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Target's ( TGT ) exclusive Swift merchandise attracts early Black

Friday

shoppers

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Swift's Eras Tour book and album boost Target's ( TGT ) sales

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Target ( TGT ) to offer Swift's merchandise online starting

Saturday

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People lined up before 5.a.m. at some stores

(Adds shopper comments throughout and price of Taylor Swift

merchandise)

By Siddharth Cavale and Ananya Mariam Rajesh

Nov 29 (Reuters) CHICAGO/NEW YORK/NORTH BERGEN, N.J. -

T aylor Swift fans and their parents lined up outside some of

Target's ( TGT ) nearly 2,000 U.S. stores early on Black Friday

to buy copies of her new Eras Tour book.

Hoping to buck a long stretch of slowing sales at Target ( TGT )

stores - with penny-pinched shoppers making purchases at rival

retailers - the big-box chain teamed up with Swift to build on

the fan momentum she experienced following her Eras Tour

concerts.

Several customers queued up outside Target ( TGT ) stores as early

as 5 a.m. ET in freezing temperatures, with most of them there

to snap up Swift merchandise.

"Yeah, it's really cold but we're here to get Taylor Swift's

tour book and her latest vinyl drop," Carlos Miracle, a 31-year

old Swift fan, said while waiting outside a Chicago store.

Parents of teenage daughters and youngsters in their late

20's were up and about to buy Swift's Eras Tour book priced at

$39.99 at Target ( TGT ). The retailer is also making available a vinyl

album and CD version of "The Tortured Poets Department: The

Anthology" for the first time containing 35 tracks including

four acoustic bonus songs.

The vinyl version is being sold at $59.99 and CDs for

$17.99, according to Target's ( TGT ) website.

Swift, 34, has been setting music industry milestones

and boosting local economies with

The Eras Tour

, with the last leg of the concert happening in Canada

currently, a phenomenon that some economists have termed "

Swiftflation

."

Swift had released her latest Tortured Poets album

in May during Target's ( TGT ) first quarter, boosting its sales in

its entertainment category by a high-single-digit percentage.

On Friday, Julia Corrin, a 39-year old from Pittsburgh

bought the Era Tour book. The tour was a "really special moment

... and it'll be great to have something to remember it by," she

said.

In New Jersey, 28-year old Amy Webb was in line to get

her hands on the new Eras Tour book. "I usually don't buy

anything during the holiday season, but wanted to get my hands

on this before it sells out," she said.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, users shared images of long

queues to grab Swift's merchandise while some noted that a few

Target ( TGT ) stores saw nearly empty shelves for the Eras Tour book

and were out of Tortured Poets vinyl as of 9:30 a.m.

"The vinyl went quick, I don't know exactly how many my

store got, but I was in line at 5. By the time it was my turn

the employee told me there were only 8 left," said an X-user

Rachel.

There were no fans in line as of 8:30 a.m. at one Target ( TGT )

store in New Jersey that had opened two and a half hours

earlier. Its rack holding copies of the Eras Tour book was half

empty.

To boost sales during the holiday season, which is shorter

than in previous years with only 26 days between Thanksgiving

and Christmas, Target ( TGT ) will begin to offer the Eras Tour book and

vinyl and CD version of her Tortured Poets album on its app and

website beginning Saturday.

"That's the only reason I am here, we don't want to go

online and see that it is sold (out)," said a 35-year old

Marriott Hotel employee Adrian Antuna, who was waiting to get

his hands on the Eras Tour book and a couple of the Tortured

Poets Department vinyl albums.