The Glassons store launch mobilised a cult following. Picture: TikTok
OPINION
Reports of a “stampede” at the opening of a Glassons store at Westfield Miranda sounded like a potential scene from Kath and Kim.
I was shocked to see the pictures of hundreds of young women, donning White Fox tracksuits and Ugg boots, storming their way up the escalators, after gathering en masse, pre-dawn, in a horde of hoodies, to muscle their way to the bargains inside.
It was like a physical, real life version of a website crashing during an online sale.
Completely bewildered by this, I showed my wife, asking if we had “reached peak stupid.”
Her response?
“What is this? Is this something I need to be stampeding for?”
And then it hit me, this was a stroke of marketing genius.
MORE:Cult chicken store El Jannah’s $4.5m move
The horde in hoodies mounts an escalator charge towards the new store. Picture: TikTok
Creating a stampede was a brilliant way to create brand awareness for a retailer.
We’ve all seen stories about 3am queues for those god awful Labubu dolls (up to $50 for a horrific soft toy); or the long lines outside cult pearl tea stores; or pop-ups of the latest fad burger store from the US.
I’m pretty sure even my GP likes to let the waiting room fill up at her practice just to create a sort of Studio 54 vibe, where if you’re not sick, you’re missing out on something super cool.
But a stampede? Outside of the annual Boxing Day sales, or the seasonal migration of bison across the North American plains, you rarely see them.
Perhaps the closest we’ve seen is the drop-in stock sales at Aldi, where all of a sudden, they might sell discount ski jackets for a weekend. I know my mother in law has put her elbows to work in a few of those sales.
MORE: NDA ‘signed’ as Harry and Meghan cut ties with US
Why rely on a queue to show how in demand your products are? People waiting patiently in line does not scream urgency. But a stampede is a display of pure desperation!
Young women, with their whole lives ahead of them, prepared to risk life and limb to be first into a shopping centre retail outlet.
Labubus … horrendous. Instagram
One TikTok vlogger described being “literally bullied” in the rush, women screaming as they sprinted for the front, people falling over on the stairs and a potential broken wrist. She claimed police should have been present to stop people fighting and getting injured.
Of all the events that could attract calls for a police presence, could you ever imagine it would be this?
It’s like one of those ironic fashion T-shirts that say ‘Paris, London, Milan … Broken Hill’.
Imagine: ‘Political rally, visiting diplomat, Pope touring … opening of suburban Glassons outlet’.
MORE:The parking act likely to spark instant neighbour rage revealed
Glassons must have some pretty cool stuff, right?
Years ago I lived near a major shopping centre, which contained a Glassons. It was rare to see more than two or three people in that store at a time. My limited understanding was that Glassons sold pretty basic clothes that weren’t overly expensive. They weren’t popular enough to fill all their fitting rooms at once, let alone spark a stampede.
So what are they doing differently these days?
Engaging influencers such as Sophia Begg has helped boost Glassons’ following.
A look at their website shows … some pretty basic clothes that aren’t overly expensive. Though the models look edgy and everything links to a social media presence.
Some further digging revealed that a rebrand a little over a decade ago saw Glassons pivot towards fast fashion aimed at Gen Z shoppers. That affordable pricing, along with successful social media marketing using influencers (they have someone called Sophia Begg, who appears to be popular) and rapid inventory updates seems to have gained Glassons a cult following.
MORE:Man visits Ikea 14 times to prove bizarre theory
To create a stampede, they merely needed a small tweak to mobilise that following. On this occasion, it was simply opening a store with the promise of gift vouchers and curated gift boxes for the first through the doors.
And, hey presto! A new trail of influence has been blazed.
People who knew about Glassons already are probably not surprised. People who thought they knew about Glassons now know that something has changed to make it stampede-worthy. People who had never heard of Glassons now know all about it. A retail masterclass.