- Target teamed up with preppy clothing brand Vineyard Vines to launch an exclusive collection on Saturday.
- Fans lined up early outside Target stores to snag the Vineyard Vines garments, and some observers compared the scenes within the stores to "Lord of the Flies."
- Frustrated shoppers also took to social media to complain that the collection sold out too quickly.
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Target unrolled its hotly anticipated collaboration with Vineyard Vines on Saturday, and fans of the preppy clothing line rejoiced on social media.
Eager customers even lined up outside of stores to snag the garments.
And that level of enthusiasm reportedly didn’t fade once these shoppers got inside the store.
But the word through the grapevine is that this much-sought-after collection has also prompted complaints about long lines and sold-out merchandise.
Such complaints aren’t too out of the ordinary in the world of retail. When customers encounter a tantalizing deal, only to find that it’s no longer available, they’re likely to get upset. And that frustration is going to be compounded by the fact that they’ve just woken up early to drive to the store or stayed up until midnight awaiting a launch.
It’s happened time and time again, whether shoppers are railing against retailers’ websites crashing on Black Friday or people blasting Walmart’s swiftly-snapped-up line of video games on Cyber Monday.
Read more: 8 celebrities who love to shop at Target
Target in particular is vulnerable to this phenomenon, given its frequent and limited collaborations with exclusive designers. In fact, a situation similar to the current Vineyard Vines controversy happened last year, when Target partnered with British clothing line Hunter.
And it sounds like folks who missed out on the Vineyard Vines launch are likely out of luck. Target didn’t immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment, but the brand’s official Twitter account did inform one frustrated customer that the "popular" Vineyard Vines items "sold out quickly."
"Since this collection is available for a limited time only, it will not be replenished," the tweet said. "We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you."
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Áine Cain)