Target Holiday Shopping Chaos: App, Website Crash Amid Record-Breaking Online Rush

Target is facing a major technical glitch that has taken down its app and website for some users, disrupting online shopping in the midst of the busiest holiday season. The outage, which has been steadily increasing over the past three hours, is affecting the retailer's ability to process, fulfill, and track online orders. According to Downdetector, a platform that tracks website outages, the issue has been reported by numerous customers. In response, Target's customer service team has advised users to retry their transactions after an hour or two. The outage is particularly concerning as it's happening at a time when retailers are already struggling to cope with record-high volumes of online orders. With just days left until Christmas, US online shoppers have already spent over $187 billion this holiday season, a 6.1% increase from last year, according to Adobe. The analytics firm predicts that total e-commerce spending will reach $253 billion by the end of December. The issue appears to be affecting gift card transactions as well, adding to the frustration for Target customers. The retailer has assured its customers that its team is working to resolve the issue quickly and has apologized for the inconvenience caused.