[hotair2]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Yes, this is true, but for many years they were not there: the only reason so many are located in So Ca now is just what you are saying: there are only now, 2 major dept chains, Broadway, Bullocks, May Co, Robinsons, etc have all gone under one company. So many of them have been changed to Macy's. I believe the only 2 mid priced chains are Federated and Dillards. I could be wrong on that. I know a lot of people want to say Macy's is upscale, I disagree, Neiman Marcus and Norstrums are upscale. Macy's is part of the Federated group.

Nita

Macy's is more upscale than Dillards...just my opinion.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by hotair2

Macy's is more upscale than Dillards...just my opinion.

I know some do feel that way, but they actually carry many of the same brands, certainly in clothing. I really, still put them in the mid dept store range, higher than Penny's but certainly not real upscale. I guess it is a matter of opinion. I think this is even more true since they became part of Federated. Federated consists of many of the old dept stores, those of us, much older than you grew up with and they were considered mid range. Again, this is a debate that probably is strickly subjective and there isn't a right answer..

Nita

[strumpeace]

Bloomingdale's was a Federated store -- and few would argue that Bloomingdale's is anything but upscale. Same for Lord & Taylor.

Federated no longer exists as 'Federated' btw. It's now just Macy's Inc.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

Bloomingdale's was a Federated store -- and few would argue that Bloomingdale's is anything but upscale. Same for Lord & Taylor.

Federated no longer exists as 'Federated' btw. It's now just Macy's Inc.

yes, you are right, but Bloomingdale's and Lord and Taylor were not always part of Federated. This goes back 50 years. Federated starting buying out or merging with some to these dept stores in the 70s, mostly in the 80s and 90s. That was the big change over. For those who lived in Ca then, Bullocks and Robinsons were considered more upscale than Broadway and May Co. As they all became one, they became very similar. The same in the D.C. area and the Dallas area.

Nita

[strumpeace]

True.

I'm originally from West Tennessee, where we had Goldsmith's, which was a pretty upscale chain. Macy's/Federated bought out Goldsmith's and made all the Goldsmith's stores Macy's stores. So my perception of Macy's as rather upscale is based more on Goldsmith's reputation than Macy's itself -- if that makes any sense. I haven't been into a Macy's in years, so I'm clueless about what kind of stuff they offer now.

[Dr. Foosball]

I interviewed a man this last summer who was a manager of a retail store in Fort Smith many years ago. He talked about how he would go to conventions in New York and Los Angeles to buy new products and he made it clear that what was considered "upscale" in this are was considered "midscale" in the bigger cities. He also said that people around here would not have been able to afford the real "upscale" clothing.

I don't know if this is still the same way, but I would bet it is.

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by Dr. Foosball

I interviewed a man this last summer who was a manager of a retail store in Fort Smith many years ago. He talked about how he would go to conventions in New York and Los Angeles to buy new products and he made it clear that what was considered "upscale" in this are was considered "midscale" in the bigger cities. He also said that people around here would not have been able to afford the real "upscale" clothing.

I don't know if this is still the same way, but I would bet it is.

I think there are people around here who could "afford" real "upscale" clothing, but you know, flying to Chicago or New York or even Dallas for a shopping spree is more fun than a shopping spree in Ft Smith.

[hotair2]

Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge

I think there are people around here who could "afford" real "upscale" clothing, but you know, flying to Chicago or New York or even Dallas for a shopping spree is more fun than a shopping spree in Ft Smith.

Agreed. My wife drives to Tulsa and Dallas to do some real shopping.

[Dr. Foosball]

It is very common for high school girls to drive to Dallas to get prom dresses.

[Good Ol Kahn]

I see there are adds for holiday sales associates at the Fort Smith Macy's on a couple of sites. Thats strange considering there is no Macy's in Fort Smith.

Sales Associate Jobs in Fort Smith, AR | Indeed.com