The Decline of Macy's...What Happened? 

@@davidjones5547 This needs more upvotes

The history of Out of Business Any% Speed run

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The last time I went to Macy physical store was to return filled items for free shipping. That was a mistake, their cash registers were like in the 70s slow and glitchy….the return was unsuccessful I ended up keeping the item….probably that was their sale strategy

surprised there was even a cashier there. Any time that I can remember going to a department store, be it Sears, Macy's, Kohl's or another, there is never cashiers at the register. And I'm not just talking about in recent years.

They're still waiting in line for you.

Retail, service industry in general is terrible to work in

@@msovaz77 yea, true all those things but also really does teach one to not give a f and just get paycheck and call it a day

PEOPLE ARE RUDE & ALWAYS AMAZES ME THAT PEOPLE BEHAVE THAT WAY 1) IN PUBLIC & 2) TO SOMEONE WHO ISNT AT FAULT. THATS RETAIL FOR YA. I WORKED CHRISTMAS HOUSEWARES IN MACYS IN LAGUNA HILLS, CA LATE 90'S. AGAIN LONG LINE I HELPED A WOMAN WHO DIDNT NEED HELP -SHE WANTED THE FLOOR MODEL OF A COFFEE MAKER I THINK. SHE CAME BACK ABOUT AN HOUR LATER, WITH IT IN THE PLASTIC BAG, SWINGING IT OVER HAND, TRYING TO HIT ME WITH IT, BC A PART WAS MISSING OR SOMETHING. SHE WAS FROM ANOTHER CULTURE WHERE THEY DONT TREAT WOMEN WELL, IRONICALLY AND APPARENTLY WAS OF THE OPINION I WAS HER SERVANT, WITH A LONG LINE AT THE CHECK OUT. YOU DO NOT GET PERSONALIZED SERVICE DURING THE HOLIDAYS WHEN IT IS BUSY. 5 PM MAYBE.

I know how you feel. These retirees can be some POSs for REAL. They have nothing to do though so I don't get it.

I thought the same thing The quality really sucks it’s like stuff from China .

The decline of malls is what's hurting Macy's huge decline in foot traffic

I partially agree with you. I mainly go there to buy Levi's and the quality of their denim has dropped significantly...BUT! that is not Macy*s fault, as virtually all major fashion companies/brands are going cheaper and taking shortcuts on what they order from China (American Eagle, Gap, and others are doing the same thing). It is said that clothing now makes for the planet's #1 waste contributor, since garments are now so affordable and easy to produce, and as such we go through our clothes much faster than ever before and quickly fill up trash fields with mountains of used clothing. That's why environmentalists now advocate for thrift shopping instead of buying new clothes (not to mention HUGE the savings!). Oh well. For the cost of purchasing and eventually re-purchasing the same pair of Levi's a year later, not to mention dry cleaning bills, I might as well just buy a high-end denim brand and save money that way (as ironic as that may sound).

Yep. This is the major problem practically all critics miss. The clothes are ugly and poorly made IMHO. Also, the cut way to much staffing. 🎉🎉🎉

It was overpriced when you were a kid. The prices back then were just what was normal to you. If you’re parents had shopped there when they were kids they’d probably have a similar sentiment.

God, I hated shilling that useless piece of plastic. It was even worse if you got someone from out of the country and they'd be interested in the card and then it's, "oh, it's US only" and watch them go into a rage that they don't get a discount because they're foreigners. Some were obviously just trying to scam, but some legitimately were pissed that US companies would give this nice bright discount to citizens but not to them. Had to call managers several times to get them to give out SOME discount, and the managers hated me every time I did that because it meant I didn't sell a card and lost the store money. Customer Service work there was ass. I'm so sorry for those who have had to work there in the past 2 decades.

My aunt worked there too at the clinic counter and she said the credit card is the worst part her boss was always on her ass for not getting a certain amount of people to get it when 50% of people had it and the other 50% were never going to get it no matter how often they go or you asked.

Macys now is just good for shopping for jackets every now and then and for things such as button ups and slacks. Everything else now just isn't appealing at all.

What annoyed me a ton was when I worked there the only way to get my discount was through the cc. I was fresh out of hs so I wasn’t approve for the cc and had to get the debit card version. It left such a awful taste in my mouth. Any customer that was nice to me I would give them tips to save money.

Agreed. Never really buy anything from there. Year after clothes and shoes so outdated. Looks like they only sale clothes and shoes for old people and EXPENSIVE. Don't care for Macy.

I've seen that too. Same thing at JCPenney's and Kmart before them. Very outdated stores which would have a Charming appeal otherwise in a retro sense if only the equipment itself and the Staffing we're not in such short supply.

I was a Mary's employee as well and completely agree! I also don't understand how they seem to think think that online sales wouldn't affect brick and mortar business.

U r sooooo correct. I worked there for 3 years in the 80s and sooooo happy when I left.

yes! I was saying that on my first day there like why is everything so outdated. Young people do not care about sales we care about a good value, build, quality, and experience. Macys has changed so much and their customer base is so annoying. Always trying to return or get money back somehow. I would never buy sheets for 200 dollars. They would leave me alone for 2 or more hours in an entire department. Actually two departments.

