Cambridgeside Galleria Macy's closes (Boston, Springfield: rent, house, neighborhood)

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

Relative to where? I don't mind the walk either, but we are in the minority. For a location in Boston or Cambridge, T access isn't great.

The walk wasn't the problem - when I did get to CambridgeSide, it was via the Red Line at Kendall. Perfectly fine walk. Green is obviously better, but you only had traffic coming from one direction on the Green and it also stops near the DTX location and passes by all of the retail at Prudential and along Newbury. I don't know how many people are going to willingly walk across the Gilmore Bridge from Community College for Macy's at CambridgeSide. It's a 15 minute walk (not a pleasant one) - longer than it would take to remain on the train to DTX. The issue is that for such a central location, it's still not as good as the competition in terms of transit accessibility. Macy's in DTX is right on top of both the Red/Orange lines. Even from where I was in Cambridge/Somerville, DTX was the more accessible Macy's.

For people in central Boston (residents, workers, and visitors), most are going to opt for DTX for Macy's and Prudential or Newbury for the rest of the national chain retail. Suburban shoppers aren't coming into town to go to Macy's at CambridgeSide (or to go to CambridgeSide at all). So CambridgeSide's draw is fairly limited to the people around it and their options have proliferated over the years between online shopping, Assembly, and everything downtown.

Originally Posted by id77

I'm not even sure the DTX Macy's is that long for this world.

Me neither, but I hope it stays. It'd be a crushing blow to DTX which is really trying to be (and should be) better.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Please ... we know how to shop in department stores. Last time I was at Macy’s it was very clear their inventory was targeting Boomer men, moms shopping for their teenage son, and retail salesmen.

Once one establishes their fit, there’s few reasons to sift through Macy’s mixed-bag inventory when one can go to LL Bean, Brooks Brothers, Barbour, Patagucci or whatever their brand of choice is and shop online for known fits within a very exacting aesthetic.

It’s no different than how I’m buying hand tools via Amazon or other online retailers. Sure, I can find something serviceable at my local Lowe’s, HD, Autozone, etc., or I could wait 1-2 days and get the ‘perfect’ forged German/Swiss/American tool for a few bucks more.

+1

Why go to a store when you can get exactly what you want delivered at home?

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Lampert

+1

Why go to a store when you can get exactly what you want delivered at home?

Some people still care about supporting the local main street economy, and also prefer to touch and feel things or try them on.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Lampert

+1

Why go to a store when you can get exactly what you want delivered at home?

I don’t know if it’s exactly what I want because I haven’t felt it or really seen it.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by robr2

CambridgeSide (it's new name) is going to be redeveloped and it will no longer be a galleria. It's going mixed use with residential, office, lab space, and ground floor retail. Big retailers like Macy's and Best Buy are not part of the plan.

Here's what the plans to redevelop CambridgeSide look like

Thanks for sharing, that's good information

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

I don’t know if it’s exactly what I want because I haven’t felt it or really seen it.

Order it and send it back for free if it doesn't fit you. I sent back for free a king size mattress because it turned out to be uncomfortable (for me) after a week.

Anything technical also doesn't really need to be felt IMO. If you are buying a tool/electronics etc it's better to read review online than get a sense of it in a store.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Some people still care about supporting the local main street economy, and also prefer to touch and feel things or try them on.

You can go to Lowe's and buy the 4-5 dehumidifier they have available or you can go on Lowes.com and buy from the over 80 dehumidifier they have available.

[BosYuppie]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Me neither, but I hope it stays. It'd be a crushing blow to DTX which is really trying to be (and should be) better.

Crushing? I dunno. I bet (pre-covid) the Primark in DTX does 3-5x the revenue of that Macy's.

Here's some ideas for the Macy's space:

* An affordable gym - the planet fitness downtown is a ****-show from what I hear, and all the other gyms in the area are "upscale" and expensive.
* Food/beer hall (like the Time Out Market or preferably cheaper) - office workers would love the options at lunch.
* Art space collective. Something like the Western Ave Studios in Lowell
* City Target or similar
* IKEA, Wayfair, etc furniture showroom?

All these ideas based on my experience when i worked by DTX for 4-5 years up til recently.

I don't think the building will be torn down because of A) a major data center hosted above and B) Major MBTA offices and infrastructure below.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

I don’t know if it’s exactly what I want because I haven’t felt it or really seen it.

Majority of online consumers know what they are buying and maintain some degree of brand ‘loyalty’, i.e., they’re not necessarily browsing unknown brands/fits. I still shop for jeans in person (pre-Covid) as the fit can vary greatly, but shirts, informal jackets, shoes, etc. are pretty low risk online purchases so long as you know the quality of X brand is up to your individual standards.

My point was that Millenials aren’t against or ignorant to ol’ fashioned brick and mortar shopping, rather they are aware of the massive national and global markets which afford them greater preference.

I’ve found myself running to Home Depot less and less because I find with a slight amount of time planning I can order higher quality fixtures or materials through Amazon, Build.com, etc. Physical retail is largely dying because it can’t compete with the value proposition of online buying; i.e., physical inventory inherently limits consumer preferences and undermines consumer value (aside from immediate ownership).

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Majority of online consumers know what they are buying and maintain some degree of brand ‘loyalty’, i.e., they’re not necessarily browsing unknown brands/fits. I still shop for jeans in person (pre-Covid) as the fit can vary greatly, but shirts, informal jackets, shoes, etc. are pretty low risk online purchases so long as you know the quality of X brand is up to your individual standards.

My point was that Millenials aren’t against or ignorant to ol’ fashioned brick and mortar shopping, rather they are aware of the massive national and global markets which afford them greater preference.

I’ve found myself running to Home Depot less and less because I find with a slight amount of time planning I can order higher quality fixtures or materials through Amazon, Build.com, etc. Physical retail is largely dying because it can’t compete with the value proposition of online buying; i.e., physical inventory inherently limits consumer preferences and undermines consumer value (aside from immediate ownership).

I personally don't buy much of value/quality online. Only bare necessities id get from the general store, and maybe a well-reviewed or popular item as a gift (air fryer). Sometimes I have questions too