In hopes of smoothing ruffled feathers after the massive data breach, Target is offering a 10% store wide sale today (Saturday) and tomorrow.

The breach occurred on Target's internal systems, so it is almost impossible for the consumer to take any steps in order to initially thwart this type of attack. Basically, anyone that made in-store purchases between November 27, and December 15, is potentially at risk for some type of fraud.

Keep in mind that the customer names, debit/credit card numbers, expiration dates and security numbers that were stolen might not immediately land in the hands of criminals - it could be months before the information is sold on black market websites, if at all. But, you should take steps to ensure your information is safe in anycase; change pins, monitor your account history - immediately reporting any suspicious activity. Credit Karma is pretty decent and they are free.

Some have aired outright disgust for the fact that Target waited 2 weeks before making an announcement about the breach. I have not been able to find any information, as of this writing that gives any specific region or store that was hit hardest. So how do you know if your information has been compromised? Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel said that they plan on contacting victims (all 40 Million) and offering information about free credit monitoring services.

At this point, as nice as the 10% offer is, I would still use only cash - since Target still does not have an exact idea on how the breach was perpetrated or by whom. However, that is me. It can be said that the time period after a breach such as this is probably the safest time, since all eyes are focused on the security of customer information.