That's part of it, but a big part of it is also Macy's refusal to invest in and upgrade their stores. Go into a typical Dillard's and unless it's a location in a dying mall, your experience will usually be much better than a typical Macy's. Dillard's keeps the stores clean, inviting, and has better customer service.

I'm glad I left before that happened. I worked there in 2008 as I'd just moved to Seattle and needed something to get by before my Microsoft contract began. There was SO MUCH drama among managers and employees alike. It was so strange.

Wow

I worked at Macy's for a few years in one of the most competitive department, ladies shoes. I came during the point system, being open 24 hours during the holidays and made to harass people to open credit cards. I never want to work in retail again.

@@auntieambmiracleb2 thank God you were able to get out of retail. Even as a customer I’ve witnessed retail sales people being treated HORRIBLY at the Macy’s shoes dept, and by other women!

@Painted Ladies it really was hell. Working with crazy competitive witches waiting on pre Karen's and fearing the dreaded "loss of hours" after the holidays...Because of all of that, I treat all cashiers, servers, and fast food workers with the utmost respect.

The women’s underwear section in general is always a mess

… just not in the fitting rooms. those mirrors and harsh fluorescent lights were, even then, where “joy” faded away to utilitarian necessity.

Maybe it's good to let your mother keep her memories of Macy's. How wonderful that she is 94 and still enjoys shopping. You still get her the things that she wants online so, to her, Macy's is still delivering.

What is "fast fashion" clothes are clothes and also who needs fancy underwear just buy some from Walmart

@@mustang8206 fast fashion goes threadbare in less then a year, whereas everything I bought a decade back… still good. fast fashion is cheap garbage you end up spending more on in the long run… (because that $7 top you just bought will need to be replaced in 4 months.)

LAST TIME I WAS IN THERE THE OLD ELEVATORS WERE STILL WORKING

The stores that have salespeople in suits do get some proper training. If they have tailor dept with it even more. I should know up until the Pandemic I worked as one. Glad you have a good experience.

That's my favorite Macy's store hands down! Went there last week to buy Xmas presents for my family and they even have gift wrapping on the eighth floor 👌

The everyday Macy's though is very similar to the disorganization and messiness of Ross or a Marshalls...

The key word 'older gentleman', mostly don't exist anymore. They are no longer 'sales people' they are 'space people'...they can't take pressure, they must be attached to their phone and working with a purpose doesn't exist for them. I understand at least at one store in the greater L.A. area sent the 'older salespeople' packing...more or less requiring they retire, many of them..of course...full time, seasoned sales people. That doesn't exist anymore, have you noticed..when you go back to just about any store..it's always different people 'working' there.

Was thinking the same thing...

In Detroit we have 3 Macy's stores and they don't have the same merch. In Oakland and Lakeside malls they have middle of the road merch, like you said, Sears quality stuff. But in Somerset Mall, it's like all Armani, Gucci and nose bleed tier stuff, and more in line with what I associate Macy's with. I just really don't understand the people doing the merchandising, it's like they have no brand, just stuff.

😂So funny! I posted something similar to your experience!

I work at Sears and take offense to your post. Just kidding. I do work at Sears but I get what you're saying.

n if i wanted an occasional makeu item i would go to macy's but not for MAc which is all the way in Orlando. i dont even support mac for that reason.

Macy’s called it a Loyalty Card, not a credit card. They wanted customers to be loyal to them by only giving discounts on items if you used it.

Macy's isn't the only store shilling credit cards. BestBuy is also bad about shilling their credit cards. I use mine and always pay off the credit charge within days, so I don't have to pay any interest. Just got to be smart about it and not let credit get out of control.

@@bondgabebond4907 yup! Self-control

Macy’s decline in customer service is similar to nordstrom, bloomingdale and others too. Macy used to be a great store with freindly employees. Now like others they charge for paper bags which give them a cheap store to shop. Although paper bags aren’t expensive but it just sound like shopping at Ross. I only buy from macy when the item is on big sale anything that is at least 40 or more. I skipped 20-30% sales

@@kemangraya2382 Nordstrom is still doing well, high quality, and has a diner.

When I was working there, I wrote a song. You coupon doesn't work on this North Face jacket! But you saved $5.33 On this shirt from Alfani! Oh! What a glorious racket!

Being willing to pay only minimum wage means they can’t ask for experienced sales associates that know a type of product inside and out. If anyone wants evidence of the destructiveness of Reaganomics, one needs only look at the retail field.

Macys, Nordstrom, Target, Best Buy, Lowes, Home Depot, Brookstone, Barnes & Noble, and even Walmart have all fallen into this in a desperate attempt to try and be the next Amazon while forgetting what made their stores great

I remember the days when department stores were full of salespeople who really knew all about what they were selling. Now, almost everywhere, on an entire floor you may find thtree or four people and they are essentially only cashiers.

@@John_Fugazzi part of that is because a lot of companies aren't fully training their employees.

@@scottgrohs5940 exactly this , and even the people that have been at these companies for a while they're starting to look at it like what's the point of going out their way to give full effort for a company that is

They did you a favor.

It is amazing how many retailers forget that employees - and exemployees - are potential customers.

Worst place EVER to work. I do not know how I lasted a year.

