The biggest department stores in the mid-1960s were Macy's, Hudson's, and Marshall Field. Hudson's had 25 floors; two of its four below-ground floors were basement stores, where 60 departments did up to 25% of the store's business. At its peak in mid-century, Hudson's employed over 12,000 employees and welcomed 100,000 shoppers a day. Hudson’s even had its own telephone exchange (Capitol), and the nation's third largest switchboard, with only by the Pentagon and the Bell System larger. Across all major cities, the downtown department stores were enormous, with elevators and escalators. In Chicago, the Marshall Field's flagship store occupied an entire city block and featured a 13-story sky lit atrium. Many other cities had their own iconic stores: Dayton’s in Minneapolis, Wanamaker’s in Philadelphia, Kaufmann’s in Pittsburgh, Bamberger’s in Newark, The Bon Marche in Seattle, Bullock’s in Los Angeles, The Emporium in San Francisco, Famous-Barr in St. Louis, Filene’s in Boston, Foley’s in Houston, Goldwater’s in Phoenix, L.S. Ayres in Indianapolis, Lazarus in Columbus, Meier and Frank in Portland, Oregon. Eventually many of these stores came under the Macy’s Corporation. The department store as we know it today, is a large retail establishment that sells a wide variety of personal and household products, got its start in the 19th century. The downtown department store dominated the retail scene throughout the first half of the 20th century. Department stores stocked just about everything from clothing, shoes, cosmetics, jewelry, toys, books, sporting goods, gourmet foods, household appliances, and furniture. They had restaurants and services such as photo studios, post offices, all while having special events like fashion sho... ... middle of paper ... ...dings over the next few decades. There are many reasons why Americans often prefer online shopping to in-person store browsing: no need to make a trip to the mall, no pressure from salesmen, the appeal of bargain shopping sites and fewer distractions. Online shopping helps consumers focus, and they may even find better deals on the Internet than they'd receive at a mall. The benefits of avoiding malls are still greater than shopping inside the overwhelming, buildings, as some truly like online shopping better. While around a third of malls (and solely the largest and newest of the bunch) are still going strong across the United States, once-appealing mall perks are not just able to persuade customers to leave their homes, not when we can purchase items at a discounted price online from our homes while also browsing the internet, using social medial, or even working.
Eddie Bauer Inc, offers many different products for both men and women who seek versatile, classically styled, high quality merchandise to meet their wardrobe and home décor needs. Eddie Bauer considers the location of its stores to be the most vital factor in achieving maximum sales. The company, however, must determine how it can best identify these locations in order to reach its target market. With recent demographic changes, it is essential that they gather information to answer some key questions in order to do so. (Aaker, Day, Kumar, & Leone, 2010)
Despite the outbreak of the First World War, the store strived to give a great service to the public, giving a meaning to the famous phrase “business as usual” (Harry Gordon Selfridge, 1914). During the period of 1919 and 1924, the company started its first expansion in Oxford Street and was selling everything from make-up to toys. So far, over 15 million had shopped in the store.
Over the years, the American department store has developed and evolved as not only a commercial business but also a cultural institution. While it has weathered many storms and changes since its inception and throughout history, its most predominant enemy has been a change in the lifestyle of the American people (Whitaker, 2013). As the customer’s needs and wants have shifted, department stores have struggled to keep up with demands. It has been argued that the decline of the department store has been ongoing for the last 50 years (Whitaker, 2013). This dissertation aims to understand how the department store has historically played a role in consumer culture and spending, and additionally, how this has evolved and changed in today’s retail market. Although department stores may not be able to take all the credit for inventing modern shopping, they certainly made its conventions and conveniences commonplace. They set a new standard for the way the consumer should expect to be treated, the type of services that should be provided, and the convenience that should attend the process of acquiring the necessities and niceties of life all in one place. They made shopping into a leisure pastime. This environment meant shopping was a means of freedom to look around, pick up objects with no obligations to buy. As one historian remarked, department stores: “encouraged a perception of the building as a public place, where consumption itself was almost incidental to the delights of a sheltered promenade in a densely crowded, middle-class urban space” (Whitaker, 2006). Although this perception and view of the department store has changed over the years, this paper aims to follow the trail of how and why that happened.
Does Macy’s have the right resources and capabilities for their current strategy? Why or why
...ent that was owed. If the supplier was out of business than he donated to a charity in that area. This is "a phenomenon still remembered in credit circles half a century later (Harris 41). In addition to these distinguishable traits, they were also able to predict the "flow", "thoughts" and "movements" of society. In their own way, they were sages of their time, creating new fashions, starting new policies that the public raved for, and choosing spots to place their small, then turned massive, stores. L. G. Bloomingdales opened his store at 938 Third Avenue, NYC, far away from "New York's shopping district [which] was then located between Fourteenth and Twenty-third streets." His ability to assess and apprehend the psychology of the shopping nature allowed him to relocate his store to a key spot. As they say in real estate, "Location, location, location" (Friedman).
