Target x Hunter Boots Collaboration Causes Frustration Among Shoppers
The latest Target designer collaboration with Hunter Boots officially hit stores — and Target.com — on Saturday, April 14, and in true collab fashion, it’s been selling out really fast. (Remember the Lilly Pulitzer pandemonium from 2015?) Customers were setting alarms, lining up at their store before it opened, and making plans of action for the launch, but things didn’t quiiiiiiite go as planned.
Hunter, an historic British footwear brand, launched way back in 1856, and it’s been a favorite of celebrities and style stars for years. Their tall wellie boots are basically iconic at this point, and when they’re sold at Target prices instead of their traditional $150 retail, well, it’s worth setting an alarm for. Plus, the rest of the 300-piece collection (which spanned menswear, kids, outdoor gear, and accessories), was really cute and useful, especially for the rainy days of spring. However, the collab launch was too good to be true, and, as noted by HelloGiggles, some shoppers have been taking to Twitter to air their frustrations with the shopping experience.
First of all, the iconic tall boots, which were the number one item on many guests’ wish list, reportedly weren’t available on launch day. Target added a statement to their website saying: “For guests eyeing the women’s tall rain boots, unfortunately they are delayed and won’t be available in stores or online when the collection launches. We apologize for any disappointment and we’ll share more information when we can.” Hunter also added that the Target collab boots aren’t exactly the same as their classic wellies, tweeting: “Target won’t sell Hunter Original boots. Our boots are handcrafted from natural rubber following an intricate process. The ones designed in partnership with Target are not produced the same traditional way. We hope that helps.”
Certain items in the collection were reportedly only available online or in select stores, too, making them hard to add to your virtual or IRL cart. Guests in smaller areas were disappointed that they couldn’t shop the Hunter collab in their go-to Target store, and items sold out quickly online, leading to complaints from Target guests. Target’s social team has been responding to some of the Tweets with apologies for the disappointment, though the company hasn’t issued a full statement about the collaboration’s issues yet. If they do speak up, we’ll update this post. In the meantime, we’ll be heading to our local Target to see if there’s any Hunter left to snag…after all, April showers are on the horizon!
Teen Vogue has reached out to Target for further comment.
Related: Target Announces Collaboration with Hunter Boots
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