Did you participate in the chaos that was the release of the 3.1 Phillip Lim x Target collection? I did and got the one piece I really wanted...the little $35 top handle cross body bag:
Picture via Rebecca June
However, I was very disappointed. Not in the collection - although it wasn't my favorite - but in us. The consumers.
So, after the Missoni mayhem, I had thought that Target had learned their lesson. I know the Neiman Marcus x Target collection was not as successful, but the way my Target handled the release was so much better. Roped off, 5 customers in at a time, no more than two of the same items per person... It really made everyone think about what they wanted and led to a normal and relaxed experience that anyone would prefer to have at 8am.
That leads me to this past collections release. I had told my mom I was going to be going and she was concerned about the chaos that might ensue. I felt good about there being a controlled order and I ignored her. Never a smart move. You would think after 30 years I would know this by now.
Come Sunday, I woke up early and got to my local Target at about 7:30am. I was immediately discouraged when I saw some of the older women that I had seen at the Missoni release using their same tactics already outside the doors. Shopping carts across the entire entrance creating a barricade. Never the less, I figured it wouldn't matter once inside. I was seventh in line and feeling good. As it crept closer to 8am more and more people lined up but also the strategizing from the grown women (65+) at the front of the line was getting louder and more irritating. Talks of who is going for bags, scarves and clothes and how they will get it all. I started warning the girls around me about them. I said even if they run, we shouldn't. Lets not add to the chaos. There is no reason to run for a $35 pleather purse.
8am. We can see them unlocking the doors.
By 8:01am I am inside and not running like the old, obnoxious women in front of me and everyone behind me seems to be behaving as well. However, once I get the 20 feet inside the store where the Phillip Lim goodies are set up, I can see that these women have taken EVERY. SINGLE. BAG. Really? I then proceeded to watch them rip one of the larger bags out of a twenty something year old girls hand and threaten her. At that very moment, I could not even believe I was involved in something like this.
The manager of Target ended up speaking to the nasty women, and also bringing out all of the bags from the back which is the only reason I got my bag. My disgust for the day only grew though, as I went onto Instagram to see multiple people posting their purse hauls. Pictures of people who had hoarded 6-8 bags, multiples, same colors, different colors, and all with captions reading, "Now to decide what to keep!" Um, why couldn't you do that in the store? Why did you need all of those bags? With how much you paid for those 3.1 Phillip Lim x Target bags, you could have had an authentic one.
So, while I am happy to have my little cross body, I am embarrassed that this is what it takes to get it. Can we change this people? Also, can you tell me who in their right mind is on eBay buying pleather bags for 3 times the price? Mistake.
6 comments:
More often than not I feel disappointed in the way people behave with designer collaborations. The collaboration is of course limited but seeing people behave in this manner is really a huge turn-off. I pretty much vowed never to go to a store release anymore after a completely disappointing and ugly experience at the Jimmy Choo x H&M release. It was supposed to be orderly, but it did not end up that way. And after all the waiting I had done, I left before I even got to shop because of how disorganized and unruly the experience was. I literally wrote to H&M conveying this and while they were nice to me, it made me promise to myself that I wouldn't put myself through that. It's always REALLY disappointing to see people buy to sell on eBay. Sure, I get some people don't get to purchase for themselves BUT marking up at such an extreme price makes it unattractive to me.
I also realize not everyone does this, not every collaboration has this type of craze and some people are genuine. BUT, given the bad, the good is harder to experience after the bad pillages!
But, don't get me wrong, I still like to try and shop and hopefully end up with some piece(s) I want! =)
xo,
nancy
http://adoretoadorn.blogspot.com
Nancy! It is so nice to hear that I am not the only one. I hope this reaches a few people and they can try and create order at the next release!
These are some of the benefits to living in Kansas. No lines!
So I asked the Super Target how it was when I went to get your scarf, she said it was busy but no craziness. She also said the Neiman Marcus collection sold out within an hour! Crazy.
Isn't that bizarre? The exact opposite. Thank you for snagging my scarf! :)
Nancy - it is so nice to hear someone else feel the same way I do! It was so sad when some of the hoarders were offering up their cast offs and girls were thanking them. It made me so mad. There was no a reason to thank someone that ruined the experience in the first place.
Here is to change!
so crazy!
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