Target's Spin Doctors Try to Justify the Lilly Sellout...

A post today on Target's corporate blog - by their Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer, Kathee Tesija - tries to spin their side of the story to the Lilly Pulitzer for Target sellout. You can read the full story here, but here are two notable quotes which I call BS on:

"When we look at the amount of Lilly Pulitzer for Target product being resold, it translates to roughly 1.5 percent of the collection. While we’d prefer that number to be zero, it tells us that the vast majority of guests who purchased the collection did so with the intent of enjoying it for themselves."

"The website never crashed, but due to high traffic, it was slow and our guests had to wait longer than they should have to access the full collection. That’s frustrating, both for them and for us. We’re taking a close look at what happened."

So 39,000+ items (that's the # of Lilly for Target items on eBay this morning) is only 1.5% of the entire collection? I find that hard to believe. And they can deny the "crash" as much as they want, but having the site inaccessible for hours on end is essentially the same as a crash. 

Target removes Lilly collab from homepage...

Target - probably in response to all the Lilly Pulitzer for Target backlash - has removed all the Lilly promotions from their homepage. There's been a lot of chatter in social media about why Target was keeping the Lilly collab front and center on their site when the line wasn't even shoppable anymore (as it all sold out yesterday in a matter of hours).

So instead, Target has decided to RE-introduce their 'Made to Matter' program... which they first introduced more than a year ago. Huh?? Well, I guess they had to put SOMETHING up there. As a reminder, 'Made to Matter' is "a first-of-its-kind partnership with leading natural, organic and sustainable brands. The Made to Matter collection features over 120 new and exclusive products from this crew of trusted companies, taking the guesswork out of buying better-for-you products. Hand-picked by Target, the line makes it easy to find products made with simple, recognizable ingredients that you can feel good about bringing home without sacrificing on price or performance."

How to still score Lilly Pulitzer for Target...

Ok readers... I know we're all still frustrated by the Lilly Pulitzer for Target sellout. Shown here is a picture my friend snapped at the San Mateo, CA store about 5 minutes after the store opened yesterday. So how can we still score a little Lilly? Here are my shopping strategies:

1 - Start checking stores this week for customer returns. Capitalize on buyer's remorse and look for returns in the next few days (for people who bought in store) or in the next week (for folks who bought online). Returns should peak around May 2, as that is right around the 14-day return window (which is required for this collab).

2 - Look in odd places. That means endcaps or mixed in with the regular Target merchandise, especially in the beauty aisle and housewares. Don't bother looking for the Lilly signage; your store has most likely taken it down already.

3 - Don't forget the clearance racks. I'm betting that all of the "online only" items (including the Plus Sizes) will immediately end up on the clearance racks if they are returned. This was the case with past Target collabs, like Missoni. So if you're lucky, you may score Lilly on sale.

4 - Don't bother with the website. Mid-day yesterday I spot-checked about 10 items online and nothing was available. And from everything I've read in the press, Target's website is completely sold out and they won't be re-stocking. Also: be wary of the "find in store" tool. I've found this tool to be faulty in the past, not accurately reflecting store inventory.

I may change the name of my blog to I HATE TARGET...

Just kidding. Kind of. Sort of. Maybe not... So I set my alarm for 1am Pacific time (for the Lilly Pulitzer for Target launch) and THIS (see pic) is what I get I bet. Plus, it's not only me... a faithful reader (and good friend) just texted me to report the SAME issues. She reports the following: "Trying to buy online...it's been 30 minutes, and the site is now allowing me to buy the items in my cart. Giving up now and going to bed."  Plus, I just checked the "TargetStyle" Facebook page and others are facing similar problems.

Update: I was finally able to get to the Lilly goods online, but everything I wanted is already SOLD OUT in most sizes. As predicted, this is "Missoni Madness" all over again, right down to Target's massive web outages. I just cannot believe that a retailer of Target's size cannot get it together and hire competent web designers. HEY TARGET: I live and work in Silicon Valley. If you want to hire REAL web experts, call me and I'll hook you up!

Shopping Strategies for Lilly Pulitzer for Target...

Shoppers, are you ready for the debut of Lilly Pulitzer for Target?? Here are some tips & tricks - courtesy of Racked - to help you out:

1. Every Target store will sell the collab. Yep, every single store. Past collaborations have been stocked at "most" stores (with Target releasing the store lists ahead of time) but this collab will be everywhere on Sunday.

2. The collab will debut online super-duper early in the morning. Target confirms that Target.com will begin selling Lilly Pulitzer in the early morning hours on April 19th, meaning that launch time will be between midnight and 2am CST.

3. Lots of pieces will be online-only. Target has already specified that no plus-size pieces will be stocked in stores, but a lot of shoes and jewelry are online-only too.

4. There's no limit on how much you can buy in stores. Retailers often issues restrictions on how many pieces shoppers can pick up at one time during designer collabs, but with this one, everything's up for grabs in stores. [Note: I think this is a horrible idea, and that it's going to lead to "Missoni Madness" all over again]. Online, Target has a general policy of five items or less per style and that'll apply to Lilly Pulitzer as well.

5. The window for returns is short. While Target upholds a general 90-day return policy, all Lilly Pulitzer for Target items will be subject to a 14-day return window. This is great news for people who won't be able to get what they wanted the first time around (pieces will probably pop up in returns) and bad news for people who are terrible at following return policies.

6. Target doesn't ship internationally.

7. Yes, there have some store leaks. You may have seen photos on Twitter or Instagram of people picking out their Pulitzer pieces weeks early. Target tells Racked that it's an unfortunate side effect of the retailer's store rollout plan.

8. You, too, can get Pulitzer pieces early—for an insane markup.There is already a bustling eBay trade in Lilly x Target, so you technically don't have to wait until tomorrow to buy some items from the collab IF you want to pay the eBay vultures their inflated prices.

And finally, for a hands-on POV, check out this Racked video with actual goods from the Lilly pop-up-shop earlier this week in NYC. The shorts (shown here) really surprised me; I wouldn't have thought them to be one of the stand-out items, but now I think I'll definitely add them to my shopping list!

Bella Thorne and Kate Bosworth Rock Lilly for Target

Target held their press event last night for Lilly Pulitzer for Target in NYC's Bryant Park, and the stars came out in full force. In addition to Bella Thorne and Kate Bosworth (shown here) Camila Alves, Emmy Rossum and Ellie Kemper also attended the event - all decked out in clothing from the line, of course. For more pics + a short video from the event, check out A Bullseye View.

The Look for Less: DV by Dolce Vita vs. Mossimo

As part of the 90's fashion revival, athletic-style slide sandals seem to be showing up everywhere. Like the pair shown here on top, which are by DV by Dolce Vita and available at Urban Outfitters for $60. But you can get the look for much less - for $22.99, to be exact - with the Mossimo version (shown on bottom) at Target.