MACY'S set to close 65 more stores by March

A thousand elder gays just had strokes.

Wonder what US cityscapes are going to look like in 10 years. I basically do all my shopping online these days unless I really have to. Eating out is getting prohibitively expensive for a big chunk of the population, what's going to take up all those locations

I was shocked when I passed our deserted mall and actually saw cars in the Macy's lot. But then it was Dec 23.

I shop less than I used to, but I still by most of my clothes at brick and mortar stores, as well as furniture (if not buying used online where I can view it before purchase). I do shop online but maybe not as much or as broadly as other people.

The Macy's where I live is a depressing, total joke. I have no idea why it has survived all the previous rounds of store closings.

Women consider Macy’s too expensive and I don’t feel like Macy’s has branded themselves well in the social media era.

It’s an old lady store and old ladies are cheap.

Also these department stores let customers take advantage of their policies. They’ll return items over the return date, accept expired coupons, return things that aren’t even allowed to be returned like underwear. This was 20 years ago for me, I imagine it only got worse.

Sorry to add to my R5, I worked at a retail store as a teenager. Very brutal.

It's not all bad news:

>>Walmart: Earlier in 2024, the retail giant closed 23 stores in 12 states, including in the cities of Chicago, San Diego and Portland, and closed an additional 11 stores in December.

We are heading towards recession.

We are, r8. How long until you think it hits the fan?

I was shocked to learn that the Neiman Marcus in Manhattan closed during COVID.

R9 when a wave of M&A begins at the start of the new administration

Big one will be the end of Warner Bros. because of the cultural currency

[quote]I shop less than I used to, but I still by most of my clothes at brick and mortar stores

Me too; buying online is great, but some things you just need to try on. And even somewhat knowledgeable sales people can be very helpful in steering you in the right direction. There's no doubt that Macy's footprint was way too big, but if they'd scale back, improve the look of the stores and their sales staff, you might get people back. I stopped going to Macy's because it was loud, hot, crap was all over the place and good luck finding anyone to check you out. This outs me as an elder, but I miss the days of quality department stores (like Lazarus) that felt special to walk into with moderately priced items (unlike Neiman Marcus which is absolutely ridiculous)

Ooooh, Lazarus, R12! You are so right. Great store, with style. The downtown location in Columbus was wonderful. So sad when it closed. But the old-timey Lazarus parking garage sign remains intact, a sad reminder of a more stylish and civilized time.

R12, the "crap all over the place" at Macy's is a sad fact and the main thing that keeps me away. They need staff to walk the floor and straighten up all day long. Customers these days are greedy slobs, rifling through the displays and throwing shit around the dressing rooms.

I went into a Macy’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving and it was EMPTY. No selection, and when I asked to see what was on sale, she sent me to a corner where they sent online returns! No thanks.

I thought they were already out of business. Why would you go to a department store this isn’t the 1600s

Is Philadelphia on the list? The formerly grand store is just depressing.

R2, all these great stores will be replace by the monstrous warehouses they are building in Camden and other beautiful sites in New Jersey, operated by robots.

The retail scene is very dire. I think in the future people will spend so much time in the virtual world, the real world will fade. All material possessions will lose their value.

[quote]I was shocked to learn that the Neiman Marcus in Manhattan closed during COVID.

Because its existence was so short-lived? Neiman Marcus only lasted a year and a half in Manhattan—opened in spring 2019, closed in fall 2020.

Macy's made major mistakes in the last ten years, e.g. failing to build a viable online presence, updating their stores at all and if they updated them only to bare minimum standards. Macy's didn't make a good case why people should shop there. Every TJ Max looks more glamorous now than a Macy's. Now Macy's has a major activist shareholder who is not interested in improving the business. They want money from Macy's real estate. The current CEO is trying a couple things, for example off-mall stores with smaller square footage, but it's doubtful that shareholders let him execute his vision. Looks like Macy's is following the long death row of Sears. Next up: Kohl's.

One of the 65 stores rumored to be closing is the former Famous-Barr store at South County Center in St. Louis.

That store opened in 1963 and was the first Famous-Barr branch to feature the rotunda design. When you entered the store from the enclosed mall, you entered the center rotunda, which featured jewelry, perfume, accessories and men's and women's furnishings. The men's, women's and children's and home furnishing departments were off the rotunda. This was the first of four or five such stores. Eventually Famous-Barr stopped using this design and went back to a big box. I do hope the rotunda stores are given landmark status so they can be preserved. The Northwest Plaza rotunda store was converted to a call center several years ago when the Macy's closed.

For years, Famous-Barr and Stix, Baer & Fuller were fierce rivals. But Stix stumbled and was purchased by Dillards in 1983. As part of The May Company, Famous-Barr survived and prospered until 2004 when it was purchased by Macy's. Ever since Macy's took over, the stores have gone downhill and are dirty and disorganized. Oddly enough, the former Stix stores that are still open have prospered under Dillard's.

Bad as Macy's is, it's still better than letting Amazon or some other on-line rubbish vendor dress you like a clown.

Have they announced the closing stores yet?

Department stores are dead. Dead I'm telling you. The only thing that would bring them back would be if if there was an EMP attack that disabled all online activities (which in reality could happen). Within a year brick and mortar stores would be back within 5 years department stores would be back.

I miss shopping in a civil environment where people did not wear their pajamas, did not have poor personal hygiene and did not yell at each other. People from compromised backgrounds are too easily influenced by online personalities.

Society is really turned itself into a vast pit of endless mediocrity and dilusionment.

r7 They closed the ones in the city because they basically lose money to theft. Traffic isn't high enough for all the shit that has to be locked up ie the store being built differently, so it's not really financially profitable.

R18 a legendary/epic call of duty or fortnite skin is cooler to a lot of young people than designer clothes

It couldn't happen to a more deserving overlord.

[quote]I was shocked to learn that the Neiman Marcus in Manhattan closed during COVID.

When the store closed, there was a lot of info coming out with 'what went wrong' (and COVID had nothing to do with their closure, they used it as an excuse for a quick exit after opening less than two years earlier).

Some of the info that leaked was the fact that NM was 'advised' not to open in NYC based upon years of research. They warned New Yorkers would stay loyal to their 'home grown' stores such as 'Bergdorff's' and 'Saks'. And tourists weren't in NYC to shop a Texas-based store, they wanted to take 'selfies' with their Bergdorff bags. Plus the fact that it was located in newly developed Hudson Yards, way off the retail path. Everything pointed to 'disaster' and sure enough...

[quote]I was shocked when I passed our deserted mall and actually saw cars in the Macy's lot. But then it was Dec 23

Odd. Parking is always a bitch at the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne NJ—anchored by Macy’s

For clothes, I still shop in person, unless it's a re-purchase. There's no other real-time way to tell the actual color, quality and thickness of fabric, and fit. It's easier to go to the store and try a bunch of things than to do a lot of online buy and return.

[quote]Have they announced the closing stores yet?

R23 Not yet. They usually make the announcement by mid-January to the end of January, once their fourth quarter sales / losses are totaled and made public to shareholders. Then they announce the stores will be closed in the next eight to ten weeks.

The one in my city has been rumored to be closing since this past summer, when the (previous) mall owner tried to refinance their debt, but couldn't list 'Macy's' as an asset to the property, since the store was on the list of closures for the first quarter of 2025. Since then, the mall has gone into bankruptcy (the receivers appointed by the court are looking for a new buyer), and just a few weeks ago, the Macy's property was listed 'for sale'. The only comment Macy's has had for the store's future is 'no comment'.

I can't recall the last time I have stepped foot in the store (and it's located less than a mile from my home). I do remember the last time I was there the place was a mess and there were no sales associates to be found on three floors. Disgusting.

[quote]I miss shopping in a civil environment where people did not wear their pajamas, did not have poor personal hygiene and did not yell at each other. People from compromised backgrounds are too easily influenced by online personalities.

I agree, and I'm not even that old (40s). I can remember when people were much better behaved in public and didn't dress like they were homeless.

The general public are fucking pigs today and it encompasses all areas, even in urban coastal places.

I shop at Bloomingdale’s often because I find the rewards system attached to my Bloomies’ credit card really strong, but I almost never shop in store. Instead I place the order online and pick it up in-store. Mainly because I find the employees on the floor super unhelpful. Most are staring at their phones and a lot of times they won’t apply the aforementioned awards unless pressed to do so. Actually, the bad work ethic is a big reason I stopped retail shopping altogether.

Macy's shop bottoms are unmotivated, uninformed, and sometimes plain rude. Why bother?

I miss Hudson's on Woodward ave. Great at Christmas time,

Maybe it will lead to increased competition, if Macy’s is cut down to a smaller size. They bought up most of their competition before.

"Macy's shop bottoms are unmotivated, uninformed, and sometimes plain rude. Why bother?"

There's like 2 per store now, so your chances of even encountering one isn't that great.

I visited the Macy's Philadelphia just before Christmas.

It's a mess, it's like a flea market inside. I can't imagine it lasting much longer.

[quote]I was shocked to learn that the Neiman Marcus in Manhattan closed during COVID.

Neiman-Marcus was just bought by Saks.

[quote] This outs me as an elder, but I miss the days of quality department stores (like Lazarus) that felt special to walk into with moderately priced items (unlike Neiman Marcus which is absolutely ridiculous)

Me too, r12. I lived in MPLS in the early 90s and I absolutely loved the Dayton's downtown. The atmosphere was both elegant and accessible.

[quote] It's easier to go to the store and try a bunch of things than to do a lot of online buy and return.

yup, r30. I no longer have to, but I did both, store and online.

I ordered online Macy's office work clothes- mass produced, off-the-rack Lauren, Klein... because the website carried a lot more selection than my local brick and mortar Macy's.

It was very convenient to try on at home and take back, or have it delivered to the store, pick it up, carry it to a dressing room to try on and either keep it or take it right back to the service desk.

I wonder if my Macy's is on the chopping block.

Macy's ruined Marshall Fields. Fuck them!

May Company ruined Marshall Fields, R41. Macy's only finished off the job.

That makes sense, r28. Thank you!

I wonder if Macy's Thanksgiving Parade will be cancelled within the next five years? Just too expensive to float those big balloons.

I was in the Brooklyn Macy’s a few days ago (visiting relatives) and it wasn’t the nightmare I expected. I actually found a sweater and a coat at a decent price.

But I’ve been in others and they’re pretty grim.

I did some Christmas shopping this year at Macy's in Union Square San Francisco this year. It's still a pretty store and most of the staff are older Asian women who were quite helpful. I worked across the street from it for years and used to go on my lunch hour all the time. Yes, Union Square isn't what it used to be but it will come back. It was packed the days before Christmas and despite what Fox News and your racist auntie says, it was charming and people were having fun. I'll miss this Macy's.

[quote]Yes, Union Square isn't what it used to be but it will come back. It was packed the days before Christmas and despite what Fox News and your racist auntie says, it was charming and people were having fun.

Despite what Fox News and your racist auntie says??

No more parades. Selling off Snoopy Astronaut balloon at Macys bargain basement-39.95.

The flagship store in Herald Square NYC has been very busy. I’ve played Santa there the last two years and the place is packed.

R48- I don’t think the parade will go away.

R44- no

The parade gets huge ratings

Said it before, and I'll say it again...

Within the next decade , the 'Macy's Parade' will be the 'Amazon Parade' once Macy's folds.

