Nothing heightens a woman’s senses like the words SALE. It can be on anything really—shoes, bags, clothes, home goods, even lessons of some sort. A good sale can bring out the shopper in all of us, and don’t even get me started on Sample Sales. If a regular sale can bring out the shopper, well then, a sample sale will bring out the competitive shopper. You need to be tough on your feet, smart in your grabs, and ruthless in your drive to not only survive, but to thrive at a sample sale.
So...what happens when one of the fashion world’s largest most prestigious fashion houses partners with one of the biggest discount hip and trendy super stores out there? Target for Missoni = Suburban Mayhem.
Talk about entering into a shark tank.
I innocently underestimated the hype. Who cares about Missoni out in the burbs? I went thru the same initial panic when Calypso St Barth’s debuted it’s collection at Target. I made sure to be there bright and early at 8 a.m. for the opening. Of course I was beyond pleased to be THE ONLY shopper in the store, and the few that trickled in after me, only knew the word calypso to mean a steel drum. I laughed to myself thinking how I scored the jackpot and how in the city, all would have been sold out in a second.
So when Missoni came around, I figured it would be the same story. I could not have been more wrong.
In fact, when I leisurely strolled into Target with my 19-month-old daughter, after dropping my toddler off at school, I started to get a little panicked. Women were exiting the store, rolling Missoni print suitcases behind them, and their carts over flowing with bags. “Don’t bother” people murmured at me as I pushed forward to the entrance. “You won’t find anything” and “It’s all gone”, I heard. I still pushed forward.
Upon entering the actual store, I was overwhelmed. Not by crowds, or people yelling and screaming. But more by the insanity of it all. I stood in shock, watching women pushing carts filled to the rim with chevron prints to last a lifetime. Ottomans, poufs, comforters, bins. Sheer insanity. Women were draped in Target sweaters and dresses over their clothes, because their carts were so full of home goods and travel gear. Boxes of shoes and kids boots literally spilling out of carts, with onlookers diving to be a lucky taker of a possible discarded item. I approached a gaggle of women who looked like victims of a Missoni factory explosion.
“Excuse me, where is the kids section?” I politely inquired.
I was met with stares and some blatant up and down looks.
“Don’t bother” was the reply.
Right. I was on my own. I headed towards the clothing area, racks were empty, shelves were cleared. En route to the area I witnessed a man carrying what looked to be a comforter or blanket of sorts. A woman following him quickly approached
“You going to take that?”
“Well, I am not sure, I have to find my wife to see if she likes it” he replied
“Can I come with you in case she doesn’t?” the stalker suggested.
“Errr, I guess….” the poor guy grumbled.
I made my way to the kids section to find a few items left for my daughter, who throughout this who ordeal was sitting quietly in the cart, equally as stunned and over stimulated by the mayhem.
As I continued to troll thru the store, I saw women running—sprinting almost—when they would hear a shout of “I found something." And for the hardcore, who had stocked carts but were still not satisfied, they hovered around the registers, like vultures waiting for prey, hoping that in a last minute revelation, people would discard items that they realized to be well, ridiculous.
Suffice it to say, my daughter and I made it in and out in about 30 minutes, and even scored a few random goods. We didn’t bother to hover, or linger, and nor did we get overly get caught-up in the madness.
The lesson learned: suburban sale shopping and designer discount sales are only for the hardcore. And when I say hardcore, I mean, up at 5:30 a.m., lining up outside the store by 6 a.m. and having a mapped out game plan AND floor plan, not to mention a team of support soldiers to help divide and conquer.
So make sure if and when you embark on one of these designer collaborations, you know it’s not for the weak, it’s not for the lazy and it most certainly is not for uninformed. In fact, my advice? Save up for the real deal. It will mean so much more. You will only buy what you really want, and really can covet your goods without making your way thru a warzone to make your purchase, or worry about being stalked by shoppers up and down aisles, ogling your potential goods and ready to pounce should you reconsider. Should you embark on future collaborations? God speed, may the force be with you, and choose wisely.
