Macy's to shut down 11 stores

[LaneSig]

Originally Posted by pbear19

I'm not even marginally surprised that St. Louis is on there. This market isn't terribly friendly to outside companies buying out St. Louis institutions, and a lot of Famous Barr customers never made the switch to being Macy's customers.

Similar here in Texas. A lot of Foley's customers were not happy about Macy's taking over and switched to Dillard's. If Macy's had been smart, they would have bought Foley's and let them stay with the name and reputation.

[epchick]

Originally Posted by LaneSig

Similar here in Texas. A lot of Foley's customers were not happy about Macy's taking over and switched to Dillard's. If Macy's had been smart, they would have bought Foley's and let them stay with the name and reputation.

Foley's sucked. I'm glad Macy's took over.

[BabyPiNK_FL]

Macy's took over our Burdine's in South Florida. Burdine's was great. I went to them ALL the time to shop. Macy's was only for visiting Aventura Mall.

Now that Burdine's are all Macy's, I haven't been shopping there as much because the clothes selection hasn't been as good until more recently. However, the Macy's that we have that have always been Macy's are still great. All the former Burdine's stores are mostly so-so.

Dillard's is something I only go to for dresses. They have the best dress selection here. For anything else...blah. All of their stores seem to desperately need new carpets.

[PM_Mama00]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeTriDelta

We had Lazarus and Marshall Fields. I will never ever forgive Macy's for buying Marshall Fields.

We had Hudsons, then Marshall Fields, and unfortunately then Macy's. I remember when it was somewhat affordable to shop there. WTF are they thinking putting a Macy's in a middle to lower-middle class area? People around here can't afford to buy that shit. I wanted to buy a pair of EMU boots. They were $80some at Macy's. Across the hall at Journey's they were on sale for $50 or $60. Ridiculous.

[summer_gphib]

Originally Posted by pbear19

I'm not even marginally surprised that St. Louis is on there. This market isn't terribly friendly to outside companies buying out St. Louis institutions, and a lot of Famous Barr customers never made the switch to being Macy's customers.

I will never be a fan of Macy's. I loved Famous Barr so much. It's a terrible thing that it's gone. I used to love to come home to Missouri, and go hit Famous Barr up. And they killed our Burdines here. Death to Macy's.

[chitownxo]

Originally Posted by ThetaDancer

Amen. I still miss Marshall Fields and Macy's doesn't even come close. It seems a lot of people here feel the same way and are somewhat bitter toward Macy's.

My mother-in-law was a die-hard Fields fan, and refuses to shop at Macy's. Fields always had great service, but Macy's...ick.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam

I wonder if these 11 that are closing used to be other stores that Macy's bought.

The two closing in this area were Kaufmann's. I think only 11 people will be unemployed due to the one store closing - bad for them, but not as horrendous as 11,000.

Originally Posted by BuckeyeTriDelta

We had Lazarus and Marshall Fields. I will never ever forgive Macy's for buying Marshall Fields.

Hear, hear! I was actually given a framed Marshall Fields shopper bag as a Christmas present! It was a special promotion of something I collect, and framed so that I can hang it on either side.

Originally Posted by crescent&pearls

I miss beautiful department stores with elegant displays...where your mother took you once a year to school shop...and then for lunch in the tea room.

We were just talking about this over the weekend! The guys were clueless, but the trips to the special department stores with your mother or other significant woman are sooo important to a young girl. Or at least, they used to be.

Does anyone else remember being in the tea room, while models walked through, wearing a special outfit and holding a card so your mother could check out the outfit after lunch?

And I agree with whomever suggested that Macy's had kept the "tenor" and name of each store, but collected the profits. That first time to Bloomingdales, to Neiman-Marcus, to Lord & Taylor - they were so special!

[AlphaDeltaDelta]

They close stores every year... This really isn't that big of a deal...

[crescent&pearls]

Does anyone else remember being in the tea room, while models walked through, wearing a special outfit and holding a card so your mother could check out the outfit after lunch?


I loved the fashion shows! My sister and I did one at the Saks near Wilshire once...we must have looked like little pageant girls with our aqua net laquered hair and powder blue crushed velvet dresses! I don't remember cards for the outfits...but I do remember the free valet parking! When I was older I know the Bullock's near my house has a teen board, and it was quite a big deal to be the teen board rep for your high school. We also had a smaller local dept store. When they had their sale in June, all the moms in the neighborhood got up early to wait for the doors to open!

