There is never anyone in the Lord and Taylor in our local mall. We have never figured out how they stay open.
Stores are becoming ghost towns and the less people go there, the fewer clerks they have on hand. I can be in a number of stores and see almost no sales people around able to wait on customers. I’m doing nearly all my shopping online now.
We have this little old fashioned department store in town. Trying to buy clinique there is an exercise in futility while you watch the sales clerk fumble through the drawers, always out of what I want. I have to bring the product with me to even have them know what I’m talking about in the first place. But without being able to browse I don’t know how I’m supposed to find out about the new stuff.
We have two Macy’s in two malls across from each other. The other day I went there to buy a comforter and it took forever. I finally left the store without it 1 1/2 hours later. Their electricity kept shutting off and I was told this is now happening on a regular basis. It was pitch dark and when the lights came back on none of the registers were working on the floor. I put an item on hold and never went back because I felt it was a waste of time. The sales people don’t know what they are doing and you have to walk to whole floor to find anyone to help you.
Never had problems at Lord and Taylor. I actually prefer them.
Macy’s has been in trouble for a while, the flagship store in NYC is a very different experience than the ones in the malls, it is a major tourist attraction, it gets a lot of foreign shoppers there, and is a different experience. Macy’s and then Federated, their parent company when they were bought, bought out a bunch of other retailers (Jordan Marsh, Filenes, and originally, Bamburgers in NJ), and they have gone through periods of rapid expansion, then closing stores right and left. The mall stores are basically to me like shopping in a lower end store, or an outlet store, there really isn’t any sales help and the last time I went shopping with my wife, the quality of the merchandise was pretty bad, it might have designer labels but it really was shockingly badly made. What help they have is minimum wage it looks like.
I suspect some of this is that people don’t want to go to malls, and some of it is that Macy’s core shopping audience may not be willing or able to pay the kind of prices you see there. The only retailers these days that seem to be doing well are the truly upscale ones, the ones in the middle, and even the lower end retailers, all are having their struggles.
Shopping habits change. Last year I went to Costco and bought a desktop computer, a pair of pants, a book and frozen cheeseburgers all in the same cart.
Sorry to rant! But got to!
I hate to see Macy’s close stores but it’s a reality that I blame directly on those in charge of the stores.
. I’ve bought tons of stuff from Macy’s over the years (starting with Jordan Marsh) .They are a major part of our local mall. Got a decent selection of clothes most times. But I quit shopping there on a regular basis.
Any head honchos llistenng? And you JCPenny’s guys need to listen too!
At our local mall there is nobody there to check you out. Ever
.I quit wasting time walking around the store looking for ANYBODY who can answer a simple question. I just quit going to the store. And yes, I keep checking back to see if anything , is getting better. It’s not.
I’ve had clothing in my hands and just thrown it aside. If they don’t care enough to check me out, I probably didn’t need it anyway. Thanks . I wasted my time picking out an item but you don’t have time to help me PAY for it. Now that I know where the customer stands…
The centralized check out counters in the home departments are totally devoid of service. Huge signs “check out” and it’s always the cricket chirp. Or manned by a clerk so busy complaining about Macy’s to another customer that you wonder if you should be there at all.
If you find someone to help you check out for clothing the main response is “Let’s just take this to my register” which is halfway across the store.,
After dragging clothing, sheets, home goods over to the jewelry counter to check out mucho times, I’ve given up. The men’s department is usually happy to help anybody. Head there first. They’ll check out your groceries if you have a bar code.
Guess the jewelry girls are just stuck behind their counters. Fortunately.
The “Messy’s” label is right on! It can look like a bad garage sale. There’s old stuff from obviously eons ago (I recognize it), Some of that stuff has already hit Goodwill from my house. I understand sending things from one store to another to mix up the merchandise. But seeing winter hats from two seasons ago in summer is just sad. So sad. You don’t need a marketing degree to know that’s not a good sales tactic.
