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I think I hate San Francisco.

sugarbutch

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I’ve had the recent misfortune of visiting two Macy’s stores. They are depressing AF. Macy’s is at the root Macy’s decline, not San Francisco’s supposed decline
 

ppk

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I’ve had the recent misfortune of visiting two Macy’s stores. They are depressing AF. Macy’s is at the root Macy’s decline, not San Francisco’s supposed decline
My better-half wanted to go Macy's to try on some clothes and I accompanied her. I couldn't agree with you more. It was a mess and we couldn't find things - the sales people couldn't care less. She vowed never to go there again.
 

mhip

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My better-half wanted to go Macy's to try on some clothes and I accompanied her. I couldn't agree with you more. It was a mess and we couldn't find things - the sales people couldn't care less. She vowed never to go there again.
Yet, if you go to the fragrance section, they chase you around...
 

Omega Male

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I’ve had the recent misfortune of visiting two Macy’s stores. They are depressing AF. Macy’s is at the root Macy’s decline, not San Francisco’s supposed decline
The department store model doesn't work anymore. Nordstrom's decline is even sadder than Macys, which has frankly sucked for many years. They used to have great service, every size in stock etc. etc. Now their main goal seems to be to get you to order online and pick up at the messy, understaffed fulfillment area that now welcomes you to every store.

Bah. Humbug.
 

sugarbutch

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The department store model doesn't work anymore. Nordstrom's decline is even sadder than Macys, which has frankly sucked for many years. They used to have great service, every size in stock etc. etc. Now their main goal seems to be to get you to order online and pick up at the messy, understaffed fulfillment area that now welcomes you to every store.

Bah. Humbug.
You speak a deep truth
 

Mr. Six

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I thought the Union Square Macy's closed years ago.
 

UnFacconable

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Macy's closing in SF wasn't about SF. Macy's "flagship" brand is untenable and this has been a long time coming. I don't think anyone on StyleForum would be surprised to hear that the market hasn't been kind to "middle class" retailers. Luxury goods purveyors have done great, as have discount retailers, but just about everyone in the middle is struggling.

This is a pretty good article about this but perhaps focusing too much on the size of the middle class (which hasn't shrunk that much) and not enough on the shift in spending habits.

Here's the part that I think is most relevant:
“If your business is selling middle-market apparel in a 200,000-square-foot box, you’re struggling,” said Brandon Svec, a retail analyst at CoStar, a commercial real estate research group. Meanwhile, luxury and discount retailers are growing alongside the ranks of lower- and upper-income Americans, which Svec calls the barbell effect.

“You’re seeing a lot of growth at the top, you’re seeing a lot of growth at the bottom,” he said, “and a hollowing out at the middle.”

In 2022, 95% of luxury brands increased profits. Meanwhile, dollar stores are thriving. Dollar General plans to open 800 stores this year.
“And in a lot of ways, it’s the shrinking middle class,” said Svec. “But it’s also the shifting value proposition sought out by the middle class.”

The middle class isn’t just getting smaller. The people who are left in it are shopping differently, especially as necessities like groceries eat up more of their paychecks. Walmart says that in the last couple of years it’s gained more middle- and high-income shoppers. Consumers are trading up and down.

“They’re buying their household supplies and, you know, maybe underwear at Walmart in order to save enough money to take a luxury vacation or buy a Louis Vuitton handbag,” said Doug Stephens, founder of the consultancy Retail Prophet.

Increasingly, these extremes are shaping retail and forcing brands to reinvent themselves. Macy’s plans to invest more in its upscale brands, Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury, as well as its discount brand, Macy’s Backstage. The divide is also present in the grocery business. High-end Whole Foods and budget-focused Aldi are both growing.

Why would anyone go out of their way to visit union square for Macys? Nordstrom is struggling for the same reasons and they had a much better platform to work with.

I get why some people would paint this as an SF specific problem, but that's not what's going on here.
 

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