Dear readers, I have never been so exhausted from a shopping trip in my life... especially one that took a grand total of 20 minutes! This morning I arrived at my local Target store at 8:02am. To my horror, the parking lot was already 3/4 full! I walked into the store to find that the women's section was well ripped apart, with most racks already empty. There were probably close to 30 women fighting over the goods; it was surreal. Across the aisle in accessories, I searched frantically for the laptop case and the umbrella (two items I really wanted) but there were none to be found. I was able to nab the last silk scarf and last pair of purple knit gloves, and then the section was bare. I was also able to get the tights shown here, as well as a pair in more neutral tones.
I turned around to see Target employees replenishing some of the women's wear, and quickly grabbed a long cardigan (similar to the one shown here, only in tans and browns). The women around me had their carts completely filled with what I estimated to be hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in merchandise. Quickly moving along to the housewares section, I discovered that all the rugs, throws, shower curtains, and towels were gone. I was able to grab one of these gorgeous vases before they all went; there were only a handful left when I arrived. A quick scan of the area told me that all of the kitchenwares - the dishes, glassware, etc. - had been picked over, except for a scant few zig-zagged tumblers.
I raced to the stationery section, grabbing the last two wine gift boxes (at $9.99 each, which are being marked up to $69.99 on eBay!) as well as two packs of notecards and a soy candle. As I turned to make my way to the checkout lanes, the endcap had pretty much been picked clean.
I would say that by the time I arrived at the store - again, two minutes after opening! - the Missoni for Target collection was 70% sold out. By the time I left - at 8:20 - it was probably 90% sold out. I overheard some Target employees telling frustrated shoppers that they'd already put out all the merchandise they had in inventory, and that they didn't expect any additional shipments for several days.
When Target's web site finally got back up & running, I was able to also order an iPhone cover, the black & white zig-zag coat I'd been coveting, and a knit scarf to match the gloves I had bought. But a quick scan of their site showed numerous items already sold out, including the laptop bag I'd hoped to nab this morning. [Warning: the site keeps going up & down. It took a couple of hours for me to actually be able to "check out" and complete my transaction].
Overall, I'm happy with what I bought, and I think Target did a good job with this collab, although they probably underestimated the public's demand. My advice for anyone who went shopping today and was disappointed at the limited supply is to be patient. Do NOT give in to the disgusting markups on eBay by people trying to make a fast buck. Let all the fanfare die down, wait for the additional shipments to come in, and watch for customer store returns by people who "overbought" on launch day.
15 comments:
same exact experience -there at 8:10 and everything was gone. I was able to get 1 cardigan by hanging out at the fitting room return rack! So bummed. I had the black and white coat in my cart and then it sold out!! wahhhhh Congrats! Tons of ladies with carts full of thousands of dollars. Don't quite get it!
got home, my shopping cart was still saved. Unfortunately only 4 of the 11 items i'd selecdted this morning were still in stock. hit PAY NOW fast!
LOL... I just posted on Peggy's blog about my experience! Came 'late' at 10:30, checked Colma, Serramonte, and San Bruno and all i came away with was a sweater that I found in the dressing room racks. Plus note cards. I'm also really annoyed at all the stuff on ebay that ppl hoarded!!
Bev, it sounds like you're located just north of me! And yes, the eBay thing is annoying. First thing this morning I checked, and there were only 250 or so Missoni/Target items. I just checked again, and now there's over 9,000!
Had a crazy experience this morning at the Bellingham Target! Was there at 7:40 and there was already a line.The staff had to remind everyone not to run, though they did anyway, esp. the gal hyperventilating with her full cart worried that she wouldn't get everything! I just grabbed my infinty scarf and shoes and got out of there!
Tammy
I am now glad I bought online at 6:00 am! The website was frozen throughout the day when I checked back. I have been griping about those ebay markup evil people forever, and this is why. I am not opposed to buying some to sell on ebay, I would do the same if I bought a piece that didn't fit me. But the ridiculous hording and marking up is disgusting! I couldn't make it to my store until 5 after work and almost everything was gone. Didn't even see much in housewares at all. This was the collection I have been most excited about so I am disappointed at how quickly it was gone. At least I did get a dress, some tights, and a scarf online this morning! But I wanted to see some things in the store too!
WARNING! LONG COMMENT!
I had initally a quiet adventure in my strategically selected high-volume yet sleepy store in the L.A. area. There were only three or four of us that knew what was up, and we had some peace for a good 20 to 30 minutes to peruse and grab things we actually liked. The down side is that this store did NOT have everything merchandised - so we were waiting as they slowly unpacked boxes and yawned and tried to get things out as if they were branded "ReStyle" or "Exhilaration." But that was just taking a little patience.
And then the eBay hawks and already-frustrated-by-other-stores people came in - BAM! The employees were like deer in the headlights. I ended up buying a lot more than I had intended because I was afraid to leave something I was even considering on the end caps. If it had an orange tag, people were just grabbing it. Luckily, I had already snagged a decent number of things.