R49 The times I've been in that store when I've gone to NYC for a few days, they've always had the hottest guys on the selling floor in the men's department (especially the Latino guys). Handsome men with beautiful bodies walking the department - really knowing how to 'sell the clothes' (especially to their gay clientele). I hope some of them sat on your lap this season, telling you what they want for Christmas. Too bad hiring handsome dudes is not a company policy for all locations (the one near me certainly doesn't have this policy).

So true R53. Honda has been the presenting sponsor of the Rose Parade since 2011.

Big department stores are dead.

The great thing about so many of them were the in house brands, and now, if you go to any Macy's or any big style department store, it has all kinds of national brands available elsewhere, all the in house brands are gone. Why would I go to Macy's for a pair of Dockers if I can order them online cheaper? (I loathe Dockers, just picking an example.)

JCPenney and now Kohl's is bending over backwards to have a Sephora counter in every store but they have reduced some of their inhouse stuff to do it, which was the main reason I wanted to go to those stores. I can get big brand stuff anywhere, and in the last several years the in house brands that had something different have all disappeared.

I can def see macys losing sponsorship, but either NBC will just produce the parade themselves or with a new corporate sponsor. It’s a moneymaker.

R49, I love that Santa is a Datalounger! Very cool.

Department stores are on their way out. I really miss the mall, there's something better about seeing and touching merch in real life.

The problem with online shopping is that there really are businesses who will take money but not provide what they described. Outside of the US, PayPal buyer protection policies are not what they used to be and banks and credit card companies don't always support the buyer.

A list of the many locally-loved historic stores that Macy’s killed off: Bullock’s, Jordan Marsh, Burdine’s, Hecht’s, the list goes on. Anyone over say 40 or so in the US grew up going to at least one of these stores, and has memories of going to others on vacation and, lo and behold, they were different and hand local character.

Now they’re all just this big amorphous blob with no identity. No wonder nobody shops there anymore. Why bother, just buy online. Meh.

[quote]Selling off Snoopy Astronaut balloon at Macys bargain basement-39.95.

I could probably re-fashion it into a muu-muu.

When Nordstrom left my local mall 6 years ago (they closed on New Year's Day, 1999) , our mall was in search of a tenant for that anchor space. Macy's (which was originally a Filene's when the mall opened in 1999) was the only anchor left. By the summer, the mall made an announcement that a family owned department store from PA would be taking the space, and opening their first New England location : Boscov's. They opened right before the Christmas season in 2019, just months before COVID hit and shut the mall down for weeks (before it opened little by little). Everyone thought Boscov's was doomed, but they held on. I started going there a few years ago, and was pleasantly surprised by their merchandise, their prices, and more importantly - their service.

There are still some very successful malls. Mostly those that are upscale.

[quote] because the website carried a lot more selection than my local brick and mortar Macy's.

This is very true for so many brick and mortar stores- not just Macy’s.

I was in B&N the other day and all three of the books I wanted were not in stock. One of the workers said they could order them online for me and I could come back and pick them up from the store. I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself from amazon. I wanted to check out the books in person and avoid giving my money to amazon.

What’s the point of paying the brick and mortar rent and labor costs if you’re not going to keep the store well-stocked?

r65 I run into that problem with B&N all the time. They rarely seem to have the book I want to buy at any particular time, and in most cases the book isn't old, it was only released in the last few years. I usually have to end up ordering it.

[quote]I was in B&N the other day and all three of the books I wanted were not in stock.

Right now, B&N has 50% off selected hardbacks. It's funny looking at just the first page of the selection for non-fiction. With the election over, it has the books by HRC, KBJ, Brian Tyler Cohen, and Fauci half-off.

I'm glad I have an LL Bean outlet near me. The selection is less than the main store but the contents are excellent. Their stuff holds up.

If those picketers are the saleswoman at Macy's nowadays, I'm happy I don't shop there.

Von Maur in my city is very old timey elegant--pink and green decor, always neat and orderly, with mid- to upscale merchandise. Sometimes there's even a live piano player. Macy's could learn some lessons from Von Maur.

