Target is, in general, a wonderful, magical and beloved place. One can walk into Target only planning to buy a birthday card and walk out with a new wardrobe, a summer reading book and this week's groceries. Why, then, is Target all of the sudden being slammed on Twitter and the news?
The answer: Lilly Pulitzer. Being an active hater of all things Lilly, I was pleased to see that the big Lilly launch did not go over well – just not for the reasons I would've hoped. Target stores across the country were mobbed with shoppers, not protesting the ugly patterns and nauseating colors that is the Lilly brand, but rather there to purchase as much of the product as possible. Lines of middle-aged women and sorority girls extended outside the store, often half a block long.
Target has experienced big turnouts in its past for new line launches, but nothing of this magnitude; thus, the chain store found itself woefully unprepared. The online shopping site was disabled after three hours of its opening, and within the day, everything online and in stores was sold out.
Target responded to the madness by tweeting updates throughout the ordeal like, "Due to the overwhelming excitement for #LillyforTarget collection we are making adjustments to our website. Stay tuned for updates."
Twitter followers responded angrily with pictures of empty racks and screenshots of the malfunctioning website. One Twitter user called the experience the "Lilly Hunger Games," while others posted pictures with their new purchases and the caption, "sorry suckers.”
Some critics of the Target-Lilly situation believe this all to be orchestrated by Target itself to create news and buzz about the store – not a bad marketing tactic. One of the main reasons for the frenzied actions of these Lilly lovers is that the Lilly-Target collaboration is not a permanent one. The site states that Lilly Pulitzer is, "Only at Target and only for a limited time." The three factors of cheap designer clothing, the approaching spring season and limited supplies mixed together to create a Black Friday-like mess for customers and employees alike.
One of the more interesting phenomena resulting from this situation is that thousands of Lilly products cropped up on eBay the same day. Women literally bought as much as they could shove into a cart at the store, then promptly went home and resold it on eBay for triple the original price, a strategy that appalled some and impressed others.
This is not the first time that Target has undergone criticism for the Lilly collection. When the launch of the new line was announced, die-hard Lilly lovers took to Twitter to express their disdain for the idea. In their uptight opinion, Lilly should not be cheapened and made available to the masses. Some claimed that Pulitzer would roll over in her grave if she knew her brand was sold in Targets across the country.
On an average day at Virginia Tech, I can spot at least 20 girls sporting the latest pattern as a bag, iPhone case or even a laptop screensaver, but I have never understood the appeal. The idea that Americans are so well off that there are entire brands dedicated to "resort wear" baffles me. Women do not need an expensive new wardrobe for their expensive vacation to begin with, but the idea that thousands upon thousands of women are fighting for patterns like "Giraffing Me Crazy," "Nosey Posie" and, my personal favorite, “Sea Urchin For You," which all resemble a blind grandmother's drapes, makes me question humanity.
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