Otago Girls' High School pupil Taylor Alcock (15) was first in line, after queuing outside the George St store with two fellow pupils from 6.15am.
Taylor said a teacher from the school walked past just before 9am and reprimanded the girls, telling them to get to class.
"My friends left and went to school, so they missed out on a voucher, but I'm the kind of person that will stand my ground," she said.
Ms Miller said it was irresponsible of Glassons to hold the promotion on a weekday, knowing its target market was young women, including secondary school pupils.
"It's a legal requirement to be at school. They [Glassons] could have done it on a Saturday," she said.
An array of school uniforms could be seen among the horde of excited fashion lovers, as well as a few boyfriends, hoping to secure a voucher for a loved one.
Store manager Louise Walters said she expected a large crowd for the promotion, organised to coincide with the shop's reopening after a five-week refurbishment.
It was the first time in seven years the store had been remodelled.
Glassons had been in Dunedin about 25 years, Ms Walters said.
Sixteen staff worked the store opening, which was "like a normal Saturday for us," Ms Walters said.