I was a Bay Area kid in the 80s, so I'm old enough to remember when Macy's was a very nice, moderately upscale department store. They carried many top tier designer labels (e.g., Ralph Lauren, not "Chaps"), had quality in-house private line brands, and their monthly sales were called White Flower Day. During this time, part of what I call their "moderately upscale" positioning also meant that they only accepted Macy's charge and American Express for credit card payment.

In the 90s, and accelerating in the 2000s when they acquired May Department Stores, Macy's management clearly took Macy's downmarket to the likes of JCPenney and Kohl's, while establishing Bloomingdale's as their sole luxury department store. At Macy's it was now out with Ralph Lauren, in with Chaps, etc. Accepted credit cards expanded to include MasterCard and Visa -- nothing so bad about this, but just another sign they were eschewing some of their past air of exclusivity to now appeal to a mass market clientele.

Fast forward to present day: The stores look like shit, overstocked with mediocre merchandise, staffed with probably overworked/underpaid employees who aren't super knowledgeable because they have to cover multiple departments, and they have those red plastic cart/basket contraptions like you're shopping at TJ Maxx. It's just been entirely degraded from its glory days of the distant past. Yet I'm sure management wonders daily, "Why aren't customers shopping in the stores like they used to??" Sigh. 🙄

Fuck Macy's. They took over Jordan Marsh and no forgiveness here.

R71, don't they have shareholders just itching to realise the value of the real estate? If so, going downmarket and reducing traffic sounds like a choice.

R73 Macy's went downmarket years ago, not recently because of their latest activist shareholder salivating over the real estate assets. It was a strategic decision back then, and perhaps not the best one -- they may have taken the brand *too* downmarket, and eroded just about everything that was once special about it. Combined with other questionable leadership decisions over the years, like moving too slowly to build out robust online/mobile e-commerce capabilities to substitute or complement the in-store experience, the activist buzzards are now swirling and seem poised to do to Macy's what happened to Sears and Barneys over the last several years.

Nordstrom may have saved itself a similar fate just a few days ago, by striking a deal to buy out the public shareholders and take their company private again under family control. Hopefully, Nordstrom can make progress repositioning itself without Wall Street pressures of quarterly earnings expectations. Time will tell, but it's probably too late for Macy's at this point.

Mid-market department stores are disappearing like mid-market hotels.

Macy's doesn't own the Market St Building that used to be Wanamaker's, they lease that building at 13th and Market Sts in Philadelphia.

Thanks, r74 and r76.

r12 r13 your comments made me remember that I gave (and got) my first blowjobs in the Columbus Lazarus mens room.

But are the men’s rooms still cruisy?

[quote]Von Maur

I've heard of that store, but I can't remember where; are you in FL/SC?

Von Maur is based in Iowa.

[quote]Yes, Union Square isn't what it used to be but it will come back. It was packed the days before Christmas and despite what Fox News and your racist auntie says, it was charming and people were having fun.

Having fun? That's such a silly thing to say.

Of course it was packed DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. In case you haven't noticed, there are 360 other days of the year, where people don't want to go there or are afraid to go there

I miss "Strawbridge& Clothier" dept store in the old Gallery in CC Philly. They had one of the men's departments I ever shopped at, plus their 2nd Fl men's room was one the cleanliest& best cruising bathrooms tearooms I ever saw.

The 6th floor messroom was good too, but small. The restaurant on the 6th floor was really good too.

Macy’s is a zombie company. I do know anyone who shops there. Same clothes as everywhere that a shopped can get cheaper elsewhere. No service.

While I buy most of my clothes from brick and mortar, I never particularly go to Macys--its just too big.

If I need pants, I don't want to wade through thousands of shirts, shoes, ties, etc.

The New Year's Eve show on ABC is STILL called "Dick Clark's Rockin Eve" even though Clark is long dead. So even if NBC bought sponsorship of the parade, they would probably still call it "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade."

