Rich's: Was it like Wal-Mart? (Atlanta, Decatur: credit, wedding, to buy)

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Why ask us that know first hand what kind of store Rich's was and then dispute what we have to say? There is nothing anywhere to compare to the customer service today. Nothing. You don't have retail people at any kind of mall that will put in a lifetime career at one store and know their customers by name and give the kind of service that you saw at Rich's back in its hey day. You didn't see it, so take our word for it. Lovin Decatur, Newsboy, Ansley Park and others will back me up.

I am not saying that Rich's was the end all of department stores. There were locally owned stores in all major cities that had the same kind of service, quality and attention to detail. Parisian's in Birmingham. Someone mentioned Lazarus... Florida I believe... Sanger Harris in Texas, I am sure many can name others. These locally owned department stores were woven into the fabric of the community in a way that these nationally run behemoths can never match.

Consider yourself backed up, SM. You're 100% correct. My friend at the Perimeter Mall Macys has worked there forever and is a carryover from the Richs era. As a result no doubt of her Richs background her customer service skills are excellent. She's the main reason I won't buy furniture anywhere but Macys.
She and I have lamented the passing of Richs. Davisons'closing was just as sad.

[jeoff]

For almost anyone alive today Davison's was always really a Macy's. Macy's bought them in the 20's and waited 60 years to change the name--my guess is that Southern identity was a lot stronger then, and keeping the name of a Southern company helped it compete with Rich's. By the 80s it became more important to compete nationally against other department stores.
Just a note: The world has changed a lot --for better an worse-- for all the lamenting about cheapening of everthing, more poor and lower-middle-class Americans than ever can afford a lot more nice things. (But, that doesn't keep me from being sentimental about the old stores, too)!

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Why ask us that know first hand what kind of store Rich's was and then dispute what we have to say? There is nothing anywhere to compare to the customer service today. Nothing. You don't have retail people at any kind of mall that will put in a lifetime career at one store and know their customers by name and give the kind of service that you saw at Rich's back in its hey day. You didn't see it, so take our word for it. Lovin Decatur, Newsboy, Ansley Park and others will back me up.

I am not saying that Rich's was the end all of department stores. There were locally owned stores in all major cities that had the same kind of service, quality and attention to detail. Parisian's in Birmingham. Someone mentioned Lazarus... Florida I believe... Sanger Harris in Texas, I am sure many can name others. These locally owned department stores were woven into the fabric of the community in a way that these nationally run behemoths can never match.

You are absolutely 100% correct. It was the long time employees and the customer service that set the old department stores apart.

Rich's also did things like honoring city of Atlanta scrip, when the city was too poor to pay its employees in cash.

They were also huge contributors to the civic scene. Things like the lighting of the Great Tree atop of the bridge downtown was an event remembered by generations of Atlantans.

[ericsonga]

I still bemoan the loss of Rich's. I remember my mother and grandmother had personal shoppers there. Macy's is junk when you compare it. I never go. I feel like I'm in a slightly more upmarket Wal-Mart.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Richs and Davisons would have certainly held their own against any other high-end regional chain. They certainly would have run circles around the Macys of today. I'm pretty sure that many old-time Atlanans like myself would agree.

I just remember that the transition from Rich's to Macy's was pretty seamless as was Davidson's to Macy's. Rich's and Davidson's were rivals and the Macy's transition seemed a lateral move because Davidson's was essentially Macy's all along as it was owned by them for decades.

Department stores are definitely not what they used to be. They used to be the one-stop-shop place to go for back-to-school and Christmas. As mentioned earlier, many were regional fixtures. In Pittsburgh it was Kaufmann's, Horne's, and Gimble's. Department stores had a lot more variety as they also carried televisions, stereos, etc. But the big box stores took those markets so the department stores had to narrow their merchandise. Specialization seems to be carrying the market so most of the department stores folded and consolidated under a few names Macy's, Bloomingdale's etc. Course the internet might take it down further as it's easier to comparison shop without having to go anywhere, and even with sales tax, you can still get better deals.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Rocco Barbosa

Here is my OP: I was reading some info about Rich's. I understand Macy's took it over and I realize Macy's is not what I would call high end but was Rich's equal to Macy's in terms of quality or more like Wal-Mart?



I said was Rich's equal to Macy's OR W.M.? I did not say Rich's is like W.M.


I gave 2 options. Please don't twist my post around. Of all the posts in this thread everyone seems to follow my OP but you.

The problem is two-fold.

It is way off from being anything like Wal-Mart.

and in your question you were wrong...

It was a high end department store.

I know there are many individual stores for high priced brands that are much more exclusive than a typical department store. At the end of the day any department store is still trying to cater to the masses, even if it is the upper and upper-middle come masses. It was indeed a high department store and catered to a very different shopping demographic than Wal-Mart does... not too much unlike Macy's does today as far as target demographics.

Generally if you want to play there is stuff more high-end card.. you're no longer looking at department stores, you're looking brand specific specialty shops that focus on low-volume, high-value sales.

[ebaynu2u]

I grew up with Lazarus in Columbus, Ohio. I also remember Shillito's in Cincinnati. They were both part of Federated Department Stores. They eventually merged with Rich's. Now they are all Macy's.

[ehoez]

[Rocco Barbosa]

Originally Posted by ebaynu2u

I grew up with Lazarus in Columbus, Ohio. I also remember Shillito's in Cincinnati. They were both part of Federated Department Stores. They eventually merged with Rich's. Now they are all Macy's.

Yup, you got it.

[midtown mile girl]

Macy's and Bloomingdales are owned by Federated. Bloomingdales tends to have some more upscale merchandise, and has a very nice home dept.
I used to work for Rich's after I graduated college, and it was a very nice store. Macys has become one step above Walmart, which is sad.
As for high-end, that would Nordstrom.
Above Nordstrom would be Neimans and Saks.