I buy most things online but I do like buying high end/special occasion clothes and jewelry in person. I also just LOVE window shopping and a girls day out shopping. Going to a big department store in the city, having lunch, walking around. As a kid, I loved eating in that old train care in Bloomingdales NYC--that was always a special treat. I think they got rid of it about 10 years ago. I always got the French Roast Beef au jus. Recently, I thought it would be fun/nostalgic to give my sister a Xmas gift in a Gimbels box so I went on ebay--yeah, no thanks--not paying 70 bucks for an old box.

Found this while going yhrough my mom’s belongings. Wonder if I could sell it for $70? When Wanamakers closed, there was an auction at Freemans and my friend bought a doorknob with the Wanamakers logo on it.

Our Macy's is closing too. I'm in the Portland Oregon 'burbs. We'll have no upscale department store in a city of 100,000. It's 20-30 minutes by car to shop Macy's or Nordstrom at a larger mall.

It could be the fall-out from Intel laying off 1300 highly-paid workers in our city.

I'm just feeling nostalgic I guess.

In NYC, Gimbels and Macys were on the same street. As was B. Altmans. Lord and Taylor was a few streets away. So was Bonwit Teller and Arnold Constable and Stern's and Orbach's and Abraham and Strauss. All gone except for the Macys store, which is the one where the Thankgiving parade takes place. Now, they are talking about selling the airspace over the store for residential use.

Yes it is sad but……in my honest opinion, the choices and quality began to decline.

It’s the buyers who select the fashion. Maybe this was no longer a desirable job?

Years back, Macy’s was my go-to especially when. I discovered there was a petite section.

I would head uptown after work and always find something. Lord and Taylor was always good for coats and jackets for me.

Years later, not so much.

The times they are a-changing and not for the better. I loved the old department stores and bought all my clothes and my kids at Gimbels and Wanamakers which are long gone now. We still have our Macys in the mall near my house but it's just a shell of what these stores used to be that sold quality items and clothing.

I think Gimbels was still there when I lived in Manhattan in the late 70s. Bloomingdales was the coolest place back then.

Department stores have been declining for decades now. IIRC, the many departments that used to be in every store were done away with starting in the 80s/90s. Remember when almost every big store had a toy department, ditto garden center and candy counter? I have many fond memories too.

The old ways just won't be coming back any time soon, I think.

Macy's took over when our Dayton's went under. Daytons is where you went for the best animated Christmas display--an entire floor given to that year's theme. It was magical. Now I hear Macy's is leaving too. I don't know what happened in your town but here the George Floyd debacles destroyed downtown and it's not showing sings of recovery.

I also remember enjoying the department stores. For us here in Pasadena, it was Bullock’s, Robinson’s and The Broadway…all long gone (Bullock’s was bought by Macy’s). The memories of my mom taking us to those stores are pretty special. I loved shopping there and eating in their cafes/lunchrooms. Some years later I worked at Robinson’s, along with several of my friends. We all worked in the department that sold ”our” clothes. It was a lot of fun!

Just for laughs, this was a photo Robinson’s took of us in our ”outfits.” Those pants were red/green/white plaid.😖 The sweaters were green and the (saddle) shoes were red/green.😵‍💫 This poster was up in our department so shoppers knew who to ask for help. Really??? LOL, looking at it all these years later makes me wonder how our outfits could possibly have appealed to shoppers…or anyone!🥴

Carol, I think you’re right…not any time soon.😕

Annegriet, did you ever ride the monorail around the Wanamaker’s department store. Great memory.

We still have Macy’s at the mall, but with a few exceptions, the clothes they sell are poor quality. They are good for some things, though.

Here in Chicagoland it was Marshall Field and Company. Then they were bought by Dayton Hudson and Target, then all their stores became Macy’s. Macy’s seemed to treat them like the black sheep younger half-brother, stores were a mess, products in disarray. Before that my Macy’s concept was from Miracle on 34th Street, but once they were here, I had no respect at all.

