering through Chemist Warehouse with a security guard ‘breathing down my neck in some shops’.
‘I know I’m being watched as I go aisle to aisle,’ she said.
Wood believed she knew exactly why it was happening.
‘It’s because of the way I look,’ she explained.
‘I’ve got tattoos on my arm and both my legs, I’ve got a nose ring and stretched ears from when I was a teenager.’
Despite working in retail management herself, which she said made her familiar with how profiling works, she said being treated this way still made her feel ‘pretty crappy’.
‘I’m being targeted because of how I look, and it’s wrong.’
The situation came to a head after a recent visit to Bunnings, which Wood discussed in a post on social media.
Source: TikTok/_madelinewood
She had gone to the Preston store to replace some broken light globes and, because of the warm weather, wore shorts — leaving her leg tattoos visible.
Wood explained that it took time to find the right globes and she carefully searched the aisle with the broken ones in her bag for comparison.
Instead of receiving help, she said she noticed someone watching her closely.
‘Instead of offering any customer service to help, there was this covert on me,’ she said.
‘He knew I knew I was being watched, and when I circled back round to the aisle later, he was there taking photos of all the boxes and items I’d touched.’
‘Working in retail, I do get it,’ she continued.
‘Theft is at an all-time high, and businesses are at a loss about what to do to deter it, but at the business I work for, we’re trained that the number one deterrent is customer service.’
‘Thieves don’t want to be noticed. They want to go under the radar but I wasn’t given this [customer service] and I was left feeling pretty crappy and never wanting to go back to this store.’
Her partner Jaylen, who is also tattooed, had encountered similar treatment, she said.
While they hadn’t felt the need to cover up their tattoos, Wood noted: ‘It 100 per cent happens less when I am covered up in winter.’
She said retailers should stop judging customers by appearance and instead focus on how they behave.
‘In my opinion, it’s erratic behaviour that often leads to theft — if someone is vocal, violent or behaving suspiciously. It’s how they act and not how they look,’ she said.
‘Historically, tattoos did come with bad behaviour, but in 2025, a tattoo costs $400–$500. My legs cost me $6,000 over the years, so tattoos now are quite a luxury to afford. They shouldn’t automatically be a reason to follow someone.’
Wood’s story clearly struck a chord online, with many others sharing similar stories in the comments of her post.
‘They do this to me everywhere because of the way I look. Tattoos, coloured streaks in my hair and eyeliner. I also manage retail, and the people who are actually stealing never get watched, just me!’ one person wrote.
‘Every time I go into a store, I get watched just because of my tattoos,’ said another.
‘I’ve had this happen to me at Kmart. I was followed around the whole store. I ended up feeling like I was doing something wrong, even though I hadn’t. I ended up leaving the trolley of items and going elsewhere to buy them,’ shared someone else.
When contacted for comment, Bunnings denied engaging in profiling.
Bunnings Director of Stores, Rod Caust shared: ‘Creating a safe and welcoming environment for our team and customers is important to us, and this is reflected in the diversity of our team.’
‘Like many retailers, we sometimes have loss prevention contractors in our stores who are engaged through an external licensed provider and are trained in monitoring customer behaviour.’
‘Discrimination and profiling have no place in our business and are not part of our loss prevention practices. All team members and security personnel receive rigorous, regularly reviewed training focused on safety, legal responsibilities, and respectful engagement, not appearance, background or personal characteristics.’
Chemist Warehouse did not respond to comment requests.
In a previous story, we explored another instance of racial profiling that left a shopper feeling humiliated.
Aussie rapper Barkaa shared her own emotional experience while at Kmart.
You can read more about her story here.
Have you ever felt judged or targeted while shopping because of how you look? Share your experience with us in the comments below.
One woman’s recent trip to a popular retailer left her feeling humiliated and fed up after what she believes was a clear case of profiling.
Her story has now sparked a wider conversation about how people are treated in stores — and who’s really being targeted.
