Christmas At Macy's: Can Toys R Us Save Them? | Retail Archaeology

In this episode of Retail Archaeology we take a look at 2 very different Macy's stores during Christmas season. Can Toys R Us save them?
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#deadmall #macys #toysrus

[@davis6123]

I think a problem that Macys is having is that they have such an inconsistent brand identity. Some locations have high end merchandise with a truly upscale shopping experience…. and then there are some locations that are just run down and feature such limited product.

[@craigjensen6853]

Yeah and you never know what you are going to get if you haven't been to that one before. Is it a fancy store or is it a ghetto store? Could be either.

[@pilotgrrl1]

That's what you get when you try to conglomerate department stores that were tailored to their regional markets into one homogeneous brand. An idea whose time should never have come.

[@MancstaSam]

They sell mid range "high street" designer stuff

[@kkonabill95]

@@ChiCityTown Have you been to the one in NYC? They sell basically every high end brand

[@Mr.Plant1994]

@KKona Bill can confirm they sell brands like coach which maybe you don’t consider high end but many Americans do

[@bree9272]

I've noticed quite a few department stores don't really decorate for Christmas anymore. If you want to see really nice decorations, it's the small indie main street shops that can go all out, especially with their storefronts.

[@ThatLoudCockatoo]

Same. The small, independent shops around here go HAM for Christmas. Decorations everywhere, Christmas music, they even smell like Christmas. Then the department stores are sterile af.

[@SeanStrife]

@@ThatLoudCockatoo I wonder if that might be the fact people are tending to gravitate towards these smaller, independent shops over these big chain stores these days.

[@mwroberts79]

I hate they don't. I noticed that too. I guess the way people complain on social media about religion being celebrated, I guess they don't wanna get in the middle. It's a shame. Decorated malls, mall Santa's, music, handbell choirs, etc all is fun when you're out shopping.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

I saw in the 2nd week of Dec 2021 how a local deli had 0 🎁🎄🎀🕊 items. Not even a happy holidays or Merry Xmas....

[@pierrecusmybladdersempty1938]

The Macy's at the Mall of America still decorates for the holidays, but not as much as in past years. There are trees and ornaments on the different floors, and lots of holiday stuff being sold there, but still. Way more effort than other department stores.

[@vincentferrari]

The most eye-opening bad sign for Macy's is that the store is completely devoid of human activity aside from you. No employees, no customers. I'm sure there were a few wandering about but man.... That's just shockingly empty for a major US retailer.

[@oliverdelgado6952]

It's depressing.

[@MissMTurner]

Man, department stores - especially ones like Macy's specifically - used to be so decorated! It was almost an attraction unto itself. I think of the huge, overdone display in A Christmas Story as an example of what department stores used to do.

[@davis6123]

My local Macy’s is a top performing store and they went all out for decorations. It seems as though their lower volume stores don’t get the same treatment.

[@SarahPeel]

A huge reason behind this is that they popped up everywhere when they bought out May Co stores. They were once a destination department store and then one day you could have 3+ Macy's in one metro. They no longer targeted their brand to be in higher end locations where the population could support higher end products. It is sad, but they did bring this upon themselves. However, I will say my local Macy's which is certainly on their lower end of locations, they did have some great sales over Thanksgiving. I am sure that is part of the reason why they are seeing an increase in sales.

[@keybyss98]

So true! Even as a 2000’s kid, I remember Macy’s would put those big ornaments and holiday displays around the store. It felt like so nice as a kid! Also, anyone remember those weird anthropomorphic shopping bag ladies from the mid-2000’s that’d show up in their marketing? I remember drawing a male character of this kind (a Mace-sona? Bagsona?) and they’re one of the first things I think of when I think of Macy’s, lol.

[@bladerunner752]

I miss the Macy's, Sears, and JCPenney's catalogs with all the cool toys etc you could order back in the day. When I was a kid all I remember about Macy's was the decorations and the smell of perfume and cologne and shoulder to shoulder foot traffic. Sometimes I used to thing the escalator would break. This was back in the early 80s but damn I miss it.

