Customers who lined up outside Target stores in the early hours of Black Friday in order to receive bags full of goodies are voicing their rage over the purported paltriness of the offerings.
The retail giant promised the first hundred customers at its stores a “limited edition iridescent holiday tote filled with fun giveaways,” with the first 10 people in line getting extra “surprises” like a Laifen hair dryer, Ninja slushie machine or Beats headphones.
One angry customer ended up comparing the offerings to the electronic benefits transfer cards used for food stamps.
“You mean to tell me Target couldn’t afford a thick throw blanket, a gift card, some spa products and maybe some fuzzy slippers in the swag bags,” the person raged on X.
“[A] billion dollar company just showed the world what they really think of us … Just trash, that gift was EBT.”
Another member of the Black Friday centurias posted their gift bag on Reddit — an oversized pouch with five small items at the bottom including a pack of Uno cards, lip gloss and Nerds candy.
“Swag bag wtf,” the user fumed. “Literally so disappointed I was 10 out of 100 and waited three hours for this lol.”
Other freebies users shared online included electrolyte drink mixes from Lmnt, sample-size portions of Gemz shampoo and E.l.f. lip oil.
“Y’all gonna have them wait outside in the freezing cold in some of these areas just for y’all to give them gummy clusters?” a TikTok user moaned. “That’s diabolical, man.”
The irate customers came in for some ribbing themselves.
“People are freaking out over the crappy swag bags from Target that some of them waited outside in the cold for all night,” a scornful X user wrote.
Target did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The promotion was a big fail,” retail consultant Lisa Miller told The Post. “A swag bag from Target would set expectations, but it was filled with cheap lip gloss, travel size shampoo and a deck of cards.”
The Minneapolis-based retailer has been struggling to win over customers.
On the heels of its 12 straight month of weak or falling sales, Target announced in November a $5 billion plan to invest in its stores.
Same-store sales fell 2.7% in the three months ended Nov. 1. Customers visited Target less often and spent less while they were there, with foot traffic plunging 2.2%
Some customers boycotted Target this year after it slashed its DEI initiatives. In May, the chain said the boycott was partly to blame for its weak sales.
Target slashed 1,800 jobs, or roughly 8% of its corporate workforce, in October — its largest layoff in a decade.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
