What is your favorite Department Store?

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support AutomaticWasher.org:

M

mtn1584

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2009
Messages
935
Location
USA
OK, so now I wanna know where you buy your clothes, and home goods, and why.
I buy the majority of my dress clothes, shirts, ties, at Macy's on sale of course, and I LOVE Kohl's for my home textiles, small appliances and such.
MIKE
 
My favorite dept. store, Prange's, was bought out by Younkers.  Their Trim-the-Home dept. at Christmas was like a fairyland.  They had very unique decor items that couldn't be found anywhere else in the area.  Their mens dept was top-notch also, you could always find something, even if you weren't looking for anything (make sense?).
 
I thought most major department stores were Macy's now except for Bloomie's so what difference does it make? The selection is the same and the service shitty no matter where you go. The clerks in the Sears at Montgomery mall don't even have to be able to speak Engrish. You ask or ax for something and they lead you over to it without a word spoken.

One of John's former employees called our Costco "Beltsville's department store" because it was the only place here you could buy a shirt, except for the thrift store. We's po' but proud.
 
My favorites now reside only in my memory

The real vintage old downtown ones with rickety escalators, elevator operators, those soft bells chiming every so often and the cosmetics sales ladies who looked like Dame Edna. LOL

I've barely set foot in a dept store anymore. Sears seems over-priced to me. It's the only game left in town here if you don't count Super Walmart and Zellers. Across the bridge in Pt Huron is equally as boring, another Sears, another Super Walmart and just as boring to me a Younkers and Macys, they all look the same with a different name to my eyes.
 
Does Goodwill count as a department store?

I wonder because I buy pretty much everything from housewares to clothes (except socks and underwear!) in thrift shops. I probably shop Goodwill the most--convenient, and large stores--although in many ways I prefer small, one location only, local thrift shops. I also like charity rummage sales--I seldom buy clothes or linens at one (although I have), but I've gotten good deals on kitchen and other housewares.

I am trying to recall the last time I went shopping in a regular department store. Early part of this decade is the best I can think. And I only went then because I needed a tool that Sears had that was not available in any store I regularly shopped. I'm pretty sure the last time I bought new clothing in a department store was probably Spring, 1998. (Emergency situation--needed it NOW!)
 
most major department stores were Macy's

That does appear to be the truth these days. And I don't think I like it. There used to be The Bon Marché here. It was a local company with history. It ended up owned by Macy's owners. Then the name changed to Macy's because Macy's had better marketing value, I suppose. By that point, it probably didn't matter--The Bon Marché's only difference vs. other department stores in the chain was probably name. Still, I mourned the day the name died--the name had history. Macy's is New York. The Bon Marché is Seattle.
 
I was aggravated when Macy's took over Foley's here in Houston. They just cheapened the merchandise and raised the prices.

I was REALLY mad when Macy's took over Marshall Field's in Chicago. I refused to ever step foot in a Macy's again, and I haven't!

Recently, we have been shopping Dillard's and after a bunch of years, JC Penny.
 
Yup the old downtown Seattle Bon Marche was a great store, I'd always head up to the piano and organ dept, my favorite part. The Fredrick and Nelsons store's gone now as well I hear.
 
Yes, Frederick & Nelson is gone, too. A long time ago--1992 according to Wikipedia. Although, I think the Frederick & Nelson location I was familiar with was closed before then.

I don't remember them that well--for whatever reason, I don't recall my family shopping there. I can remember shopping there only one time. I was shopping for myself, taking advantage of a huge sale. That sale might well have been the "closing this location" sale. I thought I did well--but who knows? My frame of reference then involved other mall stores. We generally didn't buy clothes at Target, Fred Meyer, or even Sears. (I think my mother felt cheaper clothes weren't as good, didn't last as long, whatever. She may have been right--that was still an era when quality wasn't what it had been. But at least it was before this era when most stuff seems to be either Cheap Junk and Expensive Junk.) And we absolutely never bought from thrift stores. (Funny how it's now the polar opposite for me!)

One of Frederick & Nelson's legacies still lives on, I believe--Frango candies.
 
Not really my favourite, but it's the best we have now-

I don't love it, the way I loved the Akron based M. Oneil Company, one of the wonderful stores where you could spend the day......

Best we (I) have now is probably Amazon.com .

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
I don't shop much in department stores anymore. Clothes come from a variety of places - Brooks Brothers, Jos. A. Bank, LL Bean, As I get older, I need fewer clothes and I am much less interested in the latest fashion. I have a basic style I like and I feel comfortable with so stores like Bloomingdales, Saks and other trendy places have no interest for me. Guess I am just in a demographic that retailers no longer care about. '

Once in a great while I will go to Nordstrom but the nearest one is 45 miles away and I don't need anything that much. I do not go into Macy's. Their stores here are poorly stocked, badly maintained with merchandise i can find anywhere else. They took away my beloved Abraham & Straus, Filene's (when they were owned by the original Federated Dept. Stores, before the Campeau bankruptcy debacle and before they were sold to May Company - but that is another rant) and Marshall Field's so they get the big X.
I am starting to appreciate Kohl's for their reasonably priced active wear and their housewares.

But I am a sucker for the real old line gracious department stores of my youth that really defined and exemplified the culture of their local areas:

- Abraham & Straus was known as "the store born and raised in Brooklyn"
- Gertz claimed that "you're the main attraction at Gertz"
- Filene's always said "we have exactly what you want" (I always liked that one - very crisp New England message)
- The Broadway "was Southern California"
- I. Magnin was "Magninique" or "America's Specialty Store"
- Goldwater's was "the spirit of the Southwest"
- Goldsmith's was "a Mid-South tradition since 1870"
- Rich's was "more than a store - it was Rich's"
- Sanger-Harris was "a special place for special people"
- Foley's was "at the heart of Texas"
- Hahne's was "a New Jersey tradition for 125 years"
- Shillito-Rike's was "so right for you"
- Lord & Taylor was "the spirit of American style"
- B. Altman's had no specific slogan. They didn't need one - they were Altman's
- G. Fox & Co. was "Connecticut's own..."
- Burdine's was "the Florida store"
- Jordan Marsh was a "New England tradition since 1851"
- LS Ayres was where you went to get "that Ayres look"
- the Denver was "where Colorado shops with confidence"

I am sure there are many more, but I visited many of these stores when I traveled for business for a long time and they indeed did reflect the personalities of their geographic areas. Corporate greed took care of that.
 
Allen, I too was upset when Macy's bought Marshall Fields in downtown Chicago. It really hadn't been owned by Fields though long before their take over. I have to give Macy's credit though. They have kept many of the Field's traditions, like the Christmas tree in the Walnut Room and of course the Christmas windows. I always look forward to going back to that store whenever I'm in Chicago. Even though it says Macy's out front it will always be Marshall Fields to me. Down here I seem to do most of my shopping at either Dillard's, Bealls, or JC Penny. Beall's really do have some great sales.
 
Macy's is NOT what it used to be........................

Macy's WAS the greatest and BEST store to shop in at one time. I still shop there, and have even worked there, but the only thing left about Macy's is the name. I know alot of people were angry when their regional "May" Dept. Stores were changed to the Macy's banner. Macy's is the "Wal-Mart" of mid-range dept. stores. They virtually have no similar competition except for Dillard's or Boscov's in certain parts of the country. The merchandise is still good quality, but the stores are hot, dirty, and messy. One Day SALE prices can't be beat, but Macy's had a One Day Sale like every six weeks, now they have them two or three times a month. Alot has changed, Macy's never gave plastic "garbage" bags out, they always used paper bags, then placed them in shopping bags. The only thing left about MACY's is the name.
MIKE
 
Nordstrom

I do most of my shopping for clothes and shoes at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. You cannot beat Nordstrom when it comes to customer service. Macy's is a big disappointment here in Florida. It was
much better when it was still Burdines.
 
Department stores. Hmm...

I love Sears because they have a fantastic vacuum section.

But I could care less for their clothes selection.

JC Penny's or Yonkers type stores the most for clothes.

I once went into Nordstroms in Phoenix Arizona. I was entertained for almost 2 hours by some little jazz combo group playing in the middle of the store. The pianist was absolutely phenomenal!
 
Worlds Oldest department store? In Australia?

I dunno but the Hudson's Bay Co here in Canada was founded in 1670 (341 years).. that makes it the worlds oldest continually operating trading post/ store / business of any type in the world operating under the same name. I should know because I was there on opening day, they had free Buffalo Burgers, games like Pin the Tail on the Beaver , grizzly bear rides and Shoot a Moose for all us kids.

http://www.hbc.com/en/index.html
 
Actually, the Hudson bay does rightly claim oldest operating 'store', but David Jones is the 'oldest department store still trading under it's original name'. The Hudson bay was not opened as a department store. David Jones was. Further more, the Hudson bay didn't become a department store until after 1838 or David Jones could not legally make the claim... And you can he guaranteed that there would have been legal action from somewhere on the globe if it wasn't fact.
 
Waltons

Mine is from the past and no longer around it was Waltons, they were great they had clothing, shoes, toys, homewares and best of all heaps and heaps of appliances, and working from memory here,they were one of if not the first dept. store to offer layby.
I remember when I first started working I put a Sunbeam frypan and a General Electric vacuum cleaner on layby for my mother's birthday which was 2-3 months later.
Unfortunately they sold out to Bond corporation who basically screwed them into the ground.
I was also a big fan of the old Woolworths and Coles variety stores which were very big for a long time.
One of my favourite pasttimes was on Saturday morning, Mum would take me into the local shopping centre and we would have lunch at the Coles cafeteria which was upstairs.
Oh how I yearn for my younger years to come back sometimes.
 
