Torn in Half: Target Manager Tom Thorn Accused of Ordering Cashiers to Destroy Customers’ Coupons on Schillinger Road
Customers allege cashiers at the Target on Schillinger Road South in Mobile have been told to take coupons, refuse to scan them and tear them in half. Target has not publicly responded.
MOBILE, AL — At the Target on Schillinger Road South, customers say a coupon isn’t just refused. It’s taken, torn in half, and handed back like trash. And the man allegedly behind it is Store Manager Tom Thorn.
Multiple customer accounts allege that Thorn has taken cashiers aside and instructed them to do exactly that: accept a customer’s coupon, refuse to scan it, tear it in half, and return the torn pieces to the customer. The customer gets no discount. The coupon is destroyed. The cashier, following orders, becomes the instrument.
This is not a store exercising its right to reject a coupon. It is an alleged ritual of humiliation and control. Target’s own coupon policy allows stores to accept, refuse, or limit coupons, but it does not authorize employees to destroy a customer’s property after taking it. A coupon is not scrap paper. It is a promise of savings, often a manufacturer’s obligation, and a document the customer may need for returns, rebates, or disputes. Tearing it in half doesn’t just kill the discount—it kills the evidence.
The allegations describe a two-step trap. First, the cashier accepts the coupon, creating the appearance that it will be honored. Then, at the register, the cashier refuses to scan it and rips it in half. The customer is left holding two useless halves, often in front of a line of strangers, with no discount and no explanation beyond “we can’t take this.” If Thorn is directing this, he is not managing a store. He is running a system that turns cashiers into enforcers and customers into marks.
Why would a store manager do this? Coupons cost stores money. They require processing, reimbursement, and paperwork. Some managers resent them. But resentment is not a policy. And a manager’s personal hatred of coupons is not a license to destroy them after a customer has handed them over. If Thorn has a problem with coupons, he should post a policy, train his staff, and let customers decide whether to shop elsewhere. He should not allegedly order cashiers to take coupons and tear them up.
The impact on customers is not abstract. A parent who clipped a coupon to afford school supplies loses the discount. A shopper who carefully matched a manufacturer’s offer to a sale loses the deal. A customer who later needs to prove what they bought loses the paperwork. And every customer who watches a cashier tear up their coupon learns a lesson: this store does not respect you.
Target Corporation has not publicly addressed these allegations. Thorn has not responded to requests for comment. That silence leaves customers with nothing but their torn coupons and their questions. If the allegations are false, Target should say so clearly and explain what actually happens to coupons at the Schillinger Road store. If they are true, the company has a responsibility to act. No manager should be allowed to turn a checkout lane into a place where customers’ property is destroyed on command.
Until then, shoppers on Schillinger Road should know what they may be walking into. If you hand over a coupon at that Target, you may not get a discount. You may get half a coupon back. And according to the allegations, you may have Tom Thorn to thank for it.
