Victim of processing?

I dropped a roll of film off today at Target. This is what I got back. The first 5 frames or so are messed up, as seen in the attachment. There's a lot of shine through around the sprocket holes in the next 10 frames or so. I assume I was victim of mishandling my film by the photo guy at Target? Perhaps he did the wrong thing and exposed the beginning of the roll?

It is technically possible that I might have done this loading my camera, but I've never done it in the past... And I was shooting at night, so I seriously doubt it was me. As in it wasn't me.

In the end, its no big deal since it was just a roll I was messing around with last night. And they only charged me a $1 for dev and scans, so I can't really complain.

It might have happened before you exposed your frames. Looks to me like light strike through the felt from a bright light.

I guess it might have. I think the likelihood is low though. I've loaded this camera a million times and never had a problem. And I loaded it last night in my dimly lit apartment, and then went and shot the roll at 1 in the morning. Out of the camera and straight into its can.

I forgot to say that the first frames you see in the picture are the numbered frames 1 and 2. I completely lost the previous 2 or 2.5 that I always get in my M6.

The guy did say he was new. He had problems understanding what I meant when I asked for just dev and scans, no pictures.

The film was exposed to light while still on the roll. That's why there is a broad band of flare, a space, then a slightly narrower band of flare, etc., etc., each successive band being slightly narrower and closer together. This usually occurs on the end of the roll if you open the back of the camera without rewinding the film into the can. The light penetrates the wound-up film on the spool, exposing each layer a little less. If it's on the beginning of the roll, then it happened as (or after) the film was removed from the can; in other words, in the lab.

Like Eddie says, it's light struck. Of that there is no doubt. Where it happened is anyone's guess.