Bring extra, extra Cash
Never underestimate "the power of networking and the sisterhood."
That's how Rita Waters of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority explains how the group, which calls itself the nation's largest African American women's organization, got a special members-only shopping day set aside for itself at the new Macy's store in Center City on Saturday. The four-hour event will be four days before the Aug. 2 public opening of Macy's on Market Street.
About 12,000 women, and a few thousand spouses and children, are expected to attend the six-day sorority confab, scheduled to start Friday at the Convention Center.
Waters, a West Chester resident who's the convention coordinator, said the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau tried unsuccessfully to get Macy's to stage the special event. Three weeks ago, a member who is an auditor for the chain spoke to her boss, who pushed the idea up the chain of command until it was approved, Waters said.
Besides a 15 percent discount on purchases, the sisters will get a "light brunch," Waters said. "I think Macy's saw the opportunity."- Tom Belden