It seems pretty simple to me that in this day and age of Internet shopping, shopping in a brick and mortar store has to be an experience that is relaxing, fun, and somehow more upscale. Nordstrom pretty much gets it right, although I have to go to South Coast to buy dresses or suits. There isn't a lot of selection at the store nearest to me. So now I shop mostly on line!

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by crescent&pearls

Does anyone else remember being in the tea room, while models walked through, wearing a special outfit and holding a card so your mother could check out the outfit after lunch?


I loved the fashion shows! My sister and I did one at the Saks near Wilshire once...we must have looked like little pageant girls with our aqua net laquered hair and powder blue crushed velvet dresses! I don't remember cards for the outfits...but I do remember the free valet parking! When I was older I know the Bullock's near my house has a teen board, and it was quite a big deal to be the teen board rep for your high school. We also had a smaller local dept store. When they had their sale in June, all the moms in the neighborhood got up early to wait for the doors to open!

It seems pretty simple to me that in this day and age of Internet shopping, shopping in a brick and mortar store has to be an experience that is relaxing, fun, and somehow more upscale. Nordstrom pretty much gets it right, although I have to go to South Coast to buy dresses or suits. There isn't a lot of selection at the store nearest to me. So now I shop mostly on line!

I remember Bullock's from when I was very very very little, and there was also Emporium Capwell. Macy's West is amazing, when I. Magnin closed they became this juggernaut knocking out the walls and expanding the Union Square women's store. Being able to get off the street car and go through a turnstile to enter the store was pretty amazing for the downtown San Francisco stores. I always got my santa photos there, and they would have carnivals on the roof.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by AlphaDeltaDelta

They close stores every year... This really isn't that big of a deal...

No, actually...this kind of is a big deal. For a major chain to close any stores in January, when they should be flush with success from the holiday season, is indicative of exactly how badly the economy is impacting mid-range retail.

Also, if you understood that other store chains such as Saks and Nordstrom are actually to add more stores--some in the same cities where Macy's is shuttering locations--it's also indicative of how badly Macy's failed at their buyout and reconceptualization of those chains.

Yes...they "close stores every year," but rarely during the first week of the year!

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Also, if you understood that other store chains such as Saks and Nordstrom are actually to add more stores.

True. A mall near me just opened not only a Saks, but a Nordstrom Rack, which is literally 2 miles from an actual Nordstrom.

[Kappamd]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

True. A mall near me just opened not only a Saks, but a Nordstrom Rack, which is literally 2 miles from an actual Nordstrom.

KSU, have you been up to the Nordstrom Rack? I haven't yet, but would like to and just want to know if its worth the trip.

Also, there was discussion of Macy's converts vs. stores that were always Macy's. I definitely think stores that have always been Macy's have better upheld Macy's former reputation. The Macy's in my hometown used to be a Kaufmann's and there is just no comparison.

Oh, and I worked at a Macy's over break and we learned in our orientation that Macy's is far superior to Dillard's in terms in quality/selection/high-end designers, etc.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by Kappamd

KSU, have you been up to the Nordstrom Rack? I haven't yet, but would like to and just want to know if its worth the trip.

Also, there was discussion of Macy's converts vs. stores that were always Macy's. I definitely think stores that have always been Macy's have better upheld Macy's former reputation. The Macy's in my hometown used to be a Kaufmann's and there is just no comparison.

Yes, I find this to be true (at least in the northeast Ohio area). Every single Macy's I know of that used to be a Kaufamann's has pretty poor selection and made me wonder why it was still open.

If I had to choose between Dillard's & Macy's around here, I'd go with Dillard's. But I generally will take the trip up to go to Nordstrom or the Rack (which is worth the little bit of a drive).

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by Kappamd

KSU, have you been up to the Nordstrom Rack? I haven't yet, but would like to and just want to know if its worth the trip.

Also, there was discussion of Macy's converts vs. stores that were always Macy's. I definitely think stores that have always been Macy's have better upheld Macy's former reputation. The Macy's in my hometown used to be a Kaufmann's and there is just no comparison.

Oh, and I worked at a Macy's over break and we learned in our orientation that Macy's is far superior to Dillard's in terms in quality/selection/high-end designers, etc.

I live out west, but Nordstrom Rack is amazing. I've gotten couture shoes and bags there marked down because they were returned after the season, or in the case of a pair of shoes they had been worn, so they refinished the soles and sent them off to The Rack. If you want quality or a name but don't care about seasons, The Rack is amazing. I've been able to find a lot of great shoes there, and my ex hit a goldmine for suits, and they even have a tailor/seamstress so we went shopping elsewhere and she had everything hemmed so we could pick it up after dinner.

I <3 The Rack.