What exactly does it take to create a successful leading retail store? So many companies are in competition of gaining the shopper’s loyalty they end up neglecting other important aspects. A perfect retailer has to balance out high-quality, attractive prices, customer loyalty, and an enjoyable environment. “Target has experienced considerable growth in the last decade because its stores offer fashionable merchandise at low prices in a pleasant shopping environment.” (pg42) “It has developed an image of ‘cheap chic’.” (pg42)
In the robust business industry today, rivalries are prominent. Each company tailors themselves to be the best. Shaping their products, their stores, all to be better. To beat the rest. Department stores often get overlooked for rivalries. They are not as broadcasted as Nike and Adidas, or McDonalds and Burger King. But J.C. Penney’s and Sears, are both as vicious.
Nordstrom retail stores have large hallways, and everything is presented in a very classy manner. The color scheme includes pale yellows, whites, and gold, to provide a more elegant appearance in the store in order to make the shopped feel special. The design is also seen through product organization. Compared to stores like Macy’s, which organize their products based on brand, Nordstrom organizes their products based on lifestyle. Because of this, it is easier for shoppers to find clothes similar to their style as opposed to by brand. In effect, shoppers will purchase more products. This also is a type of experiential retailing, where Nordstrom customers are able to experience the elements of their lifestyle within one section. More so, the product presentation will draw people’s eyes to products, even if they are not looking for it. This gives Nordstrom a competitive advantage in relation to other similar retail stores because it makes their store look more glamorous and high-end. While other stores may focus on value, Nordstrom utilizes the retail positioning strategy to make a customer feel more high-end and
When comparing two different ways of shopping most people do not even think about the difference, they do both and not even realize it. In today's society people shop while at work, after work and on the weekends, whenever time permits. Stop and think how can I get more time in the day for family or just myself? The best way to figure that out with all the recourses we have is to go into a store and spend time looking through racks and waiting in endless lines to just purchase something. I compared going into a store verses online shopping; to see which one will save you time and money.
In the 19th century, shopping was extremely difficult; costumers would have to go to multiple different shops and haggle for a price. Until 1852, when Aristide Boucicant a sales clerk realised that there was a need for a new store, a store where costumers could go which would offer them a wider variety of shops. This store is known as Le Bon Marche, it was unlike any of store, it included; new commerce, fixed prices, home delivery, item exchange, sales, reading areas and so much more. The French writer Emile Zola described it as a “cathedral of commerce”; this was because the store specialised in fashion for men, woman and children. In addition it also sold furniture and housewares; however the best part of the food department, which “offers you over 5000 different products, selected from around the world”(Paris Pa...
S.H. Kress achieved a unique architectural distinction in both defining a brand identity while simultaneously fitting in with the five-and-dime market and the local main street character of each town. He was a pioneer in creating company brand identity through a “signature storefront”. He viewed his buildings as an advertisement and each store had some components that were standardized, reflecting the popular assembly line approach at that time, while other components varied based on the location to fit within each town culture.
Only the U.S. government maintains a bigger database.” Sam Walton was eventually considered “the most influential retailer of the century, and with good reason, for nearly every great retailer of the coming years would follow his business examples.” Industrial Revolution: When the Industrial Revolution took place in the United States, factories were now able to out produce consumer demand. For the first time, these new goods needed new ways to be sold, new ways to get to the public. “In New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago, the first department stores opened their doors. Railroads and telegraph wires snaked across the country, giving storekeepers a new way to order goods and get them on the shelves faster than ever before. A whole new industry sprang up to persuade people through advertisements with enticing pictures and clever slogans, to buy things they’d never known they needed, to turn America, in the phrase department store pioneer John Wanamaker, into the Land of Desire.
Online and in-store shopping differentiates in various ways. However, they both are convenient ways to shop. Recently, online shopping has been most convenient for me, but I enjoy both ways of shopping. I believe that shopping preferences change depending on a person’s situation. I noticed that many people are starting to prefer online shopping more than in-store shopping.
There are a number of reasons why people shop at malls. For one thing, people malls extremely convenient. In addition malls provide shoppers with a great variety of stores and shopping opportunities. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, malls are great places for entertainment.
On the other hand, most factors prove otherwise. The retail industry does not have high Economies of Scale to be exploited in general . Yet, it is impossible to run department stores like Metro on a small scale . A large retail space, inventory, and warehouse are necessary to host a specialized portfolio of brands and products to better attract both customers and suppliers. Heavy capital requirements and operational expen...