Business Insider/Jessica Tyler Some of the in-store displays at Nordstrom were completely over-the-top, like a Lancôme fish tank.
- Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's are both high-end department stores that sell everything luxury.
- Department stores as a whole have suffered in recent years because of declining foot traffic to malls, higher demand for off-price products, and the rise of e-commerce.
- Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's are both combating these issues by focusing on e-commerce and their off-price outlets, but it's unclear what the future holds for department stores.
Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's sell everything luxury all in one spot. Designer jewelry, clothes, cosmetics, and home decor are artfully displayed in these massive stores.
But department stores are no longer in their heyday. The rise of e-commerce, declining foot traffic to malls, and a higher demand for off-price products have caused department stores to suffer. Many department-store chains, including Sears, Macy's, and JCPenney, are closing locations across the country as they struggle to adapt to shoppers' changing habits.
Both Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's have been trying to combat the decline of department stores as a
Nordstrom also has been shifting focus to Nordstrom Rack, its off-price store chain. But even with a store dedicated to discounts, there were still a few sale racks at Nordstrom's full-price store during a recent visit. Macy's-owned Bloomingdale's also has an off-price outlet store to help feed the demand for discounts and deals, though nearly everything we saw during a recent visit to the full-price store was on sale, often up to 40% off.
We visited the two department stores in Westchester, New York, and found that even though Bloomingdale's seems to emphasize its store experience more, Nordstrom was ultimately more pleasant to shop at. Take a look inside: