Re: remember department stores ?

Stray · ‎04-20-2013

@ashleigh dupray wrote:
@lulu2 i think Macys Herald Square still has those wooden escalators to the higher levels !

but it has been awhile sinnce the last time i was in NYC shopping at Macys; it was 2006 and i'm almost certain there were escalators with wooden steps

I believe they are still there up by furniture and watch repairs....I am in NYC often but have not gone to the upper floors recently but they were there three years ago

Annabellethecat66 · ‎03-12-2010

My mother lived in Washington, DC and Alexandria (as did her Mother). My mother always talked about how beautiful the department stores would decorate the windows at Christmas. I remember going to DC and seeing them.

There are still a few of the smaller (although chain) smaller stores in our area.

I'm old school, as are my friends. My poor friend tells me day in and day out how she tries to find in the stores things that her family has printed out (i.e. Kerig in certain colors, etc) that they want. She likes to go to the stores, touch it, feel it, get a sense of Christmas. I agree with her. It is next to impossible to find some of the same things from Amazon that are in the stores.

I get some of the same things, but not so much because I tell my family I'm sorry, but it's not happening. I'm so frustrated I give out many gift cards which are the same thing as handing out money. Ugh!

This year is different for me because my family is meeting in Florida where one daughter lives. It will be after Christmas but so what. These days people don't seem to mind if it's days before or after Christmas. The good thing about my family is my daughters don't push the presents thing. They are happy to be together even if it's just for a few days.

That is my best Christmas present. Being with my family and I feel like maybe, just maybe my late husband and I did something right in that the grandchildren and adults don't throw fits that we don't give out good presents but are happy to be together.

I think one day they'll just sit and Christmas shop from a computer. Too bad they'll only hear stories about how beautiful the store windows were and how nice it was to get into the Christmas spirit in a Department store.

nomless · ‎03-10-2010

@nomless wrote:
Earlier in the thread, someone mentioned Goldblatt's in Chicago. It was a store similar to Sears. For several years they sold a Santa to be displayed on a roof. They seemed to sell a gazillion of these because about every third house in my neighborhood had that silly Santa on the roof. LOL.

Re: the nice gift boxes the dept. stores used to provide at no charge - yes, those were great. Miss them.

I just had an "aha" moment. It wasn't Goldblatt's that sold the Santas that many people put on the roof. I'm pretty sure the Santas came from Polk Bros., another extinct Chicago retailer. In addition to the Santas being sold in the store, I think during fall season, they were also given as a free gift to those who bought furniture or appliances.

handygal2 · ‎01-19-2015

I remember so many department stores in the New York City area that have gone out of business:

Gimbels

Bonwit Teller

Abraham & Straus

Korvette's

Alexander's

S. Klein

Gertz

Masters

Stern's

I think Gimbels was the first to go. They just couldn't compete with Macy's.

~~Be careful when you follow the masses. Sometimes the 'm' is silent.~~

hyacinth bucket1 · ‎02-17-2013

I remember Frederick and Nelson's tea room in Seattle. My great aunt worked at the Bon Marche in Seattle. When I was young we used to shop at the Bullock's Wilshire, and Buffum's.

Black Cat Back · ‎03-21-2010

I remember the elevator operators in the dept stores I went to as a child. I'm in my 50's, and not too old. I remember when Yonkers (the dept store in the Midwest) had candy counters and sold freshly made candy daily. I always went there and got a bag of malted milk balls and peppermint bar candy.

Now the stores are so boring and lack that special attention and courtesy.

ID2 · ‎06-25-2012

When I was a little girl we lived in the suburbs of Detroit. I remember my mom would take me on a bus, to downtown Detroit, to do a whole day of shopping. It was magical then! The big city back then was calm and bustling with people working downtown. We'd shop at Hudson's department store. She and I would have lunch and I was always so excited when we'd pick out a few "outfits" for me! It was safe and fun to take a public bus to downtown Detroit. I'm so glad I have these cherished memories of a time long forgotten.

"Pure Michigan"

Black Cat Back · ‎03-21-2010

I also remember the restaurants in the dept stores. They would serve a nice lunch for shoppers and workers.

At a local JC Penney, oh about 15 years ago in downtown Phx, you could still eat in the restaurant in the store and the food was good.

Now you're lucky if you get someone who is nice to even wait on you to buy something from the floors.

Some of the people who work at Macy's here are so not friendly. Most of them are under 25 years old too.

Toppers · ‎01-01-2015

@handygal2 wrote:
I remember so many department stores in the New York City area that have gone out of business:

Gimbels
Abraham & Straus
Korvette's
Alexander's
S. Klein
Gertz
Masters
Stern's

I think Gimbels was the first to go. They just couldn't compete with Macy's.

I really liked Gimbel's, too. There used to be one in downtown Milwaukee that my family used to shop at. That was such a great store. I used to love shopping there.

I used to love Korvette's, too.

They had a really great record department. My Dad loved music, so he used to take me with him, and we would buy our LP's there. If you were looking for a certain record album, you could find it there. They had everything. Fun memories!