4 ms·
Macy's seemed to slide significantly downmarket over the last few decades. I feel like, growing up in the 80s and 90s, in a place where they weren't, it was se
by hakfoo 5y ago
Macy's seemed to slide significantly downmarket over the last few decades. I feel like, growing up in the 80s and 90s, in a place where they weren't, it was seen as an upper-tier product, a notch below Neiman-Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue, but decidedly fancier than Penney's or Sears. Then they either went acquisition-mad, or started rebranding other stores they owned (not sure which) because a local chain became Macy's, and it never lived up to that hype.
Now they're doing their own take on Kohl's Kash, which just screams "premium retail experience."
- lotsofpulp 5y agoAll a reflection of widening income/wealth gaps (but also technology consolidating many businesses). Macys used to have a purpose for middle class, but as fortunes have diverged, we are left with Nordstroms serving the 80th to 95th percentile, and then Macys and the rest fighting to retain market share of the bottom 4 quintiles that have been losing purchasing power.
- amyjess 5y agoProbably an acquisition. In 2005, Macy's bought May Department Stores, which owned a large number of regional department stores. May liked letting each chain have their own identity, but Macy's just wanted everything in their business to bear the Macy's name, so after the May acquisition closed storied brands such as Marshall Field's, Foley's, and Robinsons-May disappeared off the face of the Earth.