Today is it for the Marshall Field's name, tomorrow the flagship store becomes "Macy's on State Street". That just doesn't sound right.
At least they're keeping the Frango mints.
And in an early Macy's blunder, their store map mislabeled street names surrounding the store. I'm sure that won't endear them to locals.
Ever heard of Wabash "Street", Washington "Avenue", or Randolph "Avenue"? Neither have I. But...that's how Macy's has labeled the store's surrounding streets on its newly installed store information maps...
I sent an email to my brother last night, telling him this was the last day for Fields, and telling him about the signage blunder. My brother, who is a pretty reserved, high-powered attorney in California, with strong passionate roots in Chicago responded---
BURN IN HE** MACYS!
"I finally know what Michael Jordan was talking about when he said he was 'in the zone'"
Jimmy Buffett, 9/4/05, Wrigley Field
chippewa wrote:Today is it for the Marshall Field's name, tomorrow the flagship store becomes "Macy's on State Street". That just doesn't sound right.
At least they're keeping the Frango mints.
And in an early Macy's blunder, their store map mislabeled street names surrounding the store. I'm sure that won't endear them to locals.
Ever heard of Wabash "Street", Washington "Avenue", or Randolph "Avenue"? Neither have I. But...that's how Macy's has labeled the store's surrounding streets on its newly installed store information maps...
I hate to say this (because I hated it when they changed the Dayton's name in MSP to Marshall Field because "it has better name recognition"), but I am hoping that this plan by Macy's to just turn all their regional chains into "Macy's" is just a massive money pit that sucks them in and crushes them like bugs on a windshield. Names like Marshall Field, Hecht's, Lazarus, etc. could have been kept around, as hyphenates, or something. Maybe then, the regional chains can get spun off and retain the old names.
Also, it may be me, but ever since Macy's started rebranding the local stores, the quality seems to have dropped from main-line dept. store to about Kohl's level. (which is not to say Kohl's is bad, but you don't have the same glitter).
There is a movement in Chicago to return their Field's cards and shop elsewhere. I hope it sends the right message.
And of course they are keeping the Frango Mints--now they can take them and sell them in every one of their stores nationwide, making lots more money from them, and eliminating the uniqueness of this Chicago favorite!
It is very sad to see everything that was Marshall Field's green now becoming Macys red!
YUCK!
"I finally know what Michael Jordan was talking about when he said he was 'in the zone'"
Jimmy Buffett, 9/4/05, Wrigley Field
I don't shop much - so I don't really feel the sadness some do. I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, so I remember Marshall Field's. In the Denver metro area, we're losing the Foley's name..
ejr wrote:I sent an email to my brother last night, telling him this was the last day for Fields, and telling him about the signage blunder. My brother, who is a pretty reserved, high-powered attorney in California, with strong passionate roots in Chicago responded---
BURN IN HE** MACYS!
Your brother and I think alike.
Sadly all we have around here now are Macy's.....Dillards actually built their first west coast store here and it was very high end when it first opened, but now they've dumbed down almost to the Macy's level simply because they don't need to be high end to compete. So yet again, folks travel to the Bay Area or Sacto to Nordstroms and we lose all that sales tax.
I'll miss that Fields on State Street....many memories from that place.
AdamBomb8 wrote:We most of our Kaufmanns locations to Macys in the Pittsburgh area. Two of the former Kaufmanns became Boscovs.
Up at Polaris, they had a Macy's and a Kaufmann's.. and in City Center before the original Lazarus was closed, they had a Kaufmann's just across the street. Since Macy's does not believe (tho validly) there should be two of their outlets in the same mall, this consolidation is going to leave a lot of gaps in malls (of course, there was also a Marshall Field here back when it was owned by Dayton's/TargetCorp.)
The last thing I picked up in the Marshall Field on State was a Habitat for Humanity house for my folks' Christmas Village collection. With it, and Carson, Pirie, Scott closing, that whole stretch of State is going to be depressing. (Need to get to Chicago for pictures of the CPS doors before they tear the place down now)
RinglingRingling wrote:The last thing I picked up in the Marshall Field on State was a Habitat for Humanity house for my folks' Christmas Village collection. With it, and Carson, Pirie, Scott closing, that whole stretch of State is going to be depressing. (Need to get to Chicago for pictures of the CPS doors before they tear the place down now)
Tear it down???