[@nwjavahead]

Facts!

[@JGD185]

I remember circling everything and maybe getting 1 thing lol

[@pkendlers]

Now sucks, no doubt about it.

[@AJ82778]

My mom still has an old Sears Christmas catalog from 1986. Fun to look through and see the stuff my sister and I circled.

[@tdickensheets]

Sears & K Mart should not come one co.

[@MandalorianFanboy]

The fact that a Macy’s even sells those crappy toys is quite bizarre.

[@Hotlog69]

"It's all profit!" Is basically the mentality when store sell this crud.

[@UmmYeahOk]

It’s like the toys section at Kohl’s. Its there mostly to take up space, but also so bored kids can have something to look at and harass their parents about, while parents are like, “they want HOW MUCH for this?!?”

[@foxyfoxington2651]

I feel like I remember seeing a few crappy off-brand toys in Macy's when I was a kid back in the 80s.

[@Leahi84]

Department stores lost the magic they had when I was a kid. Now that you can buy everything online, it just doesn't feel the same anymore. I'm not surprised about all the alcohol related gifts, probably a lot more people drinking nowadays with how the world is.

[@theJellyjoker]

If they wanted to revive the department stores and malls, they would need to make the act of going to a physical location part of the experience. Lots of seasonal decorations and special events because let's be honest, if you just wanted to buy a thing you'd do so online not at a retail location.

[@nslouka90]

Even Target and Kohl’s had been selling booze gifts for years, I think they are trying to target college students because 10 years ago when I was in college I shopped at both those places and they always had these gifts in the men’s section.

[@BirbarianHomeGuard]

People have been drinking for thousands of years, and will continue to do so. Lol

[@girlscanbedrummers5449]

Most department stores also had restaurants or cafe's inside them, which probably helped draw in shoppers too.

[@lmao2703]

My problem is that why would I go to a department store for something when I can get it from the source? Why would I buy a Coach bag for example, when I can go to the Coach store and get a way better experience, and a better quality bag since Macy's mostly carries the outlet line. Why would I buy a, let's say, an Estee Lauder foundation when I live closer to an Ulta which has a better rewards program as well as just being literally closer to my house. It isn't so much the online retailers as it is convenience and experience.

[@austinlawler3739]

Macy's is a shell of its former self. I worked at one of the largest Macy's (non flagship) in the company, in the suburbs of Chicago from 2008-2012. When I started it still had luxury brands, even Dolce and Gabbana at the flagships store in Chicago, and Armani and numerous other high end designers at my store. By the time I left, it had started to go down hill. We had some training we had to do about the new direction of the company, and they listed Kohl's, Penny's, and Target as competitors. That is when I knew the company was going to become a discount store, more than a middle to higher end store depending where you lived. Seeing a Macy's now is cringe worthy, they just aren't that good anymore.

[@DeathSpellXVI]

I worked at JCP and they only mentioned Kohl' s as their main competitors, lol.

[@illinoismallexploring4419]

@@DeathSpellXVI that makes sense. I wouldn’t say Macy’s is competing with any of them, JCP is mid class and the rest are low end. Macy’s is definitely competing with Dillard’s but there isn’t many upper mid class stores.

[@CamdenBloke]

I always thought of Macy's as being slightly upscale. I've only been financially well off enough to shop at more upscale shops for the past 5 years or so, and a couple of years ago I decided to go to a shopping mall for a new pair of shoes. None of the shops I found quite rose to what I expected in terms of brands or service, and that included Macy's. I expected a more full-service experience, like when I was a kid with my parents at Stride Rite, but after finding a few on the shelf that kind of interested me, and then kind of standing around for quite some time, I eventually flagged down someone in a nearby department who looked a bit put-out by my request. I did eventually get a pair at Macy's because of the shops I had been to they had the closest to my taste, but I would have happily paid a bit more for something a little higher tier. The shoes were OK, but not something I was enthusiastic about.