Terry, the one time I saw the tree in Marshall Field's I viewed the tree from an upper floor and it was a real tree then, before fire regulations made them switch to an artificial one. It was a brief glimpse. My mother was not interested in it so I was not allowed to linger as she held my hand. Children were not allowed to run around stores in those days.
 
Hi Tom, I know just want you are talking about. Even today you can go up to the 8th floor and look down on the tree. It is a good memory from my childhood. When I lived back in Illinois there were a group of us that went to Chicago every November on a Saturday for the lighting of the tree. They still do it today.
 
Terry, do you find Christmas in Florida sort of difficult? I was usually there in October or November to escape the dreary, rainy chill that made coping with the anniversary of my brother's death more difficult. Watching people in stores putting out Christmas decorations made me think they had a horrible job when it was so hot and sunny outside. There was a home in the Bradenton area that wrapped the trunks of two palms in blue lights and that looked nice at night, but we drove past it with the AC on in the car so it was weird seeing holidy lighting when it was so warm outside.
 
I'm not brand or store loyal

To anything. I will grudgingly drag myself to Macy's on occasion, but never without a coupon, and most stuff I buy there ends up getting returned after I have time to think about it. Most purchases are made from various retailers and discounters according to their various strengths.

I must say however that I've been happy with JCP lately. The mens suits have been weak the past couple years, but they keep sending me coupons so I go to get casual wear, basics, and holiday gifts. I hate ties, so my mantra is to never pay $15 for one. The last $10 "bonus cash" coupon I got was used for a tie. I also like that you can order online, have it delivered to the store, pay not shipping, and return it on the spot if you don't like it. That's convenient, and smart because I think its the future of brick and mortar retailing.

As has been discussed many times on this blog, pretty much everything is crap unless you go high-end or vintage, so if its all crap anyway, you might as well pay the least amount you can. JCP stuff is slightly better quality crap at a fair price, if that makes any sense, especially compared to Macy's, which is overpriced crap.
 
I get most of my clothes from Costco. The selection is limited and if something new pops up that you like, it's best to get multiples because you may never see it again there. The quality is generally good to excellent, with just about the best prices.

I admit I'm not too fond of department stores, and I can't remember when I bought clothing at one. Maybe 20 years ago at Mervyn's, which is now bankrupt and gone.
 
Tom, I really have to agree with you! The holiday season just isn't the same down here. However I must admit that putting up some outdoor decorations is a lot nicer when your fingers aren't numb.LOL What helps me is I usually fly to Chicago on Christmas day where I meet up with friends and spend a few nights in the city. This has become a tradition and it is always fun. Then it is usually on to Omaha for New Years with Greg and others so that really helps.
 
I had forgotten about Nordstrom. I bought my last two suits there and a pair of ungodly expensive shoes there. The service was most excellent. The salesperson was one of the most sincerest of the type I have ever met. And the Houston location had a pianist in the middle of the store. Must be a Nordstrom thing....

I have bought a few items at Kohl's. Some of the clothes fit ok, some fit weirdly.
It' like some shirts are too big in the middle and too small at the shoulders. What I find fascinating is that the interiors of the Kohl's here are replicas of the former Mervyns stors. Right down to the floor tile and carpeting. It's weird.

Mervyn's did well in Houston, until they changed it to a Mervyn's California store.
Then it was no better than a Kmart. I bought a lot of clothing there before the change over.

Years ago I received a nice shirt from my sister for Christmas. When I washed it the sleeves came off! No rips or tears, they just kind of disconnected from the body of the shirt. I asked her where she bought it. Zayre!

Now Karen is after me to clear my closet out. I don't wear nearly as many clothes in retirement as I did when I was working. It's a chore I am not looking forward to. I have clothes in there that I haven't worn in maybe 7 years.
 
For the last 10+ years I've bought most of my clothing, linens and such at either Kohl's or JCPenney. I especially like the Croft & Barrow polo shirts at Kohl's, and the St. Johns Bay shirts from Penney's. Once in a while I'll get an item of clothing or shoes at Sears, but usually shop there only for tools, appliances and such.
 

Similar threads

A
Hello from Brad
Replies
5
Views
796
nashmaytagbear
nashmaytagbear
N
Whirlpool Direct Drive WTW5700SW0 -- Bearing Kit Replacement 285203
Replies
0
Views
567
npolite
N
M
New Cascade commercial and Cascade Platinum Plus massively oversudsing dishwasher
2
Replies
34
Views
3K
simpsonencore
simpsonencore
H
Speed Queen TV2000wn - early review / permanent lid switch fix
Replies
5
Views
1K
appledude1
A
W
The washing machine that doesn’t want to quit, aka Frigidaire FWX833AS1
Replies
2
Views
690
ryner1988
ryner1988

Latest posts

Back
Top