I don’t have any skin in this game because I rarely shop at Macy’s - but I know people here on CC do.
I see they are shutting down a headquarters in Cincinnati and closing 125 stores.
Thoughts? Are you affected? Not sure what % 125 is of their locations.
I wonder what will happen to the Macy’s inside the Marshall Fields building in Chicago. It’s been 1/2 empty of merchandise and sad looking for quite some time.
We stopped shopping at Macy’s long ago - terrible customer service, poor organization, dirty fitting rooms, and the sales are really never sales unless you have this coupon or that one.
I read that there would be about 400 stores left after these closings. Macy’s took over Jordan Marsh in Boston about 20 years ago and it was never the same. Macy’s couldn’t make a blueberry muffin if their life depended on it! 
Most of the time I buy my clothes from the sales racks, and the local Macy’s sales racks are terrible. They are jammed with stuff all out of size order so it would take days to actually look through them.
Their terrific CEO recently bailed for another company. He saw the writing on the wall. The concept just isn’t working anymore. Not sure what is going to happen with my 2 local stores. One tends to look pretty good, but the one closest to my house also seems messy and the only employees (or contractors) seem to be in the cosmetics department.
I used to work with (but not for) Macy’s Herald Square in NYC. It was such a cool place and I loved meeting with the people who worked there. That was long ago.
The only department store I shop at at all is Nordstrom. Organized stores, good customer service and return policy, decent sales a few times a year which probably keeps it from being the mess that our local Macy’s always is.
I don’t know why anyone would shop at Macy’s now. So many other options when you visit the mall and online is, of course, how so many people shop these days.
I really like that Macy’s flagship in NYC. They can’t close that one…I mean what would become of the Thanksgiving Day parade, and the fabulous Christmas floor?
But the mall stores? We called ours “Messys”. Recently, however, it has been a lot more tidy.
My biggest beef at Macy’s is that it takes a long time to find an “associate” to help if needed. And often their registers in departments aren’t open so you have to trek all over the place looking for a way to pay.
Well I see it’s the same all over the country and not just at our Macy’s. The Macy’s here has poor lighting, cracked tile floors, merchandise strewn all over, no customer service and over all, it’s just not a pleasant place to shop. Once in a great while, I find a good bargain in the clothing department but other departments have virtually disappeared like housewares.
Nordstrom is still a very nice place to shop but I’ve read their sales are down also.
@thumper1 - Messy is what our Macy’s is too! The mall a mile from my house was completely redone over the past couple of years and is now an upscale destination mall. Very high end stores and restaurants. Macy’s looks so out of place at the mall that I wouldn’t be surprised is this one closes. My H hates to go in Macy’s since they cram so much stuff all over the store.
Nordstrom sales are down, but my local store was just rebuilt and is beautiful and always busy as well as the Rack near me.
We are a sizable city, and Macy’s is our only “real department store” left. Otherwise, just Kohl’s and JCP. Ours can be messy, but they have a decent young mens section, so I do take DS there a couple times a year.
Other times, we drive the hour to get to another bigger city to shop at Von Maur and Nordstrom.
Our Macy’s often seem pretty empty. They seem to be having ever shorter hours. I bought a few things from them via online ordering for the holidays. The PJs shrunk a lot so instead of long sleeves, they are now 3/4 sleeves. D likes the Urban Decay 1/2 price set I bought her. The other things I ordered didn’t work for me so I returned them in store.
I did buy some adorable and inexpensive baby things at low prices on sale there—headbands and a pair of cute outfits. That was one of my rare in-store purchases in ages!
Our Macy’s? I haven’t been in it to shop in forever. I did return something there last year!
I noticed that my brain has changed. I was in a Dick’s Sporting Goods to pick up some weight plates, and the amount of merchandise struck me as overwhelming. The store was neat, but oh my, so. much. stuff.
I had zero impulse to peruse the racks. I just wanted to get out of there.
I think it’s partially a side effect of online shopping – which is how I shop now. I’ve gotten accustomed to narrowing down the search very quickly and essentially looking at one product at a time.
Regular stores seem like TOO MUCH.
And it’s amusing to think that in the 70s and 80s “shopping” was a major way to entertain ourselves. We’d just go and look at stuff on the racks. An outlet? Let’s go!
I’d rather chew glass now. Haha!
^^^ Haha.
I still can enjoy an outlet but only select stores. But I agree with the overwhelming stock in a department store. It’s just not for me.
I’d like to see a survey on this thought @Midwest67
My Macy’s is literally walking distance from where I live, but I hardly ever shop there. In the past year, I’ve picked up some clothing items for grandkids, but only one pair of pants for me (that I actually had to order from their website because the store didn’t have my size). They used to have a small petite dept, but in the past 6 months or so, it’s disappeared. Their customer service is non-existent and I hate having to walk around the floor to find a manned cash register.
We have a great Macy’s nearby. And a terrible one too, about the same drive time. I go to the great one and not the terrible one.
I still like shopping in stores. This development is another nail in the coffin. Do we just live in ghost towns where people only ever go to Urgent Cares or maybe a PetCo? What will Amazon do when all retail is gone, and the employees with it? Who will have money to buy it all? It’s worrying.
The only announced that 30 stores are closing right now (none near me). I rarely go to the malls but do shop online a lot.
One of the malls near me now charges for parking. Some of the stores will validate, but I’m not dealing with that at all. Another mall, about the same distance (all highway) has free parking and it has a cheaper tax rate (different county).
I like Macy’s. I like to send stuff to my kids and they can return if they don’t like it. I used to shop a lot more at Macy’s (in a store) especially when they had stackable coupons, but now online is easier.
125 closing over three years.
I shop at Macy’s. Did some at Christmas but it is online. Usually have mail delivery, infrequently I’ll do store pick-up. My local Macy’s is pretty organized. Macy’s does have good prices when things are on sale so I can often get household items there cheaper. I also use them for Clinique and other skincare items.
For sure – survey of ONE here – I’m simply buying less.
Kids are grown and gone.
I have less clothes than I used to, but the few things I have I really love.
I’m frugal, so much of those items are steals from eBay. I like nice things; I just cannot afford them!
I don’t really need a work wardrobe as I mostly work from home and when I do go into the main office it is jeans & t-shirt casual.
Not to mention, there is this whole “let’s stop the consumerism” & “declutter the house” movement. Count me in. Less stuff.
Re: the changing economic landscape? There are some great books out there on the subject. I really enjoyed Yang’s “The War on Normal People”. Frankly, it frightened me quite a bit.
We actually have a nice, busy Macy’s. I’m thrilled they are still standing here!