I visited Macy's, and saw how disappointing displays and customer service are hurting its sales
Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins
- I visited the Macy's flagship store in New York City and tried on its new "On 34th" private label.
- Most of the styles were lackluster and outdated.
This summer, Macy's is launching On 34th, a women's brand promising to solve common fit issues and provide styles that can be mixed and matched.
I thought this would be a good opportunity to check out the new line and experience shopping at the iconic retailer – as a millennial who admittedly doesn't frequent department stores very often.
I went to Macy's famous flagship store on 34th Street in Manhattan, and while it had plenty of selection, it failed to capture my interest with its lackluster displays and elusive staff.
Macy's revenues fell about 7% year-over-year in the first quarter, to $4.98 billion, and a recent UBS report expects Macy's to continue to lose customers as shoppers gravitate to online channels and off-price retailers like TJ Maxx.
"Macy's has a real problem with merchandising, both in terms of buying product, allocating product, and displaying product in a compelling way in its stores," retail analyst Neil Saunders told Insider. "The end result is a very disjointed offer that does not come across clearly to the consumer and isn't all that targeted at any particular type of consumer."
Saunders told Insider he's visited more than 50 Macy's stores across the country this year. "The one thing that they all have in common is that they're abysmal," he said. "Macy's is one of the worst retailers for shopkeeping standards in the country."
I witnessed some of this disarray during my visit. A highly stylized Ralph Lauren Polo shop was a bright spot in an otherwise faltering store. Table displays were either sparse or cluttered, the mannequins were dressed in dull and frumpy outfits, and finding a store employee was a game of "Where's Waldo."
A Macy's spokesperson provided the following comment: "We invite our customers to own their style and provide merchandise and displays that showcase product versatility and different styling options to inspire them. With ebbs in customer traffic and the current transition of seasonal merchandise, there may be times when some areas of the store are not in keeping with our standards."
I stopped by Macy's iconic flagship store in Herald Square on a Tuesday, late in the afternoon.
I entered through the main entrance on 34th Street, which opens into the fragrance department.
I wasn't sure where to find the women's clothing so I went down an escalator, which led to the athletic apparel.
Toward the back of the basement, there were several racks of discounted coats. I was curious, so I sifted through them for a few minutes. There were brands like Mango, Levi's, and Sam Edelman, but none of the styles I liked were in my size.
After my coat tangent I continued my mission to find the women's clothing. I took a rickety wooden escalator up to the second floor.
Finding a department in Macy's is like going through a labyrinth. First, I walked through the shoe salon ...
... then through the men's department to find an elevator to the third floor.
I noticed most shoppers looked to be in their 40s or older, unless they were kids accompanying their families. According to a UBS survey, 75% of customers who purchased from Macy's in the last six months were over 35.
I had to walk through a continuation of the men's department on the third floor ...
... to finally reach the women's department.
Women's clothing began with an entire area devoted to Calvin Klein.
The clothes were hit-or-miss. I wasn't sure what was going on at the bottom of this blue shirt. But I liked the style of the black one.
There weren't many customers around. I briefly noticed one store employee before she disappeared.
I passed by the Polo Ralph Lauren shop. I appreciated that the space was styled just like any other Ralph Lauren store. The clothing looked beautiful, and a strapless dress with raffia detailing caught my eye, but I knew it would be out of my price range.
So I moved on and spotted an area for Donna Karan New York. It looked generic compared to the highly-detailed Polo space I'd just seen.
This Sam Edelman shop looked like a ghost town.
As a former retail employee myself, I was appalled that they broke a cardinal rule of merchandising. These barren tables desperately needed more products and sizes.
But these tables were even worse. It looked as though they were closing this store and selling out of all the inventory.
I came across a price checker, which would have been helpful for a couple of sale items I'd picked up, but the machine didn't work.
I walked by another set of registers with no employees in sight.
Finally, I stumbled upon the On 34th collection I'd been searching for.
The brand consisted of dressy-casual pieces that could be worn for work or social events.
There were a lot of basics like these tanks tops
And grandpa sweaters.
I could see what they were trying to do with these dresses, but the execution fell flat. Instead of pretty, bohemian maxi dresses, these just looked frumpy.
These T-shirt dresses were $60, but looked like something you could find at Target for $20. Sure enough, a recent UBS survey found 'high prices' were the number two reason consumers don't shop at Macy's.
I picked up this fun sequin skirt to try on.
The plus-size section had an impressive range of styles, but unfortunately also lacked creativity.
There were some nice color options for elastic-waist trousers. The hot pink was on trend with Barbiecore, while the earthy orange and green were more versatile.
Macy's attempt at an inspirational graphic T-shirt was laughable. 'Go forth and be fierce,' it says.
These button-down shirts were having an identity crisis. They weren't sure if they wanted to be bright or pastel colors.
But these simple knit tank dresses would be a good staple to transition from summer to fall.
This fluffy pink tulle skirt felt very out of place among an otherwise basic collection.
In an attempt to offer a trendy style of denim, the brand had wide-leg jeans. However, they were low-rise, which I personally refuse to wear.
After grabbing a few pieces to try on, I looked for a dressing room. The first one didn't have any rooms open and I couldn't find a store employee to help me.
So I retraced my steps and found a second dressing room. But again, not a single employee in sight.
So I just helped myself to an open room.
The dressing room still had someone else's clothes in it. The mirror had adjustable settings to change the lighting, but none of them were ideal.
I tried on the sequin skirt but wasn't impressed. It would have looked better if it had a higher waist and more shape at the hem. I also tried on the pink trousers from the On 34th brand, but I didn't like the cropped style and the waist was too low for my long torso.
Finally, I tried on this pretty lime green top from Calvin Klein and I really liked it. It was the one piece I decided to buy.
But when I went to the register, no one was there to help me check out. I waited for a few minutes — just long enough to change my mind and put the shirt back.
I was not impressed by my visit to Macy's. I was overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time. It's exhausting to navigate all the floors and departments. It was like being in a mall, except I had to walk through every other store just to get to the one I wanted.
Meanwhile, the selection of styles was lacking — most were outdated or boring. Plus, the store appeared severely understaffed and customer service was nonexistent. I wouldn't return to shop there, especially when there are so many more stores to choose from in New York City.
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement