How does Macy's stay in business ?

[Mikey]

Macy's seems to be the cornerstone of many upscale malls but I never see anyone shopping there.

For the most part they're only used as a mall entrance/exit by people.

A few years ago my neice got a $50.00 gift card for Macy's and she literally had trouble finding anything worthwhile for under 50 bucks (meaning everything is over-priced).

So how do they stay in business considering I mostly only see a few women buying perfume there ?

[Earth 2 Chris]

They must be making pretty good money to have all of those pricey celebrities in their ads. I never shop there myself, but I rarely go to the mall.

Chris

[HardyGirl]

My boss swears by Macy's. She can usually hunt down some good deals there during the sales. I remember growing up in NYC, that my mom used to always shop Macy's and Gimbel's and I always went to see Santa at Macy's.

[BlackKnight]

ya ..., I dunno.
They are not Walmart by Any Means, But I was shopping there for the Kids for Back to School..., and we picked up some Great Stuff, somewhat Cheap I thought...., They Had alot of like Super Hero, Skate Shirts, and Throw Backs for liuke 2 for 20 I thought ...., Great Pocket Shorts for like 14 ...., and I think Name Brand Jeans for like 2 for 30 or Something real Close. I know we spent like 100 bucks there...., and Everyone in the Family Got Something.

Macy changed from the Bon Marche here ..., it used to be the Bon.

[Spawn67]

I was asking myself the same question the other day. I went by a mall around around here and no one was shopping in it. The mall itself was pretty dead to. And this was on a saturday to. Kinda made me sad because I remember the mall as a kid and teenager being the happening spot.

[BlackKnight]

I bought 90% of my X-mas Presents online.
I only go to the Mall for Bath and Body Works for the Old Lady...
I find Video Games and Disney Dolls Cheaper and better Quality online.
Toys Have Sucked at Retail ever since they went so "They Made a Movie, lets Stock Crappy Peg Warmers". I can't believe all the Batman Rises Nonsense thats gathering serious dust here. Green Lantern Anyone ? Whats wrong with Mattel, they really sell this stuff , But want 30 for a single MOTU Classic online ? lol.

The Malls have become a Joke Ingeneral imo.
Every Store from Hot Topic to Victoria Secret is just Over Priced, and in lot of cases Double.
I really only go there but maybe 3 times a Year.

[Mikey]

My favorite store mall activities since the 70's

70's
Grants (department store)
Pet shop
Arcade
Rockaways Sales (best toy dept EVER)
Pizza place

80's
Orange Julius
Record Store (Sam Goody or The Wall)
Walden Books
Video Store

90's
Walden Books
Video Store
Hallmark Shop

2000's
Mall discount store - K-mart etc

2010's
Mostly just walk around for excercise

[megomania]

All of the large malls in Seattle have three primary tenants - Macy's, Nordstrom, and JC Penney and some of the mid-size ones add Sears. Macy's is usually always busy at the Downtown flagship store and the larger malls like Bellevue Square, Alderwood and such. When it comes to the smaller towns and malls, yeah I could see Macy's being slow because they aren't cheap but then again that's not their business model. I don't particularly like their product lines but my wife shops there a lot because they do have good deals when stuff is on sale.

-Chris

[megomania]

My favorite store mall activities since the 70's

70's
Grants (department store)
Pet shop
Arcade
Rockaways Sales (best toy dept EVER)
Pizza place

80's
Orange Julius
Record Store (Sam Goody or The Wall)
Walden Books
Video Store

90's
Walden Books
Video Store
Hallmark Shop

2000's
Mall discount store - K-mart etc

2010's
Mostly just walk around for excercise

Orange Julius was the place to be in 80s malls

[BlackKnight]

I lied...
I go to Sears all the Time, I forgot they are in the Mall, because of the 1 End they are located at. I actually buy quit a few Tools there thru out the yr.

I miss the Book Stores in the Mall...., they used to carry many Graphic Novels I would buy all the time ..., it seems as if the Interent Killed them.

[jwyblejr]

There use to be a Macy in Birmingham but that got moved over to Atlanta. So I really couldn't tell you how they stay in business.

[spacecaps]

I love Macy's. I shop at Macy's all the time for clothes and appliances. They've got some great sales and if you have their card, you save a ton of money. Nordstroms is the store I don't get. That place is always empty and overpriced. JC Penny is like the "cheap" store but Macy's sells all the stuff the mall sells only for way less. It's not just clothes or clearance stuff either...I just bought a ton of those K cups for my Krueger coffee maker for $8 apiece when every other store has them for no less that $11

[Zemo]

Macy's rocks for higher end stuff. Especially for women, I get some of the wife's stuff online from them. They ship fast and free and when they say in stock, it's in stock. Great website management.

[Duncan]

Macy's is OK because it's the last man standing. They bought and/or beat most of their competition, and there's not much left in the same category. That's kind of why they can keep their prices higher than you'd expect, though I agree with other posts that you can save a lot there if you try.

Currently, the malls around me have Macy's, Penney's & Sears.

Sears is Sears - tools, appliances & home goods...and racks of clothes that people generally don't buy. I remember a case study where I was told that women don't want to buy their clothes in a hardware store, and I believe it. No competition vs Macys.

Penney's is a mess. Again, racks of clothes that people generally don't buy (style & quality, I've heard). Now, however, they no longer have sales - unless they changed their policy again...let's see, today is a Tuesday... Also, their new clearance policy (aimed at Target & Kohl's?) was chaotic and not user friendly the one and only time I tried to shop it. No competition for Macy's.

Kohl's has a major presence near me and is always busy, but they're after a different market segment than Macy's. So, yeah - kudos to Macy's.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Kohl's seems to be more popular around here than Macy's. But then again, there is a Kohl's only about 20 minutes away, and Macy's at the mall is at least an hour with traffic.

Chris