Community Chat

[123SuzyQ123]

In my younger days, I absolutely loved, loved, loved shopping in stores!  It was a Saturday tradition for me!  I would go to the mall, shop, eat lunch there, shop more, and come home with packages almost every time!

But now, I am on such a limited income, that I am very thrifty with every cent I spend!  I expect there are lots of ladies in my very same boat!  As you get older/wiser, you protect your income a bit better.  And that is MY reason for not shopping in mall stores any longer.  When I do need something new, I shop online for the lowest price, then buy online.

[jackthebear]

I think part of Macy's problem is rolling all the regional department stores that everyone loved, into a national department store; coupled with the other things, internet and off price 

[DiAnne]

I do not enjoy shopping but do make occasional trips to my local mall.  I went there last Tuesday to pick up something from the Container Store, check on an item at Crate and Barrell and pick up a shirt that Talbots was holding for me.  These were all things I had seen either in a catalog or on line. 

[stevieb]

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@software wrote:

Was hoping QVC could take a cue about the "changing inventory" quote.

I'm so tired of the same old stuff, day after day.

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Amen to that... 

[Peaches McPhee]

Don't blame Marshall's or TJMax either.  Instead, we need to look in the mirror.  The consumer speaks with her/his dollars.  

[stevieb]

Retail is in transition and what it'll look like when and if the dust settles is anyone's guess.

I like Amazon a lot, but only for certain things. I'm no more willing to search through hundreds of pages of merchandise than I am to scour through racks and racks of items at most brick and mortar stores.

I think one big reason the TJX stores thrive is that while they offer variety, they offer contained variety. They're easy to shop, usually easy to get to, easy to park and you don't have to walk a mile from where you park to the store... You also don't have to traipse up and down long mall corridors to reach your destination... Personally, I've generally found nice options at the TJX stores I frequent, but clearly not all all of their stores are evenly or equally stocked, maintained or managed... I've been less enamored of Ross or Burlington...

I do think Macy's will miss the boat with any 'store within the store' concept, because it just adds one more layer to the search... I'd also note that personally, I'm a bit weary of all the 'promotions'. I like that I can go to an off-price store and know from the get-go that I'm going to get a lower price... Moreover, Macy's can open stand alone off-price stores if they choose, but a large percentage of the buying public are probably going to stick with the tried and true. This says to me that they're going to have to build a clientele for those stores over time.

For me, QVC misses on all cylinders... Their narrow branding means fewer options and less variety, while prices, shipping and return shipping are high for some items...

I once enjoyed the ambiance of the truly nicer stores, but let's face it, other than in the very best of stores, which I don't frequent, that ambiance has long been gone... Added to that, overall, the shopping experience of a big department store is something I once relished, but no longer do...

[software]

I don't know how long ago you mean, but I'm in my 60s and yes I agree with you.   I was not as good a shopper as my late mom.   She could make a day of it.    She showed me how to compare prices, and where to look for the best bargains in the department store.   We'd do lunch and have a ball.    But there are so many more choices today.    I don't feel like crawling the mall after working all week.    And I sure don't want to go once a month and see the same old inventory.    At least move it around!!

I quit shopping at Steinmart about a year or more ago because they never rotated their stock.    I saw the same old tired items month after month.    TJ Maxx is probably my favorite off price store now, it used to be Burlington but the store near me looks more like a thrift store now.  Not that there's anything wrong with thrift stores!

@123SuzyQ123

[ccassaday]

Retail is defintly changing. My mom took my niece to the mall Wed and she mentioned how there is no place to eat anymore. We are just entering a different time. I don't think there is anything brick and mortor stores can really do. Everything always changes. Internet is 100% the reason mall stores are failing. Our mall is always dead except maybe at Christmas time.

[Zhills]

People seem to think that if you shop "online" you bypass the local stores.

I buy online from our local stores! I can go to 3 malls to Macy's and find something I like but can't find my size.......go online and purchase it.

I understand that every Macy's can't keep every style in store in every size, but it eases my frustration to be able to get the item I desire by purchasing it online.

Amazon is great, but so are the other stores that have websites so you can still purchase from them "online."

[HappyDaze]

I don't and I won't.

 Businesses need to learn to adapt to a changing environment and if you don't, you will fail. That is the very nature of business. 

I buy as much as I can from my locally owned, small businesses and from farmers markets. Everything else I buy mostly online. Rarely do I shop in stores but I do like to once in awhile, I just don't have the time to do so.

Clothes and shoes in particular I like to check out in person before I buy. I cannot stand going into those "off price" stores- they are usually messy and unorganized and sometimes even disgusting. Even the Last Act section of Macys bothers me as nothing is organized or labeled by size and I don't have the time nor the patience to go through racks and racks of clothes looking for my size and colors I like.