A Retail Target
by Luna
If you are an employee of Target, you are probably aware of the many fun things to do while you are wasting away your youth for minimum wage.
As a former "team member," I am privy to information that could prove useful for entertaining yourself while on the clock, or just looking for something to do while shopping. A lot of the information herein could be used for various illegal activities, so if you're an idiot and feel like credit card fraud is your game, when you get arrested don't blame me or 2600.
The Target Network Terminals
The sub-sections of Target such as electronics and jewelry have their own "boats."
These are the big glass showcases for displaying jewelry, CD players, and other expensive merchandise. Usually there will be a counter behind the boat, and sitting on this counter is usually a bunch of papers along with a computer. The computer is a simple Intel 486 based system (even has the little red 'Intel Inside' sticker), with an eight-color monitor.
Upon closer inspection, you will notice the words KEY NETWORK OR HOST burned into each monitor. I've spent at least five hours trying to issue commands other than NETWORK or HOST, but to no avail. Any command entered must be followed by hitting Enter on the number pad (not the Enter you would usually hit, just so you know).
Entering NETWORK is a dead end. The store manager holds the username and password. Still, there are some fun things to do with HOST. After you enter HOST, you are prompted for a USERID and PASSWORD, along with some legal jargon about "all being property of Target." The USERID is entered as follows: S0TXXXX#
- S0 is universal
- TXXXX is the store number (just ask an employee if you don't know)
- # is the TERMINAL number, usually 0-9
Now for the password... Target has some strange idea that customers are "guests," and the employees must refer to them as such. Think about it.
Try GUESTS as the password and bingo, you're in. The whole Target HOST access is not secured by different passwords. All logged in users have access to everything. You have access to all the store's e-mail, Target Card accounts, and various other pieces of information. The e-mail function is fun to mess with, but really useless.
If you send e-mail to BADGES@DHC you can order Target name badges, which could be fun if you're into that sort of thing. For the most part, however, you can't do anything. If you look in the Target Card Accounts, it lists all (and I mean all) of the person's information, along with their card numbers.
If you want you can charge merchandise using someone else's card. With normal credit cards you need to imprint the card on the receipt to prove that the card was there. Target card numbers don't stick out like other credit cards, so no imprint is necessary.
Look around for other functions in the HOST system. I got "terminated" before I could really explore any further.
Hack The LRT
Target has very large back rooms, and memorizing the location of everything would be mind numbing. So, Target uses little pieces of equipment called Laser Radio Terminals (LRT).
If you boot one of these up, you will notice a quick DOS shell, but you'll soon notice it disappear. The LRT will then connect to a host computer and run the LRT application. Well remember that DOS shell? I bet you want it back, don't you. The LRTs happen to be a little glitchy. When you first get into the LRT application, it asks for your employee number. Well, make up an 8-digit number starting with 1 and see what happens. You should get in relatively fast. If you're an employee, use your own number. You get a prompt that says Key Application.
Basic applications are follows:
- loc - Find stuff in back room by scanning the UPC.
- nop - Get status of merchandise along with price and location.
- str - Add item to back room.
- subt - Take stuff out of the back room.
- lblp - Print labels.
If you let the LRT sit at this prompt for about five minutes and come back to try to do something, it will display a message saying "Host Request Attend", and bring you back to the employee number prompt. Reenter the employee number and get back to the Key Application prompt. Now type random commands. It will give an error over and over and eventually give another "Host Request Attend". Now when you login again, no applications will function. Hold down the FUNC key and hit Enter to reboot the LRT. Watch it screw up and bring you to a D: prompt (or something of the sort). There you go, full DOS shell access.
In fact, the DOS shell is an actual networked shell. You're not just inside the LRT; you're inside Target's merchandise records. You can always DELTREE D: and watch your store close for a week or so while they redo inventory (an easy few days off). I advise against anything malicious. Remember, hacking is learning, not destroying.
FYI, a lot of other stores use these LRT for back room operations. I've seen the exact same model LRT that Target uses at other places.
Miscellaneous
Now that I've covered the basic fun portions of Target, I feel it is necessary to cover other odd things that some people want to know.
First, the PA system. In every department store, someone wants to know the PA code. Simply pick up a phone and hit 52. My superiors said it was universal to all Target stores.
Next, the keypad lock on the door to Guest Service, usually at the front of the store. The unlock code is the Store Number of the Target you are at (remember the TXXXX in the previous section about the Terminals?). They keep all the keys in there so you can go around unlocking display cases.
If you want to dial out just hit the 9 key on the phone. If you don't already know this, chances are that you've been living in a cave.
I'd like to give shout outs to some people. Saccharin, you got fired before me so you *need* to be mentioned. To outcast_p, Inominate, and Syphon Seige, keep up the good work. Shouts go out to the whole Buffalo 2600 crew. Extra special thanks to outcast_p's brother's girlfriend for fixing my grammar.