[@pilotgrrl1]

Macy's really messed up the former Marshall Field's flagship store on State Street. Last time I was there, it was dirty, dingy and disheveled. Appalling.

[@BoratWanksta]

@@illinoismallexploring4419 Even though I've only been to Dillard's a handful of times, I get this funny sense that it feels more nicer and a tad more upscale inside Dillard's, than it does a typical Macy's store. I always enjoy Dillard's, the few times I ever find myself by one of their stores. In the future I'm hoping to hit more Dillard's stores, and see how their stores are like in different parts of the country. Macy's without a doubt has been going downhill, in recent years. They're okay, but they haven't excited me for years. I might go there for an infrequent box of Frango chocolates, but I struggle to get excited going to Macy's otherwise. Too bad Dillard's seems to largely avoid Great Lakes states, since to me I feel Dillard's has an opening to establish a presence in malls in Chicagoland(plus other metros, i.e. Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, etc), after Bon-Ton liquidated all stores. And as to me, there's no doubt JCPenney and Macy's are going to continue to close stores, and Dillard's has a window(IF they want to take it) to expand more into the Great Lakes region. Why the heck they haven't jumped more on expanding into Great Lakes states, I don't know. Side note that as much as I'd like Boscov's to expand more westward(their furthest west store is Niles, OH), they seem to be extremely cautious and much slower to do store expansions, ever since that company went through bankruptcy in the late 2000s.

[@thisshouldbeentertaining3386]

Not just Macy's but a lot of department stores are nothing like they used to be. Back in the late 90's worked at a JCPenney and we had over 50 employees year round with over 35 working the sales floor and had over 15+ location's you could checkout at ...now they have just 2-3 main checkout kiosk with only 4-5 people running the whole sales floor.

[@b.abrackus6403]

That explains the (disarray) of the sales floor...the workers are spread too thin...

[@thisshouldbeentertaining3386]

@@b.abrackus6403 yep that's the primary reason for the store's being ransacked...nice name guess you pity those fool's.

[@jenniferbaldini3527]

I am also shocked at the lack of decorations in the store. Back in the 80's, these stores were crammed with the most beautiful decorations...crammed. So very, very sad.

[@zonilo1]

It only gets to show how the Retail landscape has been diminishing over the years with Capitalism in decline overall pretty much.

[@uhlexseeuh]

@@zonilo1 lol what’s that have to do with capitalism? In all honesty it’s thriving in the cyber marketplace. No body wants to go places anymore and value convenience. I’m sure you’ve bought enough stuff from amazon. Free market capitalism is diminishing though, ill agree to that

[@thatxonexguy5438]

Went to the mail about a week and a half ago there wasnt any decorations anywhere. Everything was just modern and "sterile". Its kinda sad. Maybe they just didnt bother this year because of covid still? It wasnt just the mall, i dont see Christmas decorations anywhere really.

[@FunkatronicDingus]

They're barely decorated because the stores are too cheap to hire temp decorators or pay the existing staff enough to decorate along with having to harass customers to make sales goals or they don't get a yearly 25¢ raise

[@nslouka90]

Especially in the last couple years, feels like everyone is in a bad mood and doesn’t want to do anything. I was waiting to put up Xmas decorations in my apartment complex to see if anyone would do it first but nope, so I jumped in and put mine up and within 1 week about 5 neighbors had them up!

[@mascara1777]

I chose Macy's for one of my bridal registries since I have nostalgia for them and wanted to support them. I grew up in NYC seeing Macy's 4th of July fireworks and the Thanksgiving parade. Their registry app was SO hard to use and just not laid out well at all. Only one of my wedding guests bought something from that registry.

[@pilotgrrl1]

I'm from Chicago and many of us were upset that Macy's messed up the once great Marshall Field's. One of the few times I ever went to Macy's was to buy a wedding gift. The store was a crowded, disheveled mess. No thanks!