Yikes! I’m sorry that happened to you. I worked there seasonally in 2013 in MA. I remember it was really hot inside - even for the winter, a lot of micro-managing and I recall feeling stressed out. I think I’ve only been to a Macys a few times after I stopped working there. I now live in FL and I don’t even have a Macy’s near my town. I think the closest one is 2 hours from me. 😂 There’s better places to shop. Glad you got out and hopefully have moved on from what you had to deal with.

Yup! I realized this some time ago. Whenever I visit a store I'll first look at what the price is online before I buy anything.

I SEE LOTS OF STORES DOING THAT. MY GUESS IS NOT MUCH OVERHEAD TO BUY ON LINE

Not their fault they don't control prices.

They shoulda honored the price, used to be a manager and a lot of it is poor training. People are so nasty post pandemic and impatient it made keeping workers (and poor management) only stay for the season or less.

At ours, I’ve never had them not match the on-line price. My problem is, ours doesn’t have hardly anything in the store any more.

Yep, I know ! Harassing customers with calls and text.

The card thing was awful. It's all that mattered to them, despite how good you were at sales.

​@@WobblesandBean most of the sales people I know hate the card thing too. I think lazy management has been a problem for the past 3 decades because nothing has changed about the stores. A ton more stores are going to close before the end of this decade.

@@WobblesandBean YEP✅

Jesus

I'm so sorry that happened to you, I hope you are doing well. I remember working in a retail store and the manager didn't seem to like me either, thankfully I worked there temporarily to pay off my school supplies. I swear it's always the manager that somehow makes working at the retail store even worse. Especially if customers loved our services but somehow the manager still gets mad. I don't understand their mentality.

I'm so sorry about your dogs, and the house, hope all is well now. I cried in front of a customer once because a manager had berated me while I struggled to move a heavy object mostly by myself and thankfully the lady I was checking out was kind and caring. I feel bad that I burst into tears like that in front of her but I'm thankful she was understanding. Glad the bride was understanding as well, even on her wedding day, of all days.

Everything I've read tells me that the management is not well educated especially concerning courteous and mannerly behavior. Or there is more than meets the eye going on like maybe an alcoholism problem etc or something?

I So sorry all that happened to you! Just horrible! I used to work for a local department store and they were wonderful to work for , I worked in the candy department and they would let you eat candy as long as you didn’t bag it up and take it home! Then the May Co bought the name but everything changed they merged their employees with ours and maniny demoted our employees and moved them around to different departments, I had to sign a paper that said if I got caught eating the candy I could be fired on the spot! The first thing they did was literally raise the price on everything! The people that worked in the cosmetics dept used to be able to take home perfume samples through the old co and new co fired an employee for taking home a sample, they changed the schedule and basically gave full time the crappy schedules , the old co would give you more weekend days off! Just a Mess! I finally quit and the new co only lasted a few years! It was the Best move I’ve ever did!

Wow, I am very sorry you went through that! I worked there too. The bullying there was on a whole other level. I worked in clothing and for us, our bullies were the merchandise & marketing team. They would give us an attitude for not keeping certain brands (CK, Free People) aesthetics up to par. It was ridiculous. Especially since I was the only person on the sales floor. Like how am I going to ring...check the fitting rooms.....do go-backs...clean...answer the phones....do online orders...meet my credit and $$$$....and manage 5+ departments....!? I still have nightmares of that place. And with the recession hitting, I would hate to go back there.

U could easily get a security job for $20 an hour.

Macy's is definitely not a store for young people. I'm in my forties and I still consider it an old person's store at least for casual clothing. If you need a suit and tie, it's great for that, but the casual wear is like stuff my dad wore.

@@100percentSNAFU is any department store for young people?

As a mid 20 yr old, Hot Topic in terms of clothing is way crappier and expensive to the material they use for all clothing than Macy's. I rather and do my shopping in places like Macy's, even Dillard's than brands like Holister or Abercombie since they always seem to have the same thing about every 2-3 years. What I do like about Macy's is the clearance section of just different stuff you can find and putting a whole set for yourself, kinda like a more luxurious thrift store except everything is new and with markdowns sometimes up to 90% (Bought a Nautica jacket priced $200 for about $20 assuming it wasn't trending anymore). I don't know maybe its just me.

Fast fashion. Macys in a way is but in much lesser and slower trend. Their clothing at least is quality stitching and thicker fabric.

I guess it depends where you live and your income bracket. But to me, Macy's isn't a Walmart to anyone I know. That's the equivalent of saying only people with money go to Footlocker, simply because Walmart sells athletic apparel. Macy's true rival was competing for higher end buyers with Sears (but no appliances and tools). And JC Penny's. If you want higher end brands, Walmart isn't the place for anything like that. You can literally say every store competes with Walmart.

There is no " GO TO PLACE" to shop anymore, just walk around naked end of story.

I worked for macy’s for a little while… I asked for a day off to go to my grandpa’s funeral. they told me no (and poked fun at a dead man) so yea, I believe your grandma’s experience was miserable. I quit asap.

@@claireconover God that’s awful. I’m sure it’s been awhile but I’m sorry for your loss. It’s one thing to not let someone have a break due to a family member’s passing, but it’s another to then make fun of someone’s death right afterwards. I hope your grandfather is resting well despite that.

It's retail. Of course it wasn't fun.

