Pornographic audio on Target store loudspeaker stuns customers

Target is taking "very seriously" the blaring of pornographic audio over a Bay Area store's loudspeaker for several minutes for unsuspecting patrons.

The string of moans and groans, laced with profanity, echoed about Wednesday morning in San Jose, Calif., at the Target store in the Westgate Center.

"We are actively reviewing the situation with the team to better understand what happened and to help ensure this doesn't happen again," Molly Snyder, spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-based retailer, said Thursday. "Because this is an active investigation, I'm unable to share additional details, but we want our guests to know that we take this very seriously."

Customer Gina Young recorded about 30 seconds of the audio and posted it to her Facebook page. By late Thursday afternoon, her video had been viewed more than 275,000 times.

"What is going on at Target right now?" she is heard saying as she pushes her cart with two kids in tow.

"Porn blasting over the intercom throughout the store," Young wrote with her posting. "People offered to help me cover my twins' ears. Others threw [their] stuff down and walked out. Employees were running around everywhere."

She said the erotic intrusion stopped for about two minutes, then started up again, lasting roughly 15 minutes in all.

"People were screaming at employees, videotaping, some laughing, some disgusted," she wrote.

Among the customers who recorded the surprising sounds was Chris Minor, who told the Star Tribune, "It was appalling and despicable. It just left you with an icky feeling. … The employees just scattered around. They didn't know how to turn it off."

This is the second time in recent months that pornographic audio invaded a Target in California. In July, much the same happened at a Target in San Luis Obispo, 185 miles to the south. Police were called to the store, which was briefly evacuated until staff silenced the bawdy broadcast.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482