Are these Department Stores Low-End, Middle-End or High-End? (head, curly, brands)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I consider low-end to be a pretty wide range, with middle-end less wide, and high to be the most narrow - in terms of "who belongs in this set."
So for low:
Walmart
Sear's
JC Penney
Middle:
Macy's
Lord & Taylor
High:
Nordstrom
Saks
I'd put Neiman-Marcus in "High" as well. And Saks -might- end up in middle, because they went through ownership and policy changes and are more "middle-class-friendly" than they used to be.
I consider low-end to be a pretty wide range, with middle-end less wide, and high to be the most narrow - in terms of "who belongs in this set."
So for low:
Walmart
Sear's
JC Penney
Middle:
Macy's
Lord & Taylor
High:
Nordstrom
Saks
I'd put Neiman-Marcus in "High" as well. And Saks -might- end up in middle, because they went through ownership and policy changes and are more "middle-class-friendly" than they used to be.
Saks, "Middle Class friendly"??? I guess it depends on what you define middle class as. (250K+ a year, then yes. )
Nordies doesn't even carry the high end/designer assortment that Saks does, other than some shoes. (They carry a small selection of CLs, Choos and a few other designer labels in their shoe department, but apparel wise, they don't have many premier labels.)
Neimans wasn't mentioned by the OP, but obviously they're high-end as is Bergdorf, Bendels, Barneys, Fred Segal, Holt Renfrew (Canadian), Selfridges (UK), etc..
Saks is definitely more luxury, where Nordies is only "upscale."
Bloomingdales isn't what it used to be. They've kind of filled the spot where Macy's used to be.
For Lord & Taylor, I find that some locations have better merchandise, i.e., 5th Avenue and Scarsdale, than some of the other stores in the chain though they seem to have consolidated some of the stores that made me question where they had purchased the merchandise as it didn't look like any brand you would normally find in L&T. Depending upon the store, they can be mid to upscale. Interestingly, some of the merchandise I have seen/bought in Scarsdale, in particular, does not appear online, and is generally confined to expansions of the core designers that they carry, such as Ralph Lauren.
Bloomingdale's used to have a reputation that was more fashionable, and avant-garde than the current iteration of the store, that I agree has filled Macy's higher-end. Macy's has become more of a mass market chain with expansion, such that it tends to be the higher-end of the mid-tier, above JC Penney, despite offering some expanded upscale collections at Herald Square.
Sears would be lower middle, buoyed by their ownership of Lands End, which would incorporate sensible middle-tier offerings with more moderate fashions. Aside from Lands End, and a long-standing association with Levi's, I am not even sure what other brands Sears would sell, though I'd be surprised if some aspect of the moderate Jones Group lines was not carried in the career/sportswear department. This also varies greatly by store, as some stores have Lands End departments that take up much of the clothing floor space, and others have small LE departments.
Saks, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf-Goodman, Harvey Nichols, Harrods, KaDeWe, Ogilvy's, Holt-Renfrew, Galeries Lafayette, etc. are stores that I would place in the upper-end/luxury/designer tier. Some Le Printemps stores would also tend to the upscale category, but the stores can vary widely in their scope, depending upon individual store merchandising.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
High end
Saks 5th Ave
Nordstrom (Bloomies, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman ) I miss you Manhattan!
High/Middle end
Lord & Taylor
Middle
Macy's
Low end
Walmart (I would never buy clothes there for myself or kids!)
Sears (another store that has nothing decent lol)
thanks
[/quote]
At Walmart, there was this hoodie thing available in brown and also green and I LOVE it! Best thing I ever bought. It's so warm and snug, the inside feels like the same material as Uggs. Gurr, I is warm!
The only think I wouldn't buy from Walmart is pants and footwear.
Saks, "Middle Class friendly"??? I guess it depends on what you define middle class as. (250K+ a year, then yes. )
Nordies doesn't even carry the high end/designer assortment that Saks does, other than some shoes. (They carry a small selection of CLs, Choos and a few other designer labels in their shoe department, but apparel wise, they don't have many premier labels.)
Neimans wasn't mentioned by the OP, but obviously they're high-end as is Bergdorf, Bendels, Barneys, Fred Segal, Holt Renfrew (Canadian), Selfridges (UK), etc..
Saks is definitely more luxury, where Nordies is only "upscale."
Bloomingdales isn't what it used to be. They've kind of filled the spot where Macy's used to be.
Some of this may be regional.. the Nordy's here have a large "salon" shoes department with lots of upper end designers. There's a lot of shopping competition here in the Land of Neiman's. Personally I rarely see anything I like in Neimans (aside from their super-fab cafes). It just doesn't tend to be to my taste.
Now the only Macy's I've been to have been in California and Texas, but I've never ever been impressed with their clothes/purses/etc. Definitely not upscale, as some have said in this thread.
It's pretty impossible for me to walk into Nordstrom and walk out empty handed.
Some of this may be regional.. the Nordy's here have a large "salon" shoes department with lots of upper end designers. There's a lot of shopping competition here in the Land of Neiman's. Personally I rarely see anything I like in Neimans (aside from their super-fab cafes). It just doesn't tend to be to my taste.
Now the only Macy's I've been to have been in California and Texas, but I've never ever been impressed with their clothes/purses/etc. Definitely not upscale, as some have said in this thread.
It's pretty impossible for me to walk into Nordstrom and walk out empty handed.
I'm all too aware of Nordies shoe salon. (And I've got a lot shoes to prove it. ) Maybe it does differ by location. The one we shop at in NY has an "ok" shoe salon (CL, Choo, Dior, Blahnik), but it doesn't really carry too many premier labels from a clothing standpoint, it's just upscale. I don't think I've ever seen a handbag that was more than 1500K there.
I'd classify Walmart (and maybe Target) as middle-low.
Low would be something like Goodwill or Salvation Army.
I don't know. I think I would probably be able to find much nicer stuff at Goodwill or Salvation Army, albeit used of course, then I could ever find at Walmart. I think ole Wally World is the lowest of the low.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
(250K+ a year, then yes. 
They've kind of filled the spot where Macy's used to be.
) Maybe it does differ by location. The one we shop at in NY has an "ok" shoe salon (CL, Choo, Dior, Blahnik), but it doesn't really carry too many premier labels from a clothing standpoint, it's just upscale. I don't think I've ever seen a handbag that was more than 1500K there. 
