65°F
weather icon Partly Cloudy
Ad 320x50 | 728x90 | 1200x70

Target stores across US hit with checkout glitch

Updated June 15, 2019 - 3:59 pm

SAN FRANCISCO — A glitch stalled checkout lines at Target stores worldwide Saturday, exasperating shoppers and potentially eating into sales at a prime time for retailers, the day before Father’s Day.

The roughly two-hour outage periodically prevented Target’s cashiers from scanning merchandise or processing transactions as long lines formed in some stores. Self-checkout registers, usually the speediest of options, also weren’t working at times.

Target temporarily closed some of its stores, including one in San Francisco, rather than risk aggravating shoppers.

“Our technology team worked quickly to identify and fix the issue, and we apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this caused for our guests,” Target said in a Saturday statement.

Before the company figured out was wrong, a Target employee was warning customers that they might not be able to check out as they entered a San Francisco store early Saturday afternoon. Sales were being completed after intermittent delays during the half hour an AP reporter observed the lines at the store.

But some shoppers posting on their Twitter accounts Saturday painted a different picture as they vented about excruciatingly long lines but expressed sympathy for the Target employees trying to cope with the situation.

The meltdown hit Target at the worst time for a mass-market merchant, given Saturdays are typically one of the busiest shopping days of the week.

Target has been vexed by technology before, most notably in 2013 when malware installed in its checkout system resulted in a data heist that exposed personal information in more than 40 million credit and debit card accounts. That debacle triggered lawsuits and eventually led to the departure of its CEO, Gregg Steinhafel.

The Minneapolis company said customers caught in up the checkout slowdown have no reason to worry.

“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,” Target said.

There are 10 Targets in Las Vegas, three in Henderson and one in North Las Vegas.

— The Review-Journal’s Tony Garcia contributed to this report.

MOST READ
Exco Sidebar
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
MORE STORIES
THE LATEST
Off-Strip casino-hotel now charges for parking

The hotel does not have parking gates set up at the entrance of the garage, though the new parking fees are enforced 24/7.

 
Las Vegas tourist attraction announces layoffs

Area15 said the company has enacted a strategic restructuring to “address evolving conditions in the marketplace.”

Bally’s stockholders approve merger

The merger includes The Queen Casino Entertainment Inc., a regional gaming operator owned by Standard General, and expands Bally’s gaming portfolio to 19 properties across 11 states.

 
Sportswear brand opens first store on Las Vegas Strip

In the midst of the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, a global sportswear brand opened its second flagship storefront in North America