to shop / jason wu and how target.com disappoints

I’m not disappointed specifically at the Jason Wu for Target collaboration, but at Target.com in general. I am not close to a Target store, so I rely on Target.com for my Target fix.

Image source: Target

Target designer collaborations aren’t anything new. They’ve been around for ages, but Target has made them into a chaotic, overmarketed mess starting at the Missoni for Target collection. What made things worse was that Target decided to bring their e-commerce operations back in-house from Amazon just before the Missoni launch. Has anyone ever heard of Amazon’s servers buckling and their website timing out? No and that is what they are known for. For both Missoni and Jason Wu collection, I secured what I wanted by staying up late and/or waking up early like I’ve always done, but the launch times used to be more precise at midnight PT with Amazon. I think it’s good that Target didn’t announce a launch time. It would’ve led to another massive website crash.

Going forward, here are a few useful things to know for anyone who wants a Target designer item or needs to return:

• Wake up early or don’t go to bed. If you go to the store, strategize and also go early. There will be a line. Items were slowly released starting at 12:30 ET. I don’t make a habit of buying things for people unless I know they would do it in return. Your laziness = happy wallet.
• Not everything is sold in stores and online. Some items are online only. Bummer, eh?
• Read the Facebook page and Twitter beforehand and during. They were already answering questions on sizing. I don’t know when Target created their TargetStyle Facebook and Twitter accounts.
  • Whoever is managing the Twitter account, bless her heart. How many times do you have to repeat yourself? At least the stupidity is limited to 140 characters.
  • The Facebook page was super useful and crowdsourcing at its best. People posted links to items they found and this is how I ended up getting what I wanted. I have no idea how they found the direct links. Proceed with caution with the dumb women who like to complain about things that were their own fault or laziness.
    • On the plus side, if you missed out on something (it seems like all of my girlfriends wanted the navy poplin dress), Target will be restocking.
    • Do I think Target should limit the quantity one purchases? Yes, as long as it is buy size/item and not just by item when you’re unsure on size.
• Buy multiple sizes if you’re unsure of sizing. It’s always better to be safe and sorry and everything is returnable. XS and S go really fast.
• On returns. I’ve been shopping at Target.com for years. You used to never keep the packaging slip to make returns because you had to go online and print return forms/bar codes. You can still go online and print the forms, but you can use your packaging slip. Regardless, keep your packaging slip. Not everything Target.com sells has a tag/stick with the product number and the Target store folks need the number to process the return. Also, their website’s return page often errors out so just mailing it back doesn’t solve the problem. Persistence is key. This is my biggest gripe about Target returns.
• Check eBay beforehand. Target had a launch party for the industry folks. Whoever attends will almost always post items on eBay. What does this mean? You can see “real life” pictures.
• Set up your Target.com account beforehand. Just because you added something to your cart, doesn’t mean it’s reserved for you (and this doesn’t happen for most sites… only Gilt, Shopbop, and a few others). Make sure your payment/shipping information is up to date.

I went through my RSS reader this afternoon and was thrilled to read a ton of Jason Wu for Target reviews. I am a review junkie and can’t wait to see how the dresses turned out in person. Now, I will sit tight for my items to actually arrive. Another big gripe I have for Target is how un-eco-friendly their shipping is. They love to use huge boxes for tiny items. Quite embarrassing in front of the neighbors…