Being followed around a store is something Madeline Wood said she was used to — but that didn’t make it any less upsetting.
The 31-year-old mum from Melbourne shared that she often felt like she was under surveillance while shopping, recalling moments like wandering through Chemist Warehouse with a security guard ‘breathing down my neck in some shops’.
‘I know I’m being watched as I go aisle to aisle,’ she said.
Mum speaks out about feeling watched while shopping. Image source: TikTok/_madelinewood
Wood believed she knew exactly why it was happening.
‘It’s because of the way I look,’ she explained.
‘I’ve got tattoos on my arm and both my legs, I’ve got a nose ring and stretched ears from when I was a teenager.’
Despite working in retail management herself, which she said made her familiar with how profiling works, she said being treated this way still made her feel ‘pretty crappy’.
‘I’m being targeted because of how I look, and it’s wrong.’
The situation came to a head after a recent visit to Bunnings, which Wood discussed in a post on social media.
Source: TikTok/_madelinewood
She had gone to the Preston store to replace some broken light globes and, because of the warm weather, wore shorts — leaving her leg tattoos visible.
Wood explained that it took time to find the right globes and she carefully searched the aisle with the broken ones in her bag for comparison.
Instead of receiving help, she said she noticed someone watching her closely.
‘Instead of offering any customer service to help, there was this covert on me,’ she said.
‘He knew I knew I was being watched, and when I circled back round to the aisle later, he was there taking photos of all the boxes and items I’d touched.’
‘Working in retail, I do get it,’ she continued.
‘Theft is at an all-time high, and businesses are at a loss about what to do to deter it, but at the business I work for, we’re trained that the number one deterrent is customer service.’
‘Thieves don’t want to be noticed. They want to go under the radar but I wasn’t given this [customer service] and I was left feeling pretty crappy and never wanting to go back to this store.’
Her partner Jaylen, who is also tattooed, had encountered similar treatment, she said.
While they hadn’t felt the need to cover up their tattoos, Wood noted: ‘It 100 per cent happens less when I am covered up in winter.’
She said retailers should stop judging customers by appearance and instead focus on how they behave.
‘In my opinion, it’s erratic behaviour that often leads to theft — if someone is vocal, violent or behaving suspiciously. It’s how they act and not how they look,’ she said.
‘Historically, tattoos did come with bad behaviour, but in 2025, a tattoo costs $400–$500. My legs cost me $6,000 over the years, so tattoos now are quite a luxury to afford. They shouldn’t automatically be a reason to follow someone.’
Wood’s story clearly struck a chord online, with many others sharing similar stories in the comments of her post.
‘They do this to me everywhere because of the way I look. Tattoos, coloured streaks in my hair and eyeliner. I also manage retail, and the people who are actually stealing never get watched, just me!’ one person wrote.
‘Every time I go into a store, I get watched just because of my tattoos,’ said another.
‘I’ve had this happen to me at Kmart. I was followed around the whole store. I ended up feeling like I was doing something wrong, even though I hadn’t. I ended up leaving the trolley of items and going elsewhere to buy them,’ shared someone else.
When contacted for comment, Bunnings denied engaging in profiling.
Bunnings Director of Stores, Rod Caust shared: ‘Creating a safe and welcoming environment for our team and customers is important to us, and this is reflected in the diversity of our team.’
‘Like many retailers, we sometimes have loss prevention contractors in our stores who are engaged through an external licensed provider and are trained in monitoring customer behaviour.’
‘Discrimination and profiling have no place in our business and are not part of our loss prevention practices. All team members and security personnel receive rigorous, regularly reviewed training focused on safety, legal responsibilities, and respectful engagement, not appearance, background or personal characteristics.’
Chemist Warehouse did not respond to comment requests.
In a previous story, we explored another instance of racial profiling that left a shopper feeling humiliated.
Aussie rapper Barkaa shared her own emotional experience while at Kmart.
You can read more about her story here.
Have you ever felt judged or targeted while shopping because of how you look? Share your experience with us in the comments below.
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