Cart after cart after cart…
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Target’s payment systems appeared to be missing the mark the day before Father’s Day, as terminals went AWOL for a couple of hours in a number of the company’s US retail outlets. The outage caused long lines but prompted an encouraging show of sympathy for Target employees from people on Twitter. And there were some jokes too, of course.
“We’re aware that guests are currently unable to make purchases at Target stores,” the company said in its own tweet Saturday morning. “Our teams are troubleshooting now and we apologize for the inconvenience. We will provide an update as soon as possible.”
Then on Saturday afternoon, a Target spokeswoman said registers were “fully back online” and that the outage was caused by an “internal technology issue.”
“After an initial but thorough review, we can confirm that this was not a data breach or security-related issue, and no guest information was compromised at any time,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. “We appreciate all of our store team members who worked quickly to assist guests and thank everyone involved for their patience.”
It’s not clear how many outlets were affected, though various reports said stores across the US were caught up in the chaos.
The hashtag #targetdown was trending on Twitter, as users of the social network expressed sympathy for Target’s in-store workers.
“Anyone who has ever worked in retail feels for Target employees today,” read one tweet. “It’s not the local employees’ fault, so please, be patient and kind,” said another. “Just left target after patiently waiting for an hour or so,” another tweet said. “Every single person working there is amazing & I honestly feel for them.”
Terrible video but had to share. Employees handing out chips. Starbucks handing out drinks. Customers offering their baskets to strangers trying to hold all of their items. Sometimes the most uncomfortable situations can actually bring out the best of human nature. #targetdown pic.twitter.com/iI3owraDoX
— Hunter Sowards (@huntersowards3) June 15, 2019
Not surprisingly, Twitter users had some fun as well, as the usual parade of cheeky remarks and animated GIFs took aim at Target’s unfortunate situation:
The time is 14:52. The global system at Target has been down for 40 minutes. People have divided into tribes: men hunting, women gathering. Insanity running rampant. Frappuccino supplies running low. Clearance sections decimated. Will humanity survive? #targetdown pic.twitter.com/5l8u4VxBZu
— stephanie anderson (@Steph_IRL) June 15, 2019
Originally published June 15, 2:43 p.m. PT.
Update, 2:58 p.m.: Adds Target statement that systems are back up and tweaks story to reflect the new development.