THERE was chaos at a downtown shopping complex this morning (Mar. 26) with sale of MoonSwatch jointly designed between Swatch and Omega cancelled after buyers queuing up for hours started quarrelling, Matichon newspaper said.
Today is the first day the budget version of the iconic Speedmaster Moonwatch, an astronaut-inspired piece that usually retails for thousands of dollars, named MoonSwatch went on sale at three shopping complexes – Siam Paragon, Central World and Icon Siam.
This collection has been inspired by space with there are 11 models named after the planets – Earth, Moon, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto, Venus, Uranus, Neptune and Mercury. The brand has limited purchase to one watch per person at select Swatch stores.
At 9 a.m. there were hundreds of people waiting to buy one of these watches in front of Central World. Some said they had been waiting since 2 p.m. yesterday and at 6 a.m. there were already 200 people waiting at the footpath and at the bus stop.
Later when they were allowed to queue up in front of the shopping complex, because the queuing system was changed three times, it led to quarrels breaking out among the shoppers.
The guards moved in to try to sort out the problem but without success which led the sales team there cancelling today’s sale.
This annoyed some foreigners who had been waiting there since yesterday afternoon.
Siam Paragon had arranged chairs for people queuing up to buy these watches to sit on with some people having turned up at 6 p.m. last evening.
It was reported that 100 of these watches were allotted to each branch and staff at the outlet in this shopping mall ended the sale at 9. 20 a.m.
CAPTION:
Chaos as people waiting to buy a MoonSwatch squabble at Central World and the collection that attracted so many buyers. Photos: Matichon
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