My experience working there was miserable, as well. The management "team" never had any huddles or meetings, so one wouldn't know what the other was doing, a specific space would be blocked off for two or three different product displays and there'd be fights over which manager won the use of the space for their department, and the floor associates were backstabbing each other for hours and commissions. Unless you were above a supervisor, NOBODY got more than 20 hours a week unless someone quit or got fired and they needed someone to pick up those shifts, so Stockboy A would try to drive Dockworker B out of the store so he could swoop in and nap up those hours for the extra paycheck. Management didn't discourage this and thus turnover was absurdly high. But most of my four months there was spent in absolute anonymity because the hiring manager who brought me on went on vacation the day before I started, didn't assign ANYONE to train me. I clocked in and waited for over an hour, then went to find someone. The assistant manager had no idea there was a new hire and couldn't pull anyone away to train me, so she said "Go organize the back stockroom and just keep doing that until the HR manager gets back". After two solid months, I figured she wasn't coming back (turned out she used her vacation to try out another job she'd applied for and decided to stay at that one), but I had that stockroom looking almost as presentable as the show floor. Store manager saw me back there and threatened to call the cops because he had never seen me before - naturally, since he was hardly ever in the store and literally just phoned it in for meetings. At that point I knew I wasn't staying with the company long-term, but he did at least assign me to a steady task: going department by department, shelf by shelf, product by product, and on my own judgment creating interesting and inventive displays for clothing, small appliances, etc, that would be both functional and eye-catching. Won a few manager awards for that (which pretty much just translated into a bunch of small Visa gift cards, which I saved up and bought myself a Wii U with). Overall, I came away with an extremely negative view of the company.

@@KamenRiderGumo Wow, you can't make this stuff up! I worked at Macy's for 7 1/2 years in the 1990's. At first, it was okay. Then Federated took over and everything went to hell in a handbasket. :)

This lamb concurs.

Washington area Hecht’s Was taken over by Ratty dept stores including Texas Foley’s.

Knowledgeable merchandisers lost control right at the time that they were needed most- when Macy's started buying up regional, culturally-specific department stores. The best example that comes to mind for me now is Burdines. Everything in Burdines, from clothing to furniture to the dining options, all had a sunny tropical theme. The merchandisers knew what we wanted and provided it. There was no real fur sales but several locations had fur storage for snowbirds and for whatever reason did not want to keep their furs up north. When Macy's bought them out, I remember that the first thing to go was the fur storage in South Beach and Miami Downtown. The merchandise was not only identical to what was sold in every Midwest store but also was brought to sales floors at the same time. This meant that tons of winter coats and sweaters were in stock in November. And almost zero swimsuits, beach towels etc. Nov/Dec/Jan is the best time to hit the beach here! Then, when all of those coats predictably didn't sell, they got marked down very low. Macy's here became known as the place to score a deal on winter clothes rather than up north. Meanwhile, Walgreens and CVS started selling swimuits, coverups and sandals. TJMaxx has done a slightly better job of regional targeting but they still get swamped with swimsuit shipments in the summer rather than winter which is our tourist season.

That’s too long to read but nice

@@KLRWeeklyyour lack of attention caused you to miss out on valuable information

Masterful take. The quasi-entertainment take is spot on. That's what made department store shopping unique...it was fun! Yes, having mid-tier brands under one roof is nice, but at the cost of enduring long lines, crappy customer service, and a BOOOOORING shopping experience. They make the perfect case for online shopping. On top of that, most of these stores are cluttered, generally messy, and disorganized. It's like shopping for foodb difference being that we NEED food and not brand name clothing.

Macys in Temecula CA is what a Macys should be. They even have a Starbucks inside! Head to Southern Cal and visit our Macys, a breath of fresh air!

Here in the Twin Cities, we had it twice over with Dayton's. In 2001, all the Dayton's stores were rebranded as Marshall Field's. Sure it was a change and the loss of a 100-year-old name, but we still knew Marshall Field's as the "nice" Chicago department store, and it didn't really change all that much. And then in 2006, Marshall Field's became Macy's. I haven't really shopped there much since. On my budget, there isn't much that's special enough to lure me away from Target or Kohl's or JC Penney. ...Not that I particularly like shopping for clothes anyway. I tend to do it only when I have to. For a lot more on Dayton's -- and their competitor Donaldson's (gobbled up by Carson's in 1987, then folded in the '90s when Carson's just couldn't build their brand here) -- see my reply to @Mac the Knife.

In NY and PA (I live right near the state line and have done plenty of shopping in both states) it was Kaufmann's that was replaced by Macy's. Kauffman's was definitely better. Most of the Macy's are now either empty or have local "antique" (junk) stores in them. I only know of one remaining in Western New York.

Marshall fields was goat. Macys replacement really made me dislike them. Hopefully someone does the same to macys

I read another comment about Marshall fields and how their parents never stepped foot ever since the brand changed. Really tells me how bad the change was.

Happened here in FL with Burdines. The quality quickly went down hill. The last time I went, everything looked dated including the items at the juniors section. So much of the clothes looked like things you find at Ross and other discount retailers.

I worked at macys and backstage was hated by everyone who worked there, most customers didnt like it either but i guess it made money

Macys is opening free standing backstage stores , and see as a future profit maker

Ross is good while going through Macy's feels like a chore if I'm being real

"It's like walking through Ross inside of Macy's" -That's the point of Backstage lol.

what is a backstage area?