I miss Lord and Taylor, they had a good Petites department.

" but here the George Floyd debacles destroyed downtown "

Lagging economic growth trailing national averages and shrinking downtowns have been a feature throughout much of the Midwest and its larger cities for decades.

Look for another excuse. Try to stick to facts.

To be honest, it's really become an online shopping world. DH needed a new suit that didn't need to be top-flight, and we went to Macys. Mistake. Digging through to find your size. The conditions in the try-on rooms was unspeakable. Clothes thrown all over the place. Remember how people used to hang up the things they didn't want? Trying to find an open cashier? Heaven forfend that you need help from an employee. Even the better stores, like Brooks Brothers, aren't what they were. They were bought out by the Vuitton conglomerate, and it shows.

We've figured out that it is more civilized to just order and pick up in the store, or get it delivered for free. You try it on in your own clean home, and return what you don't want. I hate myself for that, but I have learned my lesson. Shopping used to be a relaxing and fun experience, but now--NOT.

We are losing our local Macy's as well. And several nearby ones have already departed, including one at one of the first shopping centers in the country, recently demolished almost entirely to accommodate the new headquarters and practice facility for the Seattle Kraken National Hockey League franchise and a light rail station.

I liked Macy's. They had decent clothes, a reasonable array of other goods (and services) and fantastic sales. I even worked there one Christmas season a couple of decades ago. 😉

The other department store I really miss is Frederick and Nelson's, part of the Marshall Field's empire. It was several layers upscale from Macy's (formerly the Bon Marche here). This was the store that went all out for Christmas, had a fine dining restaurant and a tea room and sold just about anything you could want or need. Sadly, they went out of business in 1992 and it is now the home of Nordstrom's flagship store.

I'm another fan of Macy's of old. They had two or three midpriced brands like Jones New York that I could trust to be the same size between items and good quality. I bought all my business suits there.

I still like Talbots, but I have to try everything on because the sizes are never consistent between garments.

Since I retired, I don't buy many clothes, but what I do buy is usually from an online source.

I was dismayed when I read about Macy's closing in Center City. The old Wanamaker building held many special memories for me. I was 23 when I moved to Philadelphia and that's where I bought my bedroom furniture for our first apartment. Everything else was hand me downs from our families but we splurged on new for the bedroom. It was solid cherry and well made - we still have it in the guest room.

It was always a little treat to have lunch in the Crystal Tea Room when I was in town for department meetings or on shopping trips.

Dedtired mentioned the old wooden escalators. My parents came for a visit and my Mother and I went to Wanamakers to shop for a wedding gift for my brother. We rode the elevator up to the china department but when we left we walked to the escalator. For some reason my Mom turned the corner to get on the escalator and froze - she couldn't get on. I'm sure ded remembers - those dark escalators were narrow, long and steep. I had to go around and back up the escalator to get my Mom and then take her to the elevator.

The kids always enjoyed the holiday decorations and the Light show with the voice of John Facenda narrating. One Christmas my son's high school choir sang in the Grand Court and I managed to get a seat in the Tea Room at the railing where I could watch.

I mentioned to DD today that it was closing and she suggested we make one last visit and

"Meet at the Eagle. "

When I went to NYC for the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, DH took me on his ”Elf” tour. All the sights in ”Elf”. and one of our stops was Macy’s. We went up all the escalators, which got narrower and older as we went up. That was kinda cool.

So much is online now, our malls are all dying, being repurposed. Our really nice mall, the one with Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus, marble floors, beautiful, had turned into the place to go walk your dogs in inclement weather. Not everyone was a responsible about cleaning up aftr their pets. And smash-and-grabs indoors, and parking lot robberies.

