Shoppers looking for bargains on Target.com were greeted with an error message: “So sorry, but high traffic’s causing delays. If you wouldn’t mind holding, we’ll refresh automatically & get things going ASAP.”
A Target spokeswoman said that as the website witnesses spikes in traffic it places some guests in a queue, while millions of others shopped on the website. She said Target’s volume was already twice as high as its busiest day ever.
Website performance monitor Catchpoint Systems said Target’s website went down at 10 a.m. Monday.
While the site was intermittently accessible for some users, items could not be added to the shopping cart. An error message read “There’s a line for this item. So sorry for the delay.”
Twitter users were quick to express their displeasure. “Come on @Target get it together. How am I supposed to order anything on cyber Monday if you can’t keep your website running?” Nikki_Ferrell tweeted.
In what Target has called its “Biggest, Boldest Plans” for Cyber Monday, the retailer offered 15 percent discounts on almost all items on Target.com.
Target said on Friday it had “unprecedented results on Target.com” on Thanksgiving Day, and the company planned to offer free shipping on Target.com through Dec. 25.
Deals include 50 percent off on licensed kids’ cameras and select Sennheiser in-ear headphones.
Website outages and slow checkouts during the five-day shopping spree that started on Thanksgiving were reported at luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., L Brands Inc.’s Victoria Secret and Foot Locker Inc. Slow service was also reported at payments processor PayPal Inc .
About 121 million shoppers planned to shop online on Cyber Monday, down slightly from the 126.9 million who planned to participate last year, according to the National Retail Federation.
Most U.S. retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy, began offering some of the season’s best online deals, which traditionally had been reserved for Cyber Monday, several weeks in advance.
Target’s shares were down 1.1 percent at $72.59 in late morning trading.