My hometown JCPenny is in the same boat! Can’t find good quality nor my size in anything!!! I’d spend a bundle when I went in there! If I can bother to come into your store at least have product!!! I dislike mail ordering as I’m very short and always have to try things on!

I work at the Macy's in Medford Oregon it's turned into a discount store.

Virginia...I think they are told towalk around as if they're busy, but it's the managers' fault...my area Macys always looks a huge mess - racks of incoming merchandise strewn everywhere and women have to wade through to get those red ticketed items. The biggest problem is the work force, there are hardly any cashiers and you can't complain to a manager - he/she is hard to trace down. Karen Scott is what keeps me coming back, love that stuff.

I still don’t like ordering clothes online. But the smaller stores are MUCH easier to shop in. Some can be more expensive but the quality is usually much better.

I still go but other places are cheaper and trendier. Macy's clothes always seem to be the same year after year. Lots of people now go to Ross and Marshalls for clothes.

Try Shopping at Bloomingdale's, its the higher end version of Macy's, to be honest is comparable to Nordstrom. Bloomingdale's is not as expensive like people say it is.

I'm seeing responses from guys shopping at Macy's for clothes. That's odd to me. I always assumed unfashionable guys like me just buy simple functional clothes at Walmart, while fashionable guys buy clothes, I don't know, somewhere cool and hip? Like Nordstrom's or Urban Outfitters or something? Certainly not Macys, it always had "old lady store" vibe to me.

@@SlackActionBumble You are pretty spot on with that assessment. I have always been a guy that likes shopping for name brand clothing. Macy's was the store my parents liked. It was good if I needed a suit and tie, but the regular clothes were definitely dad clothes.

The ONE TYPE of employee these department stores have in spades is LOSS PREVENTION. If you "just walked out" with some merchandise, oh yes, someone would notice, and fast!

The Walnut Room around Christmas time was an experience. Macy's ruined it.

My father worked for MF for 36 years. I stopped going after Macy’s took over.

They bought out and changed the name of Hudson's here in Detroit. The thing was that if you went into the Macy's version, it was literally the same stuff and mostly the same staff. They kept everything the way it was. Hell, I still call it Hudson's.

I spit on the commie red star of Macy's for what they did to Fields. MF was history, and Macy's shat all over it.

I remember Marshall Fields as a kid. It had a more glamorous look compared to macys. Macys doesn't take care of the building, no updates. It looks like a stripped down discount store compared to more glamorous department stores

"Everyone knows Macy's" - That's why we wish we still had Hecht's.

@Mac: Indeed! (Long post below ↓) Here in the Twin Cities, Dayton's was the "Macy's of Minneapolis" for almost 100 years. Opened in 1902, not only did they grow into a decent-sized regional chain, but their parent company: - opened several shopping malls around Minnesota and neighboring states - had a merger with Hudson's (of Detroit) to become Dayton-Hudson Corporation - owned a number of other chains around the US -- including Marshall Field's (of Chicago) and Mervyn's (of California) - _and_ started started mall bookstore chain B. Dalton Bookseller. ...Oh, and they also started a little discount store chain called Target. 🙂 But as Target grew, it became Dayton-Hudson's main business, and many of their others were sold off or spun off. In 2000, Dayton-Hudson Corporation became Target Corporation. In 2001, Target rebranded all Dayton's and Hudson's stores as Marshall Field's 🙁, since it was a bigger chain with more national recognition (and thus better suited for building an online store, they figured). ...And then in 2004, they sold Marshall Field's off to May Department Stores ... who then got bought out by Federated/Macy's in 2005. In 2006, all Marshall Field's -- including the former Dayton's and Hudson's stores -- were rebranded as Macy's. The original 1902 Dayton's store (in downtown Minneapolis) was closed by Macy's in 2017. The building has since had a rather nice remodel into offices and retail shops. ~~~ Meanwhile, Dayton's longtime rival Donaldson's (the _Gimbel's_ of Minneapolis 🙂) had disappeared more than a decade before Dayton's. Much like Dayton's, they'd grown into a regional chain, and had invested in shopping malls. They'd even bought out rival stores Powers (in Minneapolis) and Golden Rule (in St Paul). But in 1987, their then-parent company Allied Stores was in financial trouble, and sold Donaldson's off to Carson Pirie Scott. Carson's then dropped the hundred-year-old Donaldson's name, and rebranded all the stores to Carson Pirie Scott. But Carson's had almost zero reputation in Minnesota, and Carson's own troubles didn't help much in improving that. They got bought by Bergner's* in 1989, who then went bankrupt in 1991, and ended up closing all the Twin Cities Carson's stores over the next few years. Dayton-Hudson bought up the locations, and filled most of them with Mervyn's -- though a couple became Dayton's Men's and Home departments instead. But Mervyn's struggled to attract Twin Cities customers, much as Carson's had. As part of the Marshall Field's deal, Target sold all the Twin Cities Mervyn's stores to May in 2004 ... who then closed them all and sold off the spaces. (The Mervyn's chain itself was sold to an investment group the same year, and folded after the 2008 recession.) Donaldson's original 1880s Glass Block store (in downtown Minneapolis) had closed in 1982, when Donaldson's had moved to the much blander City Center nearby. The Glass Block itself was destroyed later that year in the Thanksgiving Day Fire (which also destroyed the Northwestern National Bank next door). Gaviidae Common was built on the site. (The bank was rebuilt as Norwest Center next door -- which became **ptooey** 😝 Wells Fargo Center in 1998.) * Part of a store group that merged with the Bon-Ton in 2006, Bergner's supplied the red-hexagons logo and cursive font used by Carson's and Herberger's, among others.

