'Singaporeans are really free': Shoppers wait up to 6 hours to snag puffy bags at Ngee Ann City

SINGAPORE - Droves of shoppers turned up at Ngee Ann City on Wednesday (Sept 13) to snag handbags by local lifestyle brand The Paper Bunny, with some waiting up to six hours.

The prize is a new small puffy, nylon handbag that costs $55 and comes in nine colours - from hot pink to forest green.

Shoppers were also there to get other popular handbags that The Paper Bunny had just restocked and that were known to sell out quickly in the past. The bags, called the Puffer Swing and Puffer Shopper, cost between $59 and $65.

The first customers arrived at 8.35am at the shop - located in Basement 2 of Ngee Ann City - almost 90 minutes before it opened at 10am. Shoppers were given a queue number and told to return when it was their turn.

But by 2.30pm, the queue was so long the store had to turn people away.

"The digital queue for today will be closed... due to an overwhelming response," said the company on Instagram on Wednesday at around 1.30pm.

This was so people already in the queue can buy a bag, said the Instagram post.

        View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by The Paper Bunny (@thepaperbunny)

Analyst Shanice Ong arrived at 11.10am to find more than 80 people waiting outside the shop.

The 25-year old was given queue No. 540 and told to return when it came to her turn to enter. Five hours later she bought her first handbag from the brand - a $65 Puffer Shopper bag.

Ms Ong told The Straits Times she did not think that people would make the effort to come early and queue in person.

"I was genuinely shocked when I saw the crowd. I thought, 'Singaporeans are really free'," she said.

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The buying frenzy extended to cyberspace, with shoppers trying to get the bags on The Paper Bunny's online store.

One shopper, who only wanted to be known as Ms Toh, managed to buy three bags for a total of $189.

"By the time I refreshed the page, one of the handbags I wanted was sold out, so I had to go back and choose another one," said the 21-year-old student.

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Checks by ST found that at least six colours of the Puffer Shopper handbags and eight colours of the Puffer Swing handbags were sold out on The Paper Bunny's website by 5pm on Thursday. The handbags were also listed on Carousell for about $95, almost 60 per cent more than their retail price.

ST has reached out to The Paper Bunny for comment.

Newly launched or limited edition products have drawn large crowds in Singapore in the past.

In March, watchmakers Omega and Swatch collaborated on a watch launch that drew hundreds of people to Swatch outlets at Ion Orchard and Marina Bay Sands (MBS).

In 2020, large crowds had gathered at shoe retailer Foot Locker's Orchard outlet for the release of limited-edition Adidas sneakers.

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