R86 I believe that's because his 'Dick Clark Productions' company is still in business and owns the New Year's Eve special as it has since its beginning 50+ years ago. Just like 'Merv Griffin Productions' own the game shows on TV.

[quote] Von Maur is based in Iowa.

I wish they would move east. They could've taken over the Nordstrom location in RI when the closed it in 2019. Then they could've moved into the Boston area and grabbed that market.

R64 Has a point…there are still successful malls, usually destination places, but they are very upscale.

In my backyard, NorthPark.

An experience.

I’ll try again with the link:

Because shoppers are fed up with:

- Crippling traffic, sucking public transportation, largely empty obstructive bike lanes, and assholes on scooters

- Slow-moving and obstructing morons glued to their cellphone screens, few and long checkout lines, locked-up inventory, insane parking lots, giant blocking pickup trucks and SUVs, obnoxious shoppers, and clueless or lacking customer service

- High prices for low-quality and tacky products

- Last several years’ lingering anxiety among some shoppers regarding violence and contagions circulating in stores

- And, consequently, the comparably greater convenience of online shopping, delivery, returning or exchanging from home

There, fixed it for them! :)

Center City Philly once had Wanamaker's, Strawwbridges, Lit Brothers, Gimbels. All gone. All that remains is that forlorn Macy's in the building that was once Wanamaker's.

But the nearby King of Prussia Mall and the Cherry Hill Mall are booming.

I first visited the Cherry Hill Mall as a kid in 1962. The place is just as busy and up-scale today as it was way back then.

^Not to mention increasingly crappy weather-conditions commuting and more remote working with shoppers centralizing much of their activities out of their home.

R93 The threat of crime is also an issue. People avoid Philly because of it.

[quote] Why would you go to a department store this isn’t the 1600s

We all don’t get our clothes from Walmart like you do, Kathie Lee.

Cherry Hill Mall is not booming. It’s on its last leg and looks like a place for drug deals.

King of Prussia is 4 buildings. It’s so big they give you a gps app and will drive you around.

There's a lot to what you post, r91, about the reality of the way it is now.

But man, I was a young adult when malls were at their apex 1980s heyday. There was an atmosphere and excitement to being out and about in the malls, especially during the November December holidays, looking at and buying meaningless, tangible stuff that ended up in landfills.

Some predict malls ill make a comeback, but I'm not so sure about that.

R96 That is absolutely not true. Foot traffic is as high as ever and the mall keeps expanding.

There’s a store in the Palisades mall (near NYC) that is made up entirely of unopened Amazon (and other delivery service) boxes that people buy without knowing the contents, in hopes that what’s inside is worth more than they paid. People line up to rip open the boxes. Oh, and it’s in an old Sears. The whole thing feels like a sign of our times in the most depressing way possible.

People aren't going to jump through hoops any more to get a coupon, but the owners of Macy's still think it's 1990 and expect customers to sacrifice a baby before they will give them a discount on the marked up merch.

[quote]I miss the days of quality department stores (like Lazarus)

Fun fact: Lazarus was owned by the same people as Macy's. I used to work for Robinson's-May, and we accepted coupons and credit cards from Lazarus shoppers who were visiting from the Midwest. We also accepted Macy's cards for a while.

The upscale, open-air malls (more like strip malls, but that's too low-rent to describe them) are doing well, for the most part. They tend to not be on bus lines so the riffraff can't access them.

There's one near me. The city council (or whatever you call it) proposed expanding the bus line to this shopping center several years ago, and the mall owners and also the types of people who shop there had a fucking fit. The plan was shot down pretty quickly. The old-fashioned, enclosed mega-mall that's less than a mile away is on the bus line and there are endless problems. The cops are always there.

r91 all of the things you listed are true.

Also, with so many people working from home now there isn't a demand for dress clothes/work clothes like there used to be. Nobody needs a whole separate wardrobe of business clothing.

Lots of people looking for new jobs I would guess.

