[Hacking] - Shop at Target?

CNN Money

If you used a debit or credit card at Target in the three weeks following Thanksgiving you might want to read the above article on CNN. Up to 40 million credit/debit cards might be affected by a data security breach. If you're in any doubt check the CNN article here for steps to take.

 

I was at Target today (two actually) and this bad PR definitely didn't keep anyone away, as they were jammed. People give me grief for still paying with cash, but this sort of thing is the reason why.

 

CNN Money

Looks like this just isn't Target's year. Now people who received gift cards are having trouble using them because they weren't activated properly. Not all of them. If you have an issue see the article for info on getting it fixed.

 

Oh, brother. I got my Sister in law's Mother and and the exchange student staying with my Brother and Sister in law Target gift cards this year. I haven't heard anything yet, but knowing my luck they'll run into this when they go to spend them. Thanks for the heads up, LAJ!

 

Hopefully they won't have a problem. The article did say it's just a minority of the cards, not all of them. However if they do have issues the fix sounds pretty simple.

 

CNN Update

Target are now saying 70 million customers might have been hacked during between Nov 27 and Dec 15. This is in addition to the original report of 40 million (though there might be duplicates in both groups). They will be contacting customers whose email addresses they have. In addition,

Customers will have zero liability for the cost of any fraudulent charges arising from the breach. Target is also offering one year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to all customers who shopped in U.S. stores. They will have three months to enroll in the program. More information on that offer will be available next week.

 

Holy cow. Looks like Target is trying to stay out ahead of this, but this is definitely a bad PR hit given the size of the breech and the time of year it occured.

 

CNN Money

So the saga trundles on. No new attacks, but scammers are getting in on the act with phishing emails. If you get (or have gotten) an email from Target beware of fakes. The CNN article has a link to the real email so you can check if yours was a fake, and what to do if you responded to a fake. If you get an email and haven't opened it yet, there is a link to view the letter on Target's website. So you don't have to open a suspicious email.

 

BBC News

Just seeing on the BBC News website that Target is shutting all its Canadian stores.

 

Wow, Fett. Any idea if it's due to this or debt?

 

Not profitable. Article mentions that Target Canada filed for bankruptcy.

 

Wow, 17,000 jobs. Definitely feel bad for those employees. Target also gets a fair number of Star Wars exclusives, so this has an effect on Canadian collectors as well.

That article refers to Target as a "discount chain", but I'm not certain that paints the most accurate picture for UK readers. Comparing Target to Wal-Mart (think ASDA) is apples and oranges. Target isn't an upscale store by any means, but it definitely caters to a more upper middle class clientele than Wal-Mart. They carry name brand, fashionable clothing and nice home décor. The layout is also much more comfy and less utilitarian. Here in the U.S. many Target stores have been remodeled within the last few years to integrate a market section, but that's not their bread and butter (no pun intended). They also clearly put a stronger emphasis on customer service than Wal-Mart, which is notorious for its lack of customer engagement by its associates (I'm sure that attitude has nothing to do with their crappy wages and lack of benefits).

I'd think Target would work quite well in Canada as counter-programming so to speak. It certainly does here in the States.

 

Very unfortunate for Canadian Target employees & the general public who shop there. I think this may be indicative that more people may be shopping online than @ retail big box stores these days - not sure about this, however. Most Targets I've been to here in the U.S. (especially Super Targets) have a grocery section, so the store doubled as a regular retail & grocery store - you would think people would go there as an alternative to shopping at a regular grocery store (like I do sometimes), but who knows....

Re: Target vs. Wal-mart, I shop at both stores & find Target to generally be a lot cleaner, easier to nagivate, and definitely has a lot less clutter in the aisles. Wal-mart maximizes it's floor space as much as possible by putting crap (i.e., product) in the middle of the floor(s)....

I definitely associate Target with Star Wars toys first and foremost - way back in 1995 when POTF2 first hit, the area I was living in @ the time opened it's first Target store. I remember reading online somewhere (no home Internet connection then, so I was using my college's Internet) that Target had the first wave of SW figures - I believe it was August 1995. So, the first time I went to Target wasn't to buy clothes or food, but rather to look for SW toys IIRC, the first waves sold out very quickly, but I was finally able to find some there in Fall 1995. Ah, the good old days

 

I remember reading that Blur is pretty much on the mark - all big box stores are slowly dying - even Walmart. It rather sucks because what the hell do you do if they all go under? You don't always want to buy everything online. The upside is that it's an opportunity for smaller more specialized, local businesses to spring up and pick up demand.

I confess that for myself I used to shop all of the time at Target and have since cut down going to once in a blue moon. After hearing really how horribly Walmart treats their employees I no longer shop them unless there's no choice.

Freaking Walgreens and CVS and my local grocery stores have picked up the slack for most of my daily necessities purchases. I've got so many collectors where I live that going to big stores rarely finds me anything so I don't bother and just hunt for stuff online.

 

I hate Walmart with a passion. The cleaner they use on the floors gives me a headache. That and like every parking space is handicapped, so you have to park way in the back.

I tend to shop at Target for stuff when I can, like boxed food etc. I go to the grocery for baked goods, meat and prepared foods. I buy my razors at Walgreens/Rite Aid and get stuff when its on sale.

As for collecting- the best store for toys was Hills. They had everything and a lot of stock. I know I got my Millennium Falcon, AT-AT and Slave 1 from there. Figures too. I miss that store something fierce.

 

I was just @ Target last week (U.S.), and noticed that the store seemed to have a lot less customers than usual; of course, this was in the evening on a weekday, so that may have been par for the course. Conversely, almost every time I go to Wal-mart (even if I go late @ night), it's typically packed.

Target is definitely more expensive than Wal-mart (re: food & other goods), but at the same time they typically have higher-quality product(s).

I don't think big-box stores like Target & Wal-mart will ever go away completely, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if more of them closed as the years pass. This is obviously already happening to some extent.

Big Lots is another store that I used to like going to to shop, though they have closed at least one large location around where I live; some of them have groceries, which is nice...

I don't really like shopping online for anything, but have done so for certain collectibles. However, I can't imagine shopping online for groceries/food...you wouldn't be able to see the quality of the food, the expiration dates, etc....

Don't remember Hills (may have just been certain areas), but, as an old-timer on here , I do recall going to Memco as a kid in the very late '70's/early '80's - I remember it doubled as as department store & grocery store - and, I believe this was around years before Wal-mart & Target. Great store, but, sadly, IIRC they closed their doors around 1982/1983....