Consumer Attitudes Toward Breaches: How Consumers React to Retail Breaches. Dr. Branden Williams worked with MAC, the Merchant Acquirers Committee, to capture and analyze behavior data. Women and men showed more awareness toward stores they frequented frequented (Target, Michaels), and men (Home Depot, Sears) Women were more likely to be aware of breaches than men (Sears, Target, Michaels) Williams: An information security breach could be the equivalent of a natural disaster such as Winter Storm.”]