Anyway, I don’t like to shop for clothes in the first place, sizing and fit are hard, but at least I used to know where to go. Online seems like such a waste of time for me because I need to feel the fabric, and the construction, before I try it on, to know if it will even work on me. Talbots is still my best bet. If I’m going to shop online, I admit I like the big river because there will be returns, and returns are so easy with them.

Nicole

In our town shoplifting is a problem. To the point that stores can't make a profit. In the South part of town, they lock up batteries, shampoo, Tide laundry detergent....it's ALL in cages, in small quantities that employees have to unlock. In the North part of town, everything's new. Shoppers have turned vigilante and will take down a shop lifter or begger. The locals put up large boulders in a street median where one guy was begging, he was a "fake" veteran, real veterans asked him to leave and never come back....yeah....they threatened him. A lot of stores are hiring day-time security guards.

A Scheels store opened up about 5 years ago. It's packed! Lots of store security. Lots of employees. It's a HUGE store, making HUGE profits! No shortage of shoppers.

Also one of my favorite rants. DD1's Target has everything locked up, and trying to find someone to unlock the shelves takes forever. There are very few employees. So she has found it easier to order online for store pickup. Sure, she has to buy the shopping bag that they put her items into, but it's a small price to pay for being able to just go to the pickup counter and be out of there in much less time.

And don't get me started on Walgreens and CVS having two prices--one if you buy online and another, more expensive one, if you buy in person. I cannot understand why that is, if they have to find my items and process the order, as opposed to my doing all the work when I come into the store. An imponderable.

I too am annoyed about Target and CVS locking up everything. I had to ask to get toothpaste unlocked for Pete's sake. That's why it's easier just to dump everything in an amazon cart. It's all becoming to isolating and impersonable. Not sure what the answers might be. I have one friend who is only shopping thrift/vintage now because it's better for the environment. That works for somethings.

Faftris, I think it’s because they are competing with other online stores so they price accordingly.

DH also needed a suit. We happen to be in Florida and went to Dillards. Wonderful sales help.Highly recommend.

Whenever DH bought from Brooks Bros when it was time to actually wear the pants and shirt they were too big, Seemed to look okay innth3 store with the sakesman buzzing around.

Chloebud, what a fabulous picture! Which one is you?

ChloebudChloe I’d, yes Id love to know which one is you.

Maire, yes those escalators were frightening. My friend’s mother’s coat was sucked into the top of it! Cant remember the outcome .

At least the organ and the eagle are protected by the historical commission, for whatever thats worth.

eld and ded, I’m chin-in-hands on the left. Still laughing at the thought of those outfits!

I keep thinking the heading of this thread says ”gimlets”. LOL

🍸

I need to check the attic if these old Wanamakers and Gimbels boxes are selling now. I'm sure I'll find some since they were my go-to stores back in the day.

Chloebud, you are adorable. You look like you walked off the pages of Teen magazine. What a great picture.

We enjoyed the first two seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel -- especially her parents! At one point the star workes as a store telephone operator, graciously saying over and over, "B Altman, how may I direct your call?"

I'm a lifelong Chicagoan (suburbs). Early memories inlude shopping at Field's with my DM and waiting for their big green truck to deliver our purchases. I believe there were seven different restaurants at the downtown store (home to Frango mints). For many little girls, Christmas always meant lunch beneath the towering tree in the Walnut Room and The Nutcracker matinee.

These emporiums began to fail when a widening class of working women no longer shopped for entertainment -- and as malls drew shoppers away from downtowns. Watch The Paradise and Mr Selfridge. You'll see how clever men created 'palaces' where women could 'see and be seen' -- and of course 'keep up', requiring the latest fashions.

" These emporiums began to fail when a widening class of working women no longer shopped for entertainment "

chisue, there have long been very many women (and men) who never shopped for entertainment, irrespective of their employment status.

Thanks, dedtired! The six of us had a lot of fun working together. Sweet memories!