I later dropped by the store in a nearby beach community. DECIMATED BY 9:30. The zigzag signage was there but not a zigzag item in sight. Target peeps had thrown other things in the spaces, and you could see the confused looks of those who were late to the party as they though, "Oh, is this Missoni?" The sign says Missoni, but..."
I then saw a circle of shopping carts shephered by shellshocked women near a barren housewares end cap towards the back of the store. I had survived my Target run, but they had been in the thick of the battle zone at a location where the line started forming at 5:30 AM. I said, "What is this? Missoni Anonymous?" One woman literally said, "Yeah, it's a support group. Well, that, and the guy said he's searching for more in the back."
I began chatting with one of the store managers, and as we were walking down an aisle, when he pointed out to me a group of guys coming from the stock area with carts filled with merchandise that hadn't seen the light of day yet (rugs, towels, luggage.) They then just placed the carts near the "support group" and then let everyone "feed." It was seriously like these Target employees were bringing feed out to animals on the farm. Seriously. I'm from the Midwest. I know.
But I swallowed my own pride and stuck around to do a bit of grazing at this battle-weary store and managed to find the one thing I had initally wanted - the throw blanket!
BY THE WAY - TO THE TARGET ADDICT! Are you in California still? I'm in SoCal. I have the multi-colored laptop case if that's the one you wanted. I'm thinking of returning it because it is too large for my laptop. But if you're in the area here, I would be happy to let you have it for retail. I'm sure we could figure something out if you still haven't been able to track one down and you really like it.
The 1st Target I went to at 8 am was very calm. Other a mother/daughter shopping. I bought the black chevron long sweater but found a run in the sleeve. I quickly called the store (90 min later) and they still had one in my size. None left though at 4:30 though they still had some many items.
I bought the headbands, a men's tie & the bold stripe men's scarf. And the big glass platter. The other Target had a much poorer selection.
Still looking for glass vases & towels as I didn't see them.
And as the Target Addict says - DO NOT GIVE IN TO EBAY. It's horrible. I told Target they should limit the number of any particular item one person can buy when they have these launches. Very uncool. Hell, you can buy real Missoni for some of these markups!
I was one of the ones that showed up late to the party, because I wasn't sure I really wanted any of it. I got there at about 10:00 ish Everything was pretty much GONE! Only thing left were three green corduroy coats. Not one zig zag to be seen. Then my daughter and I decided to go to a sleepy Target near by. That one was in the same shape. Then checker said that the first two people in the line outside, literally ran in and grabbed every single piece of clothing off the rack and tossed it in their cart. Between two pals, they spent 4,000 dollars! I saw some children's items, and they were darling and very nice quality, which made me made, because I really wanted to see the adult stuff.
Those ebay creeps need some limits! I hope enough people complain, and not buy from ebay!!!
I'm pissed!!!
I hope some stuff trickles back in.
I was excited for the launch, but not drooling. I liked some of the pieces I saw online and made a short list, but that was about it.
This morning, however, something inexplicable took over me. I heard about the site crashing and my desire for Missoni grew. I decided to stop by Target on the way home figuring I'd see a badly decimated rack of clothing with a few odd sizes or colors left over. What I found was nothing but bewildered looking women circling the racks that had Missoni signage, but held other brands. I honestly believed, at that point, that the shipments just hadn't come in.
A trip to the shoe section yielded several pair of the brown heels, but otherwise the store was devoid of any Missoni. Then I saw "the pile" - a lone grouping of miscellaneous Missoni that some shopper had decided to abandon before checking out. A pair of pajama pants, a floral coat, some tights, and a few plates. It then became clear that everything had arrived and this sad little collection was all that was left. I silently cursed myself for not showing up at the crack of dawn so that I could get at least one item on my very short list. Damn. I really wanted one of those ruanas.
When I got home and started reading the blog tales, my desire for the stuff started to turn a little cold. The tales of fighting, stealing, and hoarding for the sake of resale was kind of a turn off. It suddenly became clear that my desire for something Missoni was less about the product and more about the hype and I was merely a victim of "gotta have it!" disorder. Well played, Target.
Will I still buy a ruana, a pair of flats, or a bag if I see one (not on eBay)? Perhaps... OK, probably. :)
Music, I love your "feeding frenzy" story! And thank you for the offer to sell me your laptop bag, but I'm in NorCal (not SoCal). And I also just looked at them online again, and didn't realize they are just a laptop sleeve, which I don't need. [I thought it was an actual "bag"].
Hi Target Addict! Yep, you're right. It is just a sleeve. I thought about it for the business laptop, but it was just big enough to be unprotective, you know.
And, of course, I don't need one for the personal laptop because it loves to travel in my owl-embellished Poketo sleeve/bag! Turned out to be a great buy last year! That line was so small but has great quality.
Laptop care: POKETO = 1
MISSONI = 0
Thanks for keeping us in the loop on Target happenings!
Thank goodness I think this collection is hideous! LOL!
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