I can't imagine they'd do that! That's a Chicago historical landmark...the lobby designed by Louis Sullivan...one of the cornerstones of the architectural renisance after the Chicago Fire in 1871.
"Reading departure signs in some big airport reminds me of the places I've been"
RinglingRingling wrote:The last thing I picked up in the Marshall Field on State was a Habitat for Humanity house for my folks' Christmas Village collection. With it, and Carson, Pirie, Scott closing, that whole stretch of State is going to be depressing. (Need to get to Chicago for pictures of the CPS doors before they tear the place down now)
Tear it down???
I can't imagine they'd do that! That's a Chicago historical landmark...the lobby designed by Louis Sullivan...one of the cornerstones of the architectural renisance after the Chicago Fire in 1871.
I am hoping they don't... and while I realize it is a landmark, it depends on what da Mare has in his plans for that area. Remember, Meigs was supposedly safe from destruction until he showed in the dark of night and wiped it off the map...
While I was out running yesterday I saw all the delivered papers wrapped in Macy's ad sleeves (the Lazarus takeover here in Indy)...and thought I can't imagine myself ever going into a Macy's as a first or primary stop. Whereas Field's had many times been my chosen destination. Yeah, it had lost something through the Target era, but this is truly the final nail.
It's interesting to see a supposed high-end retailer, in an era of emotional brand equity marketing, sacrifice long term brands and loyalty to institute the big-box retailer strategy of economies-of-scale and operational efficiency. Can you say "crash and burn"? It won't work.
And just tearing up the Field's cards won't do it...they need to send back the Macy's ones when they get those in the mail....
"Reading departure signs in some big airport reminds me of the places I've been"
Quiet and Shy wrote:Marshall Field's...what a loss....
While I was out running yesterday I saw all the delivered papers wrapped in Macy's ad sleeves (the Lazarus takeover here in Indy)...and thought I can't imagine myself ever going into a Macy's as a first or primary stop. Whereas Field's had many times been my chosen destination. Yeah, it had lost something through the Target era, but this is truly the final nail.
It's interesting to see a supposed high-end retailer, in an era of emotional brand equity marketing, sacrifice long term brands and loyalty to institute the big-box retailer strategy of economies-of-scale and operational efficiency. Can you say "crash and burn"? It won't work.
And just tearing up the Field's cards won't do it...they need to send back the Macy's ones when they get those in the mail....
Dayton's was still high-end in MSP, tho some of the outlying mall locations in Fargo and the like weren't exactly like the Nicollet store.. And after I get rid of my last Lazarus gift card (gained when I threatened to go across the street to Marshall Field because they knew how to take care of customers) (and assuming Macy's still takes one)... screw them. Nothing I need in Macy's that I can't find cheaper online or if I want to make the run to Easton.
Quiet and Shy wrote:Marshall Field's...what a loss....
While I was out running yesterday I saw all the delivered papers wrapped in Macy's ad sleeves (the Lazarus takeover here in Indy)...and thought I can't imagine myself ever going into a Macy's as a first or primary stop. Whereas Field's had many times been my chosen destination. Yeah, it had lost something through the Target era, but this is truly the final nail.
It's interesting to see a supposed high-end retailer, in an era of emotional brand equity marketing, sacrifice long term brands and loyalty to institute the big-box retailer strategy of economies-of-scale and operational efficiency. Can you say "crash and burn"? It won't work.
And just tearing up the Field's cards won't do it...they need to send back the Macy's ones when they get those in the mail....
Dayton's was still high-end in MSP, tho some of the outlying mall locations in Fargo and the like weren't exactly like the Nicollet store.. And after I get rid of my last Lazarus gift card (gained when I threatened to go across the street to Marshall Field because they knew how to take care of customers) (and assuming Macy's still takes one)... screw them. Nothing I need in Macy's that I can't find cheaper online or if I want to make the run to Easton.
That's pretty much the ticket...if there were no competition their strategy would work.... There's a future Harvard Business Case Study here..."Destroying Brands". (Started by Dayton/Hudson, Target and finished off by Macy's.) Which flavor of vanilla do you like best?
"Reading departure signs in some big airport reminds me of the places I've been"
That just doesn't sound right. 
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