[@NightSprinter]

That "furniture area" looks 80s as hell. I love it. I remember that about the department stores too. Especially starting in October, the fact that you could buy (or have your parents buy for you) the yearly Christmas catalog for that store. It's why I love the site a Flickr user made with the scans he put onto his account.

[@cjzani]

I wonder if staffing issues are the reason for a lack of Christmas decor.

[@chasemix808]

Exactly what I was thinking.

[@HagarLoves]

I used to do visual merchandising at a department store and had to do all that. It's definitely a heck of a job to do, so I'm sure they don't have enough people to be doing it all!

[@stphinkle]

I also bet there were cutbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[@craigjensen6853]

It's because they are all greedy grinches.

[@JackieHagge]

You are 100% on point. The staff are too busy serving customers - no time for decorating.

[@apotheases]

I worked at a Macy's for 2 and 1/2 years during college. They would always hire me back too whenever I came home for the holidays. A lot of good memories there.

[@mascara1777]

I worked for Stern's department store

[@milgeekmedia]

I have to admit, I'm from the UK and when I saw Macy's in the title of this video I thought I was in for some nice Christmas displays. So, I was very disappointed as outside the US that's what we think when we hear 'Macy's'. 😟 Our main equivalent - Debenhams - has now shut it's doors and big stores like this just don't seem to draw people they way these used to. Thanks for a interesting video and have a nice Christmas! 🎄👍

[@razvandobos9759]

The third or second floors of every Macy’s I’ve been to are always soothing and peaceful to me. Hardly anybody there and lots of beautiful furniture and beds and giant carpets.

[@mascara1777]

Me too. I always loved going to the quiet 3rd floor and seeing the neat bedroom displays and housewares and bridal registry items.

[@davis6123]

The Macy’s stores near me are doing incredibly well. Both got renovated recently and got additional product and staff. Clearly this isn’t the case everywhere, but in many markets Macy’s truly is thriving.

[@msbae]

1:19 That may look like Grandma's table, but I like it anyway. Too bad I don't have a dining room where that table would be useful.

[@UmmYeahOk]

The idea of a Toys R Us inside a Macy’s is bizarre when you consider the previous “store within a store” models. There was the LEGO store inside Toys R Us, a Claire’s inside Toys R Us, an FAO Swartz inside a Toys R Us (which, yes, I believe they also were inside a Macy’s for a while). And let’s not forget the Babies R Us and even Kids R Us inside Toys R Us (though they never seem to have sold any babies or kids).

[@asclepi]

A store courtesy phone? I had to Google/investigate that. Turns out this is (or was) mainly used to request personal credit card limit increases 🤣. This Cisco 7911 model was released back in 2005, however, the newer Cisco logo reveals that it could've been purchased anywhere between 2006 and 2012 when it was End of Life'd.

[@thisshouldbeentertaining3386]

Yes indeed back in the 90's you could Walk into a Macy's/JCPenney/Sears and they would have the whole store decorated ,which would really put you in the Christmas spirit and if you were in the Christmas spirit usually you'd spend more $$$...now most stores have little to no decorations and they wonder why they are finding it hard to lure in shopper's...in most cases you can find the items cheaper online. But if I can visit a store that's a visual experience I'll buy from there instead.

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

I say Macy's Backstage is Macy's version of Burlington and or Marshall's

[@jasonwomack4064]

Given the ceiling height available, that tree is so short and sad it's a crime against Christmas. The toys r us scheme is at least a good idea on paper. But being a mall oriented store, they should resurrect KBtoy branding instead. Toys r us still smells of failure, KB would have an aroma of nostalgia to work with.

[@sushicat.3707]

The large store is in serious trouble. You went around the entire store, and there were no visible employees. There should have been employees at the counters. It’s very apparent the visuals department has been cut back, with the lack of decorations and the lack of proper fixtures. Given the current supply chain situation, low stock may be unavoidable, but messy displays shouldn’t exist (back to that lack of department employees).

