On A Shopping 'Missoni' In Woodbury

The shopping frenzy at stores last week was comparable to Black Friday—or even a going-out-of-business sale—when the Missoni for Target product line made its first appearance to eager customers.

“Definitely, there were lines outside before we opened,” said Lindsay Keyser, store manager. “People were grabbing carts and running. They took carts full of things, whatever they could grab.”

Woodbury resident Anne Muns made sure to check out the Missoni display and was surprised that they had some items left over. However, the designs didn’t appeal to her, she said, though she could appreciate how others would like them.

“Not my style,” she said. “But for the kids, it’s fun, for sure. ... For teenagers and the younger generation—but not my demographic, people over 50 like me."

Missoni a world-famous designer since 1953 and a high-end Italian fashion house, is well-known for mix-and-match patterns, colors and textures.

Missoni for Target is a special line of limited-edition, significantly discounted items made exclusively for the giant retailer and available for a limited time.

“The number one seller was the women’s clothing, and the second was the shoes—we sold cool rain boots and flats,” she said.

All Missoni women’s clothing was gone by the end of the day Wednesday, according to Keyser.

“I think the major TV reports fueled their want and their need to see the merchandise,” she said. Target also aired commercials for the Missoni line leading up to the first day of sales.

Customers were also mindful that the coveted discounted designer items came in limited quantities at each store. Once they ran out, they were not replaced.

“There were two pieces of luggage (at the Woodbury location), and they were gone as soon as the doors opened. … We had a Missoni bike that sold for $400 that would have otherwise been worth $2,500.”

Those items, along with numerous others, were sold out on Target.com, which had on crashed last week from the demand and stayed down for hours, according to TwinCities.com.

Two days later, “the Target website still had some Missoni items for sale, especially summerwear. But on the third day of the sale, scores of items were listed as ‘out of stock. And they'll remain out of stock, mostly.”

“I was surprised that there was still a decent amount (of Missoni items) on Wednesday morning, but then it was gone by the end of the day,” Keyser said. “It was fun to see. They definitely outdid what they projected."

The run of the line was also cut short because of such strong sales.

Displays for such items as stationery, home décor, luggage, infants, girls’, women’s, men’s, shoes, and intimates were scattered all over the store on Tuesday, she said; now the Target stores are displaying what is left in one area. 

“Especially now that we’ve moved everything to the front, the items are flying out,” said Keyser.

She added that a lot of returns have been made, as well.

“People buy a ton of stuff and then realize they didn’t really need it, or the sizes were wrong, and they’ve been returning it,” she said. “They went with friends to just grab whatever they could get their hands on.

“As soon as they return stuff, we make sure to put them right back (on display), so it’s nice our displays are right by the return desk.”

St. Paul resident Josephine Chung comes to Woodbury regularly with her daughter, who takes dance classes nearby.

“I heard about how many people were going to be there (at the opening) and did not want to brave the crowds,” she said. “I didn’t think there’d be anything left.”

Chung and her 4-year-old, Ellie, stopped by the Woodbury SuperTarget on Friday and were excited to still see a selection of Missoni girls’ clothing, including a variety of sweater tops, skirts and a coat adorned in colorful patterns of purples and fuchsias.

“What a treat! I’m really surprised—we’re lucky,” she said.