I have never been as impressed with a designer collaboration as this one. Target, WalMart, KMart- everybody's doing it now, and with pretty mixed results as far as genuine quality, value, and aesthetics go. Only Felix Rey for Target came close for me, and that was a very limited collection of handbags.
To everyone who did not arrive before the store opened or did not have their fingers on the trigger button at 12:01 when the online stuff showed: snooze = lose. The media attention alone was enough to tip everyone off that this would be wildly popular. But the widely-publicized stories about the NYC Pop Up store selling out in 30 minutes should have been another giant clue. I will say that the website being overloaded for hours is total BS; only Target can be blamed for this obvious lack of planning.
7:55 am: The line at the Emeryville store was at least 50 people deep when I arrived for the 8:00 am store opening. Was later told people got there as early as 7:00 am to get in line. I rejected a cart, knowing it would just slow me down (and I have a tendency to use them as battering rams).
To everyone who doubted I'd need to get there early: HA HA.
The reality was that you couldn't be in two places at once; the collection was scattered around the store. Unless you shopped with teammates, you had to prioritize.
Knowing this would be the case, and having reviewed all of the pieces online last week, my strategy was to beeline straight for the shoes. I would grab my size in both pairs I wanted, and get out of the way for the rest of the salivating masses.
7:59 am: I shot past the shrieking women snatching sweaters and dresses, picked up both pairs and got out of the damn way. I tried them on a few rows away from the melee (people, I am not exaggerating- this was like a somewhat more civilized version of the Black Friday rush), and they fit perfectly. Success!
Then I could wander the store, relaxed, and take in the rest of the scene.
Women were grabbing stuff indiscriminately from racks and shelves. Carts were piled high with clothes and luggage and bedding. There were women asking others if they'd trade sizes with them, and a few groups- clearly bound for eBay- dividing their spoils like pirates at the end of a fruitful village pillaging.
The store was cleaned out in 10 minutes flat.
There were some who looked genuinely pleased with their finds. I posed for one Target employee who was taking pictures of customers, holding up my two precious boxes with a gleeful grin.
Others looked stressed. "I wanted TWO suitcases! I am shopping for four women and two men!" one woman wailed. Another was chattering nervously on her phone, to someone who clearly expected a better performance from her.
As I browsed the media storage baskets, women across the aisle were scooping up barrettes and make up cases like they'd never seen such things before. I took two baskets for cute bathroom storage and moved on.
Since I saw several employees making their way through the crowd with carts of more shoes, I knew a second lap around the store would be in order. That is when I picked up the makeup cases- a large one for me and an smaller one for li'l sis- and the demitasse cups and saucers set that also comes with tiny spoons.
Soooooo, this is my haul: Two pairs of shoes ($29.99 & $39.99), two make up cases ($9.99 & $24.99), two media storage baskets ($7.99 each), and the demitasse set ($39.99).
Gratuitous shoe pic:
I did see a few things I considered picking up: a vase, a bedding set, a candle. And I saw some things I really wish I'd been able to grab: a carry on travel bag, some pajama pants, the gorgeous blankets. But ultimately, I knew what I came for, had gotten those things, and picked up enough extras to call it a day.
Plus, there's always tomorrow.
3 comments:
Oooh, lucky! You got a good haul! It looked like you had a serious strategy going on though!
http://nicolefalkagent.blogspot.com/
Were the shoes TTS? What insanity. I am hoping for a quiet restock at some obscure time.
The shoes were TTS- I am an 8.5 and they fit perfectly!
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