[quote]There’s a store in the Palisades mall (near NYC) that is made up entirely of unopened Amazon (and other delivery service) boxes that people buy without knowing the contents, in hopes that what’s inside is worth more than they paid.

Sounds like the business plan for this store is based on the TV game show "Let's Make A Deal".

[quote] That is absolutely not true. Foot traffic is as high as ever and the mall keeps expanding.

Wrong again.

R103 That sounds like my area ! The 'upscale open-air mall' (which was actually developed after WWII) has been under major renovations and facelifts since the 90s, and doing well (100% leased). They have kept the riff-raff away by keeping public transportation off the property (I think the closest bus stop is on a major road about a mile away). On the other hand, the suburban mall about three miles away brings in that riff-raff since the bus drops you off right at the front doors of anchors 'Macy's' and 'Target'.

"The slow death of department stores and rise of online shopping have hurt U.S. shopping malls, particularly over the last decade. The once-essential shopping centers have seen their numbers drop from a peak of 2,500 in the 1980s to roughly 700 these days.

But now many in the retail industry say that rumors of the mall’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Many Gen Z consumers prefer to shop in person and love the mall experience. Creative solutions from developers have turned empty department stores into housing, bringing consumers even closer to stores.

And landlords are devoting more square footage to restaurants and bars, which have become a bigger draw to visit malls."

R107 Will you just stop? Even Nordstrom just joined the Cherry Hill Mall and built a huge new store there. If that mall is "on its last leg" why would they invest there?

Explain.

Because of this story, I remembered that I have a couple Macy’s gift cards that I should spend. This article says the average American has $244 in unused gift cards.

I never, ever see anyone in my local Macy's stores who appears tastefully dressed. All of the customers look either trashy or just plain slovenly.

Macys has some great online sales.

rentmen.com is going to have a huge supply of discounted shop bottoms.

Walking in any mall nowadays seems so depressing. The Macys anchor stores are even more depressing

R41 - While department stores in general are on a decline, I don't think Macy did themselves any favors by buying up all the local and beloved department stores and changing their names.

Dayton's, Marshall Fields, and so many more - all of these stores had built up their brand over 100 years and there was a local connection among the shoppers. Arrogantly, Macy's thought that people knew it as a well-known American brand because of their Thanksgiving parade and July 4th fireworks.

Reality is - outside of the Northeast, Macy's didn't have much brand value in other areas. And buying out your 'local' department store, slapping the cheap Macys logo on it, and making it look more like a Target didn't do them any favors. People were PISSED they lost their stores.

It is going to be interesting what cities look like in the future. Online shopping is here to stay. I can tell you, although the choice is overwhelming, it is so pleasing to find EXACTLY what you want and what size when shopping for furniture or decor.

Years ago, I remember going to several furniture stores in one day and basically having to decide upon what they had. Unless I wanted to spend weeks more driving to more locations and hating 90% of their crap. It was really inconvenient - and the lack of variety made a lot of people's homes look very similar.

[quote] Walking in any mall nowadays seems so depressing.

True, r115.

The weekend before Christmas Day I decided to go out and soak up some holidays store hustle and bustle. I went to my local mall anchored by Macy's, JC Penney, with all the usual smaller franchise stores.

There were a lot of people there.

Missing, however, was an air of excitement and entertainment that used to permeate the atmosphere of mall shopping, especially at the holidays.

Partially, I blame phones. They really rob a sense of being in the moment; of being and experiencing the world around you because that's where your feet are.

It was poignant and sad.

Macy’s simply created a product which didn’t need to exist anymore - a mid tier department store.

[quote]Reality is - outside of the Northeast, Macy's didn't have much brand value in other areas.

Macy's was a major department store in northern California beginning in the 1950s.

When I was a teen I used to love going to the mall. Especially on Christmas Eve. In the arcade there used to be two hot military recruiters who would flirt with me. Alas one of my regrets in life.

They weren't flirting with you, R120. They were trying to get you to sign on the dotted line.