Oh no! We always went to Wanamaker's at Christmastime and any other times we went, we loved going to the Chrystal Tea Room which was so lovely with tablecloths, beautiful chandeliers, incredibly high ceilings...just marvelous. Then, the eagle in the grand court and the light and organ shows, especially at Christmas. I hope someone saves the building. ETA: The Christmas windows were incredible. Jeepers, I am old.

I think, besides the declining popularity of department stores and malls over the decades, the era of leveraged buyouts/hostile takeovers (early 80s into the 90s) had a deleterious effect on those companies - perhaps even contributing to their declining popularity through the cost cutting measures put in place to boost profits. Service and quality of merchandise were definitely sacrificed.

The large department stores are unfortunately a thing of the past. I pity the younger generations who did not know the joy of shopping in these grand stores. Sad.

The first Macy’s here (Tampa) started as Maas Brothers. The one that is closing is in WestShore Plaza (the first area air conditioned ’Mall’). The Mall is closing soon, the property to be redevloped to include housing options.

Maas Brothers then became part of the Federated stores network and became Burdines. Then Macy’s.

A list ( AI generated) of Federated stores. Some of the dates don’t look correct to me.

Federated Department Stores, Inc. (now known as Macy's, Inc.) owned many department store chains, including:

• Bloomingdale's: Acquired in 1930
• Macy's: Acquired in 1994
• The Bon Marché: Merged into Macy's in 2005
• Burdines: Merged into Macy's in 2005
• Abraham & Straus: Merged into Macy's in 1995
• Bamberger's: Merged into Macy's in 1986
• Bullock's: Merged into Macy's in 1996
• Carter Hawley Hale Stores: Merged into Macy's West in 1996
• Davison's: Merged into Macy's in 1986
• Famous-Barr: Merged into Macy's in 2006
• Filene's: Merged into Macy's in 2006
• Foley's: Merged into Macy's in 2006
• The Jones Store: Merged into Macy's in 2006
• Jordan Marsh: Merged into Macy's in 1996
• Kaufmann's: Merged into Macy's in 2006

Elmer -- Sure, but the number of shoppers did drop when more women went to work -- ironically enabling families to spend more on bigger houses, second cars, household help, nannies... and business attire! This was also the end of the door-to-door traveling salesman.

Sure back at ya, chisue. My comment was triggered by the thought that it can't have only been that the patronage of people with time to kill was what supported departments stores.

As the above post suggests, Macy's seems to have thought that the business failures of others presented it with an opportunity for consolidation and that doesn't seem to have worked.

Over the years retail markets and buying patterns changed, mega discount operations like Walmart, Costco, etc., offered clothing at lower prices, online buying took off, and these and other reasons are what contributed to the failure of so many department store chains.

If there were demand today by consumers to shop at department stores, those still in existence would be doing better and new ones would open up (rather than existing ones closing).

I also think that back in the day, each department store seemed to carry different clothes. Then, after some of the consolidation, I guess, there was nothing unique from one to another. We would find different things at Best & Co. from Wanamaker's from Strawbridge and Clothier, from from Gimbel's, from the small independent shops. I miss that. Now, everything looks the same and very little of it appeals to me or has the quality of the old places.

I worked in Maas Bros.stores in the late 80s/early 90s - we had 2 in our town - a huge legacy standalone store downtown that took up an entire city block, and a smaller one in a shopping mall across town, which is now a Macy's. Before that it was a Burdines for a minute. There were at least 4 Maas Bros.scattered around the county.They were owned by Federated back then - Macy's was acquired by Federated as well, and they started consolidating all the various stores under the Macy's name.

The downtown store closed long ago, but the Macy's at the mall is still operating.

I was not a Maas Bros. employee tho, I worked in a leased department.

The downtown store was splendid - in Art Deco style - they even had a bargain basement. They had a seasonal holiday wonderland walkthrough with animated figures my sisters and I delighted in.

The building's still there, thankfully.

Cyn, ever shop at Ladybug?

