Target Neiman Marcus Collection: Consumers Aren’t Rushing to Buy

Target Neiman Marcus Holiday : A chilly consumer reception

I stopped by my local Target store last night to pick up some things and I saw that the Target Neiman Marcus area was fully stocked.  I also saw customers at the customer service area of the store already doing returns.   I think consumers literally aren’t buying this collection.  Prices maybe cheaper for Neiman Marcus customers, but for the average Target shopper, this collection is no bargain.  Looking at the social sentiments via Twitter and Target’s website, I’d say consumers are underwhelmed by the offerings. Items don’t seem to be selling on Target.com or on eBay either.  Here’s a sentiment from one shopper, Corrin Foster,  via Twitter:

Target Neiman Collection Underwhelming says @CorrinFoster

Other shoppers are dissing the goods in their reviews for Target.com. Poor quality is a problem with the Oscar de la Renta Handbag and the Lela Rose Dress.  Of the Oscar handbag, reviewer AZThorne notes, “The whole bag is canvas and there is not a stitch of embroidery at all!  The canvas material is a magnetic for dirt, and two of the three in the store already had black scuff marks on the corners of the bags.”

Several Target shoppers commented on the poor fit of the Lela Rose dress. Janine in New York says, “I couldn’t get the 2s zipped past my DDs, and the 4s zippered fine but were way too big/long everywhere else and would have required substantial alterations… and unlike NM, Target has no in-house tailors. Given my proportions it’s not that unusual for things to not fit quite right off the hanger, but this was an exceptionally bad fit across the board.

Of course, it’s only been 3 days, but Analysts are already on death watch for this collection and making excuses for the lackluster sales. Target-Addict (the guru of all things Tarjay) reports that sales are less than stellar.

“We had high expectations following a warm reception at a NYC one-day pop-up shop on Nov. 29, with over 6,000 attending,” said Citigroup analyst Deborah Weinswig, adding she visited the Target store in New York on Saturday when the collection was officially launched. “We were disappointed by in-store execution. The collection was tucked in the back of the store, shelves were full and messy, and we saw little traffic.”

I haven’t seen the collection tucked away.  At the Target stores in Los Angeles it is front and center.  I see the same issues that have plagued Target Go collections, plague this collection.   The clothes (women’s) are undersized, zippers are broken or not working (the Lela Rose dress) and the armholes are too small (Lela Rose.)  Also, as I originally pointed out in my review, you can find some designer items of higher quality at your local Last Call Neiman Marcus store by the same name brand designers.  Maybe consumers have just had enough of the hype around this collection or other designer budget collaborations.   Here’s my prediction.  Target is going to put this stuff on clearance before Christmas , maybe even in the next 10 days, and then it’s going to sell a bit.  Look for price reductions soon.