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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
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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.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
Yet, if you go to the fragrance section, they chase you around...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.
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.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
You speak a deep truthThe 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.
This guy gets itI thought the Union Square Macy's closed years ago.
The day I left, Six. The day I left.I thought the Union Square Macy's closed years ago.
“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.