There is a difference, you know.

trust me...they were not trying to get me to enlist. LOL

Same experience here, R117. Crowded mall with no joy. Also not many people holding bags. But honestly, it’s how I feel most places these days. People are always sort of walking around like zombies. Very suspicious looks on most people’s faces, as if none of us trust one another anymore. It’s unsettling.

If you sluts want these stores to remain open, you need to stop shopping at Amazon so much.

R124 These stores have to give us a reason to stop shopping at Amazon. Uninspired displays of shitty merchandise and no sales help won't lure people into shopping.

[quote] These stores have to give us a reason to stop shopping at Amazon. Uninspired displays of shitty merchandise and no sales help won't lure people into shopping.

R125 I agree. Corporate leadership managing these stores need to make the in-store experience special and differentiated, to give consumers an incentive to get off the couch and actually want to come into the stores. They should be doing a ton more fashion / beauty / cooking events, trunk shows, in-store pop up shops featuring up & coming designers/labels that they only feature in stores, etc. Take a page out of what some of the struggling movie theater chains have started doing to compete with home streaming, to offer more experiential viewing and audio-sensory options that can't (yet) be replicated at home.

You can't have it both ways, R126. Macy's and other brick and mortar stores can't have fashion/beauty/cooking events, fancy displays, trunk shows, etc. Those things are expensive overhead items which adds to costs, so you can't expect to be entertained AND have rock bottom prices comparable to Amazon.

R127 There are ways to put events like these together that share in share costs, profits, and consumer leads/data with third-parties being featured and promoted. The first step is to give people a reason to want to come back into stores, even if occasionally but for something special and memorable that they can't get by just shopping online.

Macy's also needs a lot fewer stores now (and frankly, they can't afford a large store fleet any more), so the ones they keep need to be high-performing in sales and well located with good consumer demographics throughout a 25/50 mile radius depending on where the next closest store is located. Macy's management seems to finally be catching on to all this, since they've already stated they're restrategizing to lean more into their Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury brands. Hopefully this means that the remaining fewer Macy's brand stores will be moved a little further upmarket again as well, and not stocked with mediocre and poorly curated merchandise. They should not be competing for price conscious Amazon/TJX/Burlington shoppers -- they've already lost that race.

All these buyouts destroyed what Ed Finkelstein created and called "shopping as entertainment" as the seventies turned into the eighties. It was a lot of fun to go shopping those days. I loved being in New York.

I’m so scared that I’m shaking

The closing stores -- the former Wanamaker's is on the list.

The states with the most states closing are understandably New York and California.

Can we talk about the lack of air conditioning? In my store the customers are sweating. On 34th is the most hideous fashion I have ever seen (along with the On 34th jewelry, ugh).

Philadelphia closing, as predicted.

The LL Bean Outlet near me is always busy. The day they close up shop is when I'll worry for all stores.

^ That Macy's is a mess, but still, it's a big blow to Center City.

"Philadelphia closing, as predicted."

And once again, Philadelphia officials are sticking their collective heads up their asses by saying the closing is related to department store problems in general, and not anything wrong with the Center City retail scene.

Even though the five year old 250 ,million dollar shopping failed mall two blocks away from Macy's is about to be closed and torn down for an even more moribund sports arena that will be empty two thirds of the time.

And even though the well heeled Center City population continues to grow, they prefer to get in their cars and go out to King of Prussia Mall to do their serious shopping.

Just close the damn store.Those parade floats are TOWED by Ram pickups-so cheap and tacky. Like homecoming week in highschool.

[quote]And once again, Philadelphia officials are sticking their collective heads up their asses by saying the closing is related to department store problems in general, and not anything wrong with the Center City retail scene.

^ That too, but that Macy's is disgusting. It's like a ghetto flea market.

I was there over the Christmas holiday. For me the historic light show is charming but they market it as something spectacular. Maybe it was back in 1956. One man's retro, is another man's dated.