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I know part of this is due to increased competition from online shopping, outlet malls, etc. But another part of it is that a lot of their clothing is not on trend, and really hasn't been for years.
I know part of this is due to increased competition from online shopping, outlet malls, etc. But another part of it is that a lot of their clothing is not on trend, and really hasn't been for years.
They have really taken a nose plunge over the past ten years when it comes to quality and style. They deserve to have to close stores. As well as KMart and JC Penney and others who have sacrificed quality and style for...for what, price point? A few dollars one way or the other? Hasn't worked out well for them.
They are a bit ambitious with their headline, though...
Quote:
The retailer didn't say which stores would close or how many employees would be affected, though laid-off workers will likely number in the tens of thousands.
This is just a long line of screw ups by federated stores based in Cincinnati and going back to the 1980s. At one time Cincinnati had Shillito's, Dayton had Rike's, Columbus had Lazarus and Indianapolis had L.S.Ayres. These stores had long histories in the cities where they were founded, Shillito's and Rike's were combined to operate under the name Shillito-Rike's and later all the stores operated under the Lazarus name. Once federated acquired Macy's and Bloomingdale's, and with Macy's being known for being a high end retailer, federated changed it's name and the names of all of it's stores to Macy's and even put the moniker on the headquarters building. Not much different than Target taking over Big Lots and doing nothing more than changing the sign above the front door. Terry Lundgren is no longer the CEO, but after two straight years of closing more stores than Sears Holdings (K-Mart and Sears) there may not be much that can be done to save the Ol' Yeller of retail.
They just can't compete with stores such as T.J. Maxx, Ross and Marshall's. Those are my favorite stores, every time you walk in, there's different items, it's constantly changing.
My last trip to Macy's (about 8 years ago) was my last. A saleswoman who belonged behind the checkout counter at a Dollar Tree. Totally incompetent. I also found that I actually could get exactly what I want online far easier than in that store (money no object).
Once a place for quality (particularly men's clothes) it was already overrun by teenager junk, and poorly made, poorly tailored stuff. Prices weren't that off the wall, but quality was lacking, everywhere. Penney's at least, has over the past couple years, started stocking some better stuff, with good prices, reminiscent of its better days 30 to 40 years ago. But Macy's? Just "trendola" stuff of poor quality. Not its bag. I'm not surprised at its store closings.
Macy's has, hands down, the worst sales staff of any department store I've ever seen - the sparsest, rudest, dumbest. I certainly can't feel sorry for them.
When I grew up in St. Louis, we had three major department stores and one by one they closed or were bought out. Dillards bought out Stix, Baer and Fuller, and that was an amazing upgrade for the area. I still prefer Dillards to any other department store. Macy's bought out May Co, and that was all for the venerable Famous Barr. I never shopped in Macy's in St. Louis. Since that is the only department store in my area now, I have visited Macy's. I don't care for the store. It might as well be J.C. Penney. And it doesn't have clothes for me. I tried to find a coat there one spring, and gave up. I bought a nice one from LL Bean.
I have bought a purse at Macy's since I've lived here, and a few t shirts which were disappointing. But I just don't have time to tramp through a big store that has almost nothing I want to buy. I think what is killing Macy's are internet offerings. I now buy my Fossil bags from Fossil. And I just ordered a sweatshirt directly from Life is Good. I buy coats from Bean or Lands End. I found my DH's new wallet at Zappos, which is where I also buy most of my shoes. I am not adverse to buying from stores, but I find that when I am searching for something, I have trouble finding it in my size. Macy's is a huge offender in this, IMO. Their stuff is targeted toward a young demographic which is not interested in shopping in person. And for those of us who might want to shop in person, there is nothing we want to buy.
Note that even though Amazon has taken a lot of Macy's market share, sometimes on Macys.com I have gotten great deals. Particularly this year I have bought several IZOD Advantage Polos for myself and friends/family from Macys.com when they have their free shipping over $25 deals, and when I buy two at a time while using a $15 off $40 coupon that we get in the mail, it is almost like getting a second shirt free since we don't have to pay shipping, since we end up paying about $31 after taxes for both shirts.
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