Racks can be so stuffed with sale items it might as well be a “everything for a dollar” sale (must admit I got a blouse for a dollar once which probably went on the “good deal of the day” thread)
The bedding on sale looks like my guestroom closet where I stuff everything before it goes out the door. Just a jumble of leftovers.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Where my sister lives, I Iove ONE of the stores They still have big sale racks etc. and some of the problems of our local stores. BUT the sales clerks are great (and you can actually find one!) and even if there is a long line like during a huge sale they are super fast. Well trained. They know their stock.They know store policies and coupons and every in and out of the sale. They work together as a team (at least during big sales). I buy more there than any other store and it’s not my local store. Customer service still counts.
Honestly, I buy a lot of my clothing at Costco. They have decent brands and good prices and often have my size. I try it on t home and then return if it doesn’t fit, since I’m there weekly or more.
I like the idea of Macy’s but the last thing I bought was an online dress for niece’s wedding a year ago. Obviously, I’m not keeping them in business. Because they have such frequent sales, I won’t ever buy anything at full price there. If it’s not on sale or I don’t have a coupon, I won’t buy. Their prices are often cheaper online than in store, and generally inventory is MUCH better online.
In my area, the “premium” outlets appear to be doing a huge business. I think these types of retail experiences - dozens of store connected by well landscaped outdoors promenades are replacing all the mega malls that popped up in the 70s, 80s and 90s…
I work for one of the most successful retailers in the country, but we are in a niche market. Even our company had a rough second quarter. Macy’s, interestingly, in sort of considered the benchmark for retail by the financial analysts. The poor performance of Macy’s brings down the stock of all retailers. Right now, besides the problems already mentioned that retailers are facing, the consumer has pulled back due to confusion about the horrific political uncertainty in our country and the fear of sliding into another recession. The company I work for came through the last recession unscathed, but we are seeing some impact right now.
@MomofWildChild, that’s really interesting. The economy up in Maine is doing pretty well. Our structural engineering business was significantly impacted during the last recession, but we’re doing well now. But I will be glad when the election is over!
Do you know how your stores in our state have been doing?
I’m not aware of economic uncertainty concerns in my area, either. Things feel much better here.
I think an aging population is contributing to declining retail sales. At some point in life, we just don’t want more stuff and are more in the “bag a week” mode.
Even my college kids aren’t big consumers. They favor experiences over items and are definitely not label conscious.
Our stores are doing OK up there. The unseasonable weather and flooding in Texas impacts some retailers a lot. The economy isn’t terrible yet in the US, but there is a pulling back in consumer spending and a reluctance to buy big ticket items.
Our store isn’t really messy, just so confusing. I find I only go to shop at I.N.C., and a couple orhers. I do love the party/evening dresses and shoes. We gave lots of helpful sales clerks.
Macy’s lost me as a customer when they got rid of their petites department. The frustrated sales clerk says the staff begged management to keep it – that people went specifically to Macy’s for their petites – to no avail. So, I now go to Talbots, Ann Taylor and wherever petites are still stocked.
Sometimes I shop for my daughter-in-law at Talbots and I think they are the exception to the rule these days. Good service, clean and organized stores, etc.
I like our Dress Barn. Very helpful clerks and good prices.
I happened to be in a Macy’s earlier this week and there were few shoppers and even fewer employees. This was a store that used to be a Kaufmann’s, which I always enjoyed. Since Macy’s took over, it hasn’t been the same. In Toronto, the high end malls are doing well. It’s a challenge to find a parking spot on most days! Nordstrom is arriving in Toronto this year. I’ve shopped in their Ottawa store and the service is excellent. Helpful, well-informed employees are always a positive.
I miss the department stores of my youth, Gimbels, Strawbridge & Clothier, Lit Brothers, Bamberger’s, Bonwit Teller, and John Wanamaker. “Meet me at the Eagle” was familiar to anyone who grew up in south Jersey or Philly.
I don’t remember the last time I shopped at Macy’s. I went into our local mall last week because my daughter wanted to go into Sephora , inside the JC Penney. That was the first mall trip I have made in probably 18 months or two years.
They really don’t have anything for me for the most part , but I hate to see more jobs lost in our area. We , most definitely are not in great shape with the local economy 
I hate the Macy’s at our mall. The aisles are crowded and there is no one to help. My H refuses to go into Macy’s.
Macy’s has WAY TOO MUCH STUFF. It tries to be everything to every customer, but I don’t want to wander around through endless aisles and aisles of stuff I’m not the least bit interested, when there’s something specific I want.