People from Melbourne queue to get Dyson hair dryers and flights at Virgin 1 Point Rewards Initiative
Bargain hunters queue for hours to get their hands on Dyson hair dryers, Apple products and flights at Australia’s ‘cheapest store’
- Virgin’s 1 point club opened today in Melbourne
- The 24-hour pop-up store attracted thousands
- Shoppers purchased luxury items for one Velocity point
- Matt, 32, was first in line and picked up a Dyson
Thousands lined up for entire city blocks in the early hours of the morning for a chance to open Australia’s cheapest store.
Virgin’s 1 Point Club offered Melbourne residents the opportunity to spend one Velocity reward point in exchange for luxury products worth hundreds of dollars on Saturday.
The 24-hour pop-up shop on Chapel Street saw eager shoppers lined up for more than four blocks by the time the opening ribbon was cut and the doors opened.
Matt, 32, was first in line with his dog at 10 p.m. Friday night after promising his mom he’d pick her up a $649 Dyson Supersonic HD07 V3 hair dryer.
Within the store’s first four hours, more than 1,000 people had come to redeem their reward points for products from well-known brands such as Apple, Bose, Weber and Breville, among others.
Virgin’s 1-point club offered the Melbourne resident the opportunity to redeem one Velocity reward point in exchange for luxury goods worth hundreds of dollars each on Saturday
Matt, 32, was first in line with his dog at 10 p.m. Friday night after promising his mother he would pick her up a $649 Dyson Supersonic HD07 V3 hair dryer
Matt said he promised his mother he’d pick up the hairdryer months ago after she said she wanted one but didn’t want to spend that much money on the product.
Most other big ticket items sold out in under two hours and by 1pm there were only a few economy flights to cities across Australia left.
Hundreds of people lined up as the doors opened and stock began to sell out.
The most popular items were from Dyson, according to Virgin employees who were in store to welcome the crowd.
While the store was intended to remain open for the full 24 hours, it is unlikely to happen as stocks are running out quickly.
The pop-up store was opened in honor of the Velocity 1 Point Rewards Initiative which kicks off on Sunday, June 11.
New 1-point rewards release every week and allow members to purchase international flights, gadgets and more for just one point each.
According to Virgin employees who were in store to welcome the crowds, the most popular items were from Dyson
The 24-hour pop-up store on Chapel Street saw eager shoppers queuing more than four blocks by the time the opening ribbon was cut and the doors opened
While the initiative seemed too good to be true, Nick Rohrlach, CEO of Velocity Frequent Flyer, assured bargain hunters upfront that there was no catch.
“I expect Saturday to be a scene from the Black Friday sale, with hordes of shoppers trying to get their hands on a Dyson hair dryer or Apple Watch for just 1 Velocity Point. It really is something to be seen to be believed,” Mr Rohrlach said on Friday.
“Most people I’ve spoken to said the initiative is too good to be true, but I assure you we’re serious about fast pay, and this initiative is proof of that.
We know it’s hard to believe a member can go on holiday for just 1 Velocity Point or buy a Dyson hair dryer for the equivalent of a $2 purchase at Coles, but this is the beauty of our 1 Point Rewards initiative and it’s fantastic to be able to launch it in Melbourne.’