Carol, love that building, so tropical looking.

Elmer brought up the flight to cheaper options (Walmart for one). That made me think about recent stories about fabric.

Today much of what we wear is cheaply made abroad from petroleum products -- and so cheap to buy that we don't think twice about tossing a garment and replacing it. Items of clothing that used to be mended or re-styled aren't deemed worth the trouble today.

Who can make money selling more expensive, quality-fabric clothes in a disposable society?

I'm struck by the newish ads from E-bay and Etsy that stress the individuality of what they sell. Ah, but fabric/sewing stores are closing. Are crafts stores thriving? Should I dread more landfill 'creations' without an improvement in clothing?

We went to Gaylord’s? in downtown Mobile, AL. My mother, grandmother, my brother and I. They turned us loose to go where ever we wanted and show up at Kress’s for lunch at 11.

This was in the early 60’s.

Short blocks with lights at every corner.

Our Macy's is closing at the local mall and a church is going in there. In Virginia, we miss Miller and rhoades and Thalheimers department stores.

I miss trying on clothes, but no one has any good clothes. They are all trash.

I would pay $100 for nice, but $0 for the garbage in the stores or online now.

I shop at thrift and Ebay.

chisue, I think your comments are spot on with perhaps one major omission:

The retail business reacts to what customers want. It's customers who drive the bus and pick the destination.

When people started shopping for low prices instead of good quality, retailers responded. That's a big part of why things are where they are today.

Your and my recollections of clothes being mended are snapshots of a different time, a different world. Habits and practices change - some for the better, some for the worse. Change itself isn't a bad thing and I think that's something to keep in mind when comparing today's world to yesterday's.

Yes, many things are different now. That's what happens and always has.

Okay Elmer, we KNOW you think you are better and smarter than the average bear, but exactly where do you buy clothes now? No platitudes, just a firm name.

And I never went for cheap, just what I liked.

Ded, of course! Also, the shop near Haverford Station (GVS? or something) . and the one on Lancaster Pike close by toward Bryn Mawr. We all wore those clothes except when we wore our uniforms at school. I wish they still existed.

I am anything but a slave to fashion, but I am everyday neat. I wear clothes as opposed to "outfits". Jeans and tops, for the most part. I used to love Uniqlo. They had the best cotton tees. They had the most wonderful jeans that suited me perfectly. I even bought additional pairs to "put away". Not expensive designer, but well-made. The problem with the company is that they have done away with the quality to keep the prices down. They are also into unisex styles, which never fit correctly. Who are they kidding? I still have the jeans, but I am going to look into LLBean for tees.

" we KNOW you think you are better and smarter than the average bear "

I am sometimes, sometimes not.....I suspect you and everyone else are too sometimes.

I retired at an earlier age than most and have been retired now for some years. Even before I retired but all the more so now, my preference leans toward clothes on the casual side. I'm not a stylish or high fashion type but I do like clothes to be clean and neat. No special sources, all the usual ones I suspect most people use.

I get as much as I can from Amazon. I know my size but for individual item variations that are inevitable, I know products and manufacturers I like, and I can look at a small photo and confidently picture what the full size real thing will look like. Back when I had to wear suits for work, I had them and dress shirts custom made and had no problem selecting full garments from fabric samples that were often as small as 5"x5", though sometimes slightly larger.

When I need other than walking or exercise shoes that Amazon has a good selection of, I'll go to the Ecco store that's in the area. There's a Nordstroms there too should something be needed on short order but that's been rare.

For other items, oftentimes I can find stuff online on Nordstroms, LandsEnd, LL Bean sites and the like. I rarely purchase from other sources.

Being the ever truthful person, I will disclose that in the last 6 months I was twice in a for real mens clothing store. Once to select and be fitted for a tux for a wedding, a second time to pick it up and try it on to check the fit because some of the usual tailoring needed to be done to make it fit. No third time, my wife returned it for me.