department stores focused on goods for the middle class
all department stores are closing
only options are luxury goods and cheaper options
That SOOOO weird it's almost like the middle class evaporated
this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2024
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Honestly I think it's their quest for maximizing profit that bit them in the ass. They have been trying to sell discount store quality at midrange prices.
When I was a teenager and working, I bought from Sears, JcPenny and Macy's when I could because they had nice quality stuff that lasted. I HATED shopping so I saved up and looked for better quality. They had it and if you timed it right you could get them at a reasonable prices (not cheap but reasonable).
Now they have the same crap as the discount stores with higher prices.
In order to get midrange quality anymore you have to order online, if you can find it at all. Many of the former quality brands "Levi's, etc" are absolute shit now.
Quality went down, price went up. America in a nutshell.
I'm not sure what I'm supposed to want to shop for in department stores. I don't do enough shopping to constantly seek out "deals" so I don't spend time following the coupon or discount sales cycles. So whenever I do end up at a department store I see the sky high price on product I can get cheaper elsewhere or better quality/higher end at other stores.
Years ago I saw a coupon for a storewide discount at Macys and thought that an item I was wanting may be there. I found the long list of exclusions on the coupon excluded the item I wanted so I didn't bother going.
The focus on sales and deals and shit has been an attempt to compete with first Walmart and target, and then Amazon.
Used to be that department stores were where you went when you needed stuff. At one point, it was just where you went shopping for your general life. They tended to lower prices than boutiques through volume and you'd go to more specific, more expensive stores for more specific things.
Today, yeah. Why bother? You actually can find better clothes at Macy's and Penny's than Walmart, but you have to dig, and realize that the real Levi 501s are going to be $30 more than the modern Levi stretch fit trash. (And $30 less than buying them at the Levi store.)
but you have to dig, and realize that the real Levi 501s are going to be $30 more than the modern Levi stretch fit trash. (And $30 less than buying them at the Levi store.)
Funny enough, this idea is a point I was thinking of but didn't post it. I realized that brand almost don't matter anymore.
The example I was thinking of was Banana Republic. At one time it was a higher end brand. It had modern styles with moderately high quality construction, but also came with a more premium price. Over time it started sharing lower quality fabrics and construction with lower end Gap and Old Navy diluting the Banana Republic brand. Then Outlet Malls happened and separate even lower quality lines were produced for Outlet Malls still bearing the Banana Republic name.
While I'm sure Banana Republic probably produces some higher quality items, I can't know by looking at the brand if I'm getting one of the good ones or one of the cheap crap ones. So I have to assume I'm getting the worst and would only pay appropriately for clothing with that brand on it.
Your example of Levi jeans is the same thing. Since the same brand is carried and multiple tiers of stores with widely varying quality and price, consumers can't differentiate and assume the worst.
Did the cost of living contribute to the downfall of stores such as Macy's? I'm willing to bet that in my age group it's more of a factor than simply preferring online shopping.
I checked out my local Macy's a couple times when they claimed to have sales, but I shopped quite frequently at the Goodwill across the street.
Never understood why people stop at goodwill. Find it cheaper at a different used shop. And many times it will be in better condition. Plus a better selection of used movies. Maybe it's different where you live but the ones I've been to in Minnesota just suck.
Well they used to be decent, then the wave of "Thrifting" videos came with all the "I spent 1¢ on something at goodwill and sold it on eBay for $2,000,000!!!" So goodwill started looking prices up to price things. Then they started diverting good stuff to more dedicated stores, electronics got diverted to their Computer stores, collectibles and antiques now go direct to their online store etc.
Goodwill is the Walmart of thrift stores and has started spreading its thrift store enshittification like a virus, now even "mom and pop" thrift stores think their Pentium III 512MB RAM desktop is worth $200 (An actual example I've seen)
All that's left on shelves these days are almost junk or cost almost as much as new or the things that slipped through the cracks and actually got priced well
I've finally got some money, so now I shop at Ross and TJ Maxx
Online definitely hurt these stores, but poor management on their part also contributed heavily.
If you’re old enough to have shopped at Montgomery Ward your back hurts.
Not if you work out, but not too much.
Or too little.
Anti-consumer wastes of space. I don't mourn them
Versus what? Because I think it makes sense to have decently-large stores with a significant amount of clothing that you can try on before you buy it.
I know a lot of people buy clothes online, but I like to know how they fit.
And if you need to buy a suit, you'll probably spend a whole hell of a lot less at Macy's than you would a suit specialty store.
I know a lot of people buy clothes online, but I like to know how they fit.
I tried buying clothes online once, and it was a nightmare. Imagine how different brands in one store have different interpretations of the same size and multiply that amount of variation by 100 online.
Had to return over half of what I bought and then guess what size I needed based on how ill-fitting the first one was. Return shipping was free, but the carbon and other resource overheads are significant.
Online shopping is great, but not for everything.
Because I think it makes sense to have decently-large stores with a significant amount of clothing that you can try on before you buy it.
There's plenty of clothing specific stores out there that are relatively large. Department stores aren't really something people want anymore as they are in a niche between smaller specific stores and larger big box retailers, and are usually crappier than the former and more expensive than the latter.
There’s plenty of clothing specific stores out there that are relatively large.
Which ones are as cheap and have clothing at a decent quality level? Because the former applies to stores like Kohl's and TJ Maxx, but not the latter.
So either you pay more at those stores for quality or you pay less for clothes that are going to fall apart a lot sooner.
I feel like I'm usually choosing between three options.
For almost all my clothes, I'm buying from a thrift shop. Cheap, least harmful for the environment, can be in-person trying stuff on. Perfect. I can even get business-appropriate clothing (I work at a university) but obviously it'd be hard to find specific or very nice fitting stuff.
If I need an outfit for a special occasion (for me this is one or two outfits at a time, max), I'll go to a specialty store. Sometimes these are online "slow fashion" shops, sometimes they are boutiques or tailors. This obviously costs a ton more, but for one or two outfits, it's worth it.
Lastly, occasionally I will see a stupid, trendy, specific thing I want to wear. I'll usually buy this online from a fast fashion shop. I'm not a saint, and we're talking like <2% of the clothes I buy... Idk, I know it's not the best, but I think my other clothing habits make up for it... and I'm not going to find a cow print crop top or e-boy outfit at the thrift store, ya know?
I'm not sure how I feel about department stores going under since it's such a complicated issue (don't care about losing them but maybe they're dying because they're being replaced with something worse?), but I have not felt like department stores fill a niche for me for more than a decade now. I don't feel a practical issue with their loss, more just a sense of foreboding, lol.