@@u686st7 Or Dayton's! (See my long response to Mac)

While I've made purchases at Macy's since those changes, I was more likely to go to Kaufmann's. With the downtown Pittsburgh store gone, there's nothing special about going to a Macy's in a mall.

May company and Robinsons were the best.

SO TRUE! JUST MAKES YOU MAD!!

Pretty good for a first day.

I think it was sold $11, not made $11 on his first day.

I’ve had to go there a few times recently and it’s shocking that merchandisers are moving stock around when the store is open. Ralphs grocery store is stocking stores during the day too, blocking the aisles with pallets of food and noisy, discourteous stockers.

Before I left, everyone thought that innovative selling program was a joke. There was a reason why some of us WANTED to work as support, while others WANTED to work as sales. Forcing everyone to do each other’s job made it 10x worse. That was part of the reason why I quit, because of the stress. I can’t imagine what it’s like right now at my old store, but I wouldn’t be surprised if half of my old coworkers left because of the company’s stupid decision.

🤣🤣🤣

Sorry to say that it's attitudes like that that helped kill mid-market department stores. I too worked at a large store and really tried to help the customers find what they were looking for. I learned to up-sell and had very few returns. I just didn't like standing on my feet for so many hours. It can become grueling and the slow times were so boring.

WWWW

Lavetttt cyst 🥰😍🤣

You’re a good soul ❤️

They don’t want to hire more people. Present day I work at Macys and they told us they don’t want to hire more people until Christmas time It’s really not our fault and they place one person for each department It’s really stressful The management isn’t doing well either

@reddingmalik you are right! 👍🏻

Abercrombie is has been doing pretty well the past few years.

Long story short Macy's started marketing to the brown folks and the white folks became enraged.

Next meme stock?

@@jesussalas2407 Abercrombie is only doing well because of Chinese sales. Emerging markets wanting what they saw on American TV as kids. Unfortunately, those markets are on the decline and Abercrombie will follow shortly when the money dries up.

@@fordrac1ng81 they've made a significant resurgence in like the past 3 years, if you go to an Abercrombie store in 2022 it has significantly more traffic than a few years back. It's back in style with the younger crowd because they manged to adapt.

Thanks for posting. I had been curious about this (for real). Did something specific happen in the mid-late 70s, do you think, that caused this change? It used to be that men wore suits for retail and took it very seriously a long time ago.

How did the sales clerk position go from being competitive to be hired to people that cannot speak properly? I recall in the 70s, it was difficult to get hired at macys, and sales staff were dressed sharply.

Sad but true. I worked in the Smithaven Mall location, back in the 80’s. It’s turned into a sad joke.

@@astralartist4these sort of changes take a long time to be noticed by shoppers as a whole. Today most of us understand the staff are utterly useless in just about every retailer. But that took many years to flush out all the older people who actually knew the products, now you can’t even rely on the dipsht zoomers to have bothered to review the weekly ad. Point being, the execs who made those decisions got some nice fat bonuses for cutting payroll for several years before anyone realized (if they ever did) what a foolish mistake that is. Or maybe not, since it seems like we’ve just come to expect garbage service.

The reason the suits are not tailored anymore is probably because hardly anyone wears them anymore. Maybe in big cities. Most places it's just a tie and buttoned down shirt. And even then only in upper management or an office worker. Perhaps some of that could be silicone valley culture which created a much more laid back work environment.

The uniqueness is what made them profitable; most big department stores need to shed down to about 50-100 stores that are able to provide unique experiences in their respective locales

Macy's and JC Penny both do that with their coupons. Basically nothing works with the coupon except some really expensive items.

That’s literally every business the difference is most organize it so consumers dont know

@@karinalumen9722 The original Rich's owned and operated by Richard Rich did no such things and they cleaned up on repeat business by treating their customers like kings and queens. Rich's never mistreated or tricked a customer and such honesty gave Rich's a near monopoly on retail business in Atlanta for decades until Richard Rich died in the mid 70's and the family sold the business off. IN the long-run, it pays to treat customers well because they will return and buy more.

Macys coupons never work

In defense of Macy's, they used to be really good at tailoring their assortment to fit the demographics of their area. Some were just a bit nicer than a Kohl's kind of thing, and there were some that were more like a Nordstrom. Not every store is good at that. You go into a Walmart, Target, Kohl's, etc. really anywhere and they all sell the same trash. Most high end stores don't really change too much based on where they are either. Very few stores are good at catering to local markets. Macy's used to do it really well. Nordstrom kills at it. It's really an artform. I would also argue that most small local department store chains would have gone out on their own. Being taken over by Macy's likely saved them, at least for the time being. Most lower end and mid-tier clothing prices have barely changed since the 90s. Some of that was accomplished through volume buying. Small chains don't have that kind of buying power.

They blew the Chicago market when they killed Fields

Simply..Federated gets Macys the dream store..other than Bloomingdales..makes all their stores Macys ..except for some Bloomingdales...centralizes purchasing at most locations...so product is similar...except for a few locations Herald Square and Mall of America as well as a few Southeast stores as well as some west locations...overloads the system...only the strong locations survive..that's ANY retail.... Those local retail outlets were jordan marsh Marshall Fields,Daytons..among others..all Were run by Federated...Federated kept the diamond name..literally slapped it on most walls...that's pretty much it... Not too dissimilar to Hudson Bay and Lord and Taylor....

@@IDF1987 If I'm not mistaken Fields chose to throw in the towel.

What was the traumatic event?

I feel you wholeheartedly. I used to work for a furniture and home decor store, and while it wasn't huge it was still about the size of the average Walmart. I worked the night shift and it would be about 3-4 people closing every night. We had to serve as backup cashiers, pick up online orders, help customers acquire and load products, keep the store clean, and more. I would be lucky to be in charge of only one department. Some nights I would literally have to take care of 3-4, and at one point I was taking care of literally half the store, on top of everything else. We also had to push credit cards onto people, during the pandemic of all times. Me and my coworkers have voiced our complaints but upper management always brushed us off or, as our store director once said, "that's just the way it is." I was in constant pain, although I didn't realize it at the time. I was only there for five and a half months. Tried to stick it out for six, but I just couldn't take it anymore. My legs were in pain for two weeks after I quit. Oh yeah, and one of my managers directly made me cry, in front of customers, just a few weeks before I quit. I have never even shopped there ever since.

Probably an employee death. Accident, crime, or suicide in store if the CEO came for a funeral.

@@CompaGuitarra sorry, curiosity killed the cat.

Worked for Foley's (another May Company store, mainly in Texas) went through the merger with Macy's/Federated. Worked in distribution, 14 years with Foley's and 4 with Macy's. The last 4 years always had a resignation letter on my laptop at home, ready at a moments notice.

Let me guess Marshall Fields…

You never heard the saying “the crown always wins?”

I never go to Messy's. They ruined a good thing.

Macy's should ship through Amazon to other countries especially the Caribbean. Sales would skyrocket.

Marshall Field's was a Chicago institution. Part of our culture and history. Macy's came in and took it over and just didn't "get it". Macy's was a NYC store. In Chicago we saw it as a big NYC store taking over our beloved local store and then ruin it. So yes, there are many people in Chicago who never ever shop at a Macy's because of this.

@@tedgray1115 That's how I felt about it until recently. I just reluctantly went to Macy's for a bottle of perfume because it was about 20 bucks cheaper there than anywhere else I looked.

Macys didn’t understand that over the Marshall Fields in Chicago and Famous Barr in St Louis local means something. Marshall Field was an actual person who saved Chicago from burning. Plus ppl in Midwest can hold a grudge for generations!

I remember the days that you talked about, I worked as a cosmetics rep for some of the largest fragrance companies, and we were constantly sponsoring bridal shows, harpist, special events and promotions… they were both fun to do and profitable.

I worked for Hechts in MD back in 87, and it was a nice store. The visual displays were simply gorgeous, esp during the holidays. Unfortunately it was bought up by Macy's (I was gone by then) and heard it was shuttered by the corporate office. The area the store served and the mall were really nice.

retail workers are not therapists. get your stuff and go.

@@user-xw4dx6vm4x ok

Ca people are rude.

@@alarahillton1343 troll

Where I’m from cali plates get vandalized if they stick around. May the San Andreas fault drive the state into the sea.

Yeah! If Macy's is on a decline for now, though, I hope it won't completely go away anytime in the future. Otherwise there would be no annual traditions for Thanksgiving and the 4th of July.

You know, American retail is getting killed by the Internet while European retail isn't. Europe has the same Internet we do, so there has to be something different about the brick-and-mortar shopping experience over there compared with here. This comment sums up what that difference is.

@@bchristian85 It's all a culture thing. In Asia so many still shop at huge malls. Just like people in USA drive cars, not so much in Asia.

I also worked at Filene’s the first Christmas after it opened. My sister worked at Jordan Marsh, also at the Crossgates Mall. We were both undergraduates at St. Rose, at the time! Thanks for the trip down memory lane! 😊

As a former employee of Macy’s I understand everything you said. I to saw much of this until the Pandemic. They tried to get me to come back last year after letting us go. I worked in Suits and Shoes on commission. Well that left when they were rehiring and they bumped the base pay from 10!to 12 an hr. Thing was I was making more before with commission along now I’d be working way less hours. Then the fact that jobs here in the NE were going to 15 an hour didn’t exactly make me happy either. Well cause of a glitch in their system I never came back. I truly think I dodged a bullet there.

I was a little surprised too that this happened, but not too surprising. They are seemingly declining slightly, but hopefully they can survive in order to keep the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade and 4th of July Fireworks spectacular running.

Facts. I will never recommend anyone to work there. Worst experience ever ! I wish that I saw your review before

He made a "why they're successful" for Kohl's so no.

@@LEGO_NASCAR that Kohls video is outdated! He made it before they announced multiple store closures!

@@Markimark151 They still have over 1100 locations, almost as much as Macy's and Penney's *combined*. As far as traditional department stores go, Kohl's will be fine for a while.

@@TheMetaMoss I find Kohls the most boring department store, they make TJ Maxx and Ross look like a fun toy store!

@@Markimark151 No disagreements here. But it seems that more often than not, boring also means stable and resilient.

Macy Bargain Bin DESTROYED all the regional stores it bought out. Overpriced Kmart. Cut everything that made the department stores an attraction to make their stupid board and clueless shareholders think the stores were profitable,

Same here in Miami, we lost Burdines to Macys and it was a disaster!

Allow me to report from a remote part of Eastern Washington. Our local Federated was the Bon Marché. I think some decline was with the Simonization of the Columbia Center Mall in the early '90s, but it was pretty decided by the time of the name rebranding- from Bon-Macy's to just Macy's. I haven't been by recently, but the store infrastructure hasn't been updated a bit, that I can recall.

I agree. Kaufmann's just seemed classy and they had a wonderful petite department. Macy's ruined it.

Surprised you could call it high end. Seems like a messy, low budget place to shop. And that’s the Macy’s in one of the most expensive suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s nothing like it once was.

@@catrinacrystallina work at macys, you nailed it. MESSY and low end, ppl saying it is high end must be used to getting their clothes from Walmart or something like that?

Macy’s in Dadeland might be nice, but it can’t possibly hold a candle to the glamorous and exciting Burdine’s store that it replaced

My step mom used to work at Bon Marche. I loved going in there to visit while she was working.

I loved the Bon Marche. Broke my heart when Macy’s took it over.

So true. I was shopping the Bon clear back in late 70s at the Sea Tac mall with my mom. I miss it and I have no interest in Macy's.

Yeah - Same I loved The Bon ... but Macy's ... No thank you

Oh wow. We drove from Ohio to Washington State in the summer of 1975, just before I started college, and the highlight of the trip was visiting Seattle and my brother telling me I could buy "any" school shoes I wanted and he'd pay for them. I bought my Very Expensive all-leather $40 shoes at the Bon Marche' and I think it was in the basement I found some fabulous all-cotton percale sheets (for $2.99 each) with a high thread count that I used in my dorm room. That was an amazing store. To hear that Macy's bought it out and ruined it makes me so sad. I wore those shoes out. Lasted probably 10 years. I wore them literally every day.

Wow, riff raff customers. Smh

If you didn't like my comment, then you shouldn't have replied.

@@Minny_Paul it's a public platform I can respond if I chose to. You sound snobby referring to ppl as riff raff. When Nodstrom becomes like Macy's and start attracting according to you" riff raff customers", I wonder where will your mom shop??. 🤣🤣🤣. Probably LV and gucci??. 🤔🙄🙄🙄

I'm so sorry for being so condescending while telling the truth and having an opinion. Can I hurt your feelings some more?

@@Minny_Paul hurt my feelings???. No didn't do that so don't be so happy ans satisfied about being a disgusting twat. But just stating what will happen when Nordstrom becomes just like Macy's. Would you join the lowly rif raff or go high end. 🤔. You still didn't answer that question.

Yep, Macy's spent all of that money in the purchase and just ended up pissing off their customers. They should've at least kept the Fields name.

I'm from Wisconsin and I usually drive to the one in Oakbrook Center. I think that's the best one ever. The macys we have here are terrible, no good brands whatsoever. I haven't been to the state street store but I frequented the Michigan Avenue location when it was open. Shame it closed down

True Chicagoans still refuse to shop there after what they did to Field's. You can purchase it, but you at least keep the name for the State Street store. Macy's came in and arrogantly changed it. I haven't shopped there since.

It’s like Kohl’s with a better cosmetics area. I still like Kohl’s better…

With the way things are going, it would not at all surprise me that Amazon would buy all of the malls in America and convert them into fulfillment centers.

This lamb loves Boscov’s.

@@ImpetuouslyInsane Let's hope and pray that never happens. That would be too depressing.

I'm a GUY that actually loves the mall. Yeah ,I can buy stuff online, but that's only valid for things I already had and am just replacing: Usually stuff like rechargeable batteries and other small electronics that I used to go to Radio Shack for. But malls (like the old Sears catalog) introduced me to new styles and items that REAL people bought (Not like now where some "influencer" TELLS you what to buy). Shopping should be an experience, not a chore. And I want to sit and have an Orange Julius, then hit the arcade. I still have a J.C. Penney AND a Macy's nearby (Ross Park Mall near Pittsburgh, PA) I hope they last at least until my old (60 year) ass is gone. Well, "Black Friday" is coming, See yinz at the mall!

@@LJK193 Sure enough...especially since Macy's sponsors the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular! I sure hope Macy's still exists forever in order for these events to keep going on.

Omg!!

Same I still love it! Have to drive a bit out of my way to go to a store now but always find great deals

Your standards are pretty low. Kudos to Macys regarding the Titanic, but that was over 100 years ago.

heck yea, that's an awesome opportunity! miss being in high school band

I sure hope Macy's will keep on surviving despite their decline and store closings to keep the parade and fireworks going.

That sounds fun. I hope everything goes well for them.

Oh yeah theyll use anything to flatter or groom your ego.

I have a macys credit card for the free shipping and rewards money. Prices can be cheaper than Amazon sometimes.

Yo long time no see Alexander

Thought yo old ass was dead guess those apples keep you going

How's the coffin?

ok

Must have been good, you've been in it for 17something years.