[@thisshouldbeentertaining3386]

Used to work at a JCPenney before Y2k and we had over 50+ employees most of which worked the sales floor and had over 15 mini departments where you could checkout at , now it's just 2-3 kiosk with only 4-5 employees running the sales floor...yeah they'll save $$$ from having to pay for more employees , but they don't realize that customers don't like shopping in store's that feel uninhabited and don't want to have to run around the store to find the mystery kiosk to get rung up at and have to wait in a long line because you don't have enough salespeople.

[@sbell5702]

I think they are not immune to finding workers just like a lot of businesses. Probably part of the reason for so few employees.

[@craigjensen6853]

@@thisshouldbeentertaining3386 The Penneys near me just has one register open near the salon and signs at all of the other ones telling you to take your purchases to the salon register but its all the way in the back of the store.

[@thisshouldbeentertaining3386]

@@craigjensen6853 that sucks. The corporate head's no longer care about the customer , just their stock price.

[@Randoplants]

I don’t think the Toys R Us addition will really help. They thought up the idea of having mini-stores in their stores awhile ago, and never really went all in on it. Unless they really change their habits, which would be neat.

[@craigjensen6853]

Yeah it's going to be a couple of lame tables with dumb products and a little blue stripe on the wall behind it. It's going to be lame beyond belief I bet.

[@ThomasPurcell]

I used to be a regional manager of furniture for Macy's in Los Angeles in the 80's. That furniture department is badly merchandised, poorly maintained and laid out, and the buying office clearly is not buying furniture relevant to the market. Both the manager of the department and store manager would be disciplined for that department back in my day., and buyers would have been out and out fired.

[@davinp]

That is interesting that they have very little holiday decorations in this store. We have a three floor Macy's in Springfield, VA

[@alliechotikul1621]

if i remember correctly half of the top floor is a backstage and the other half is reserved for holiday decorations in springfield:)

[@scherzva]

They used to have two complete stores at Fair Oaks Mall, one was a former Hecht’s. I haven’t been there in a few years. I moved from NOVA last year.

[@dannymartin1114]

That disheveled pile of generic toys in a dying macys is kind of representative of the times though. Wonder if anyone will have nostalgia for that in 30 years haha.

[@andrewtaylor940]

I’m happy if they’re doing better. But man those stores look bleak. One of the knock on effects of the Covid pandemic was the rise in telecomuting/work from home. Which means more and more people are no longer dressing for the office. And higher end office attire was Macy’s core business.

[@gmcnewlook]

Starbucks really took a hit in the pandemic, they closed so many here in downtown toronto, since people have been working from home no need to go to starbucks.....by now people have probaby invested in a good coffee maker...

[@foxyfoxington2651]

Expect telecommuting to become more and more the norm. There are a few large state agencies in California that have already basically said "Yeah, most of our workers are never going to return to the office." I'm moving to Ohio next month because of my spouse's work, but I'm keeping my California job because of telecommuting.

[@ItsMeMattCarter]

I've watched you and Dan Bell so much I jumped to the conclusion you asking him to "Bring Back Asbestos" on behalf of Rick lol!!! Keep up the great work man! Happy holidays to you and your family!

[@dravenlee4473]

Every time I go into a store like Macy's now, I feel like it has to be a front for something. The sheer amount of inventory that just sits and sits. Do you need 50 overpriced sheet sets of the same color. Are even 5 of them going to sell? It reminds me of physical media these days. I'm still a big proponent but big box stores aren't going to carry 20, 10 or even 5 copies of Silent Night, Deadly Night. It makes more sense to sit in a warehouse and sell it on demand and I get the same vibes from a place like Macy's.

[@leschatsmusicale]

I get the feeling a lot of these retail companies are just fronts for something.

[@zmbdog]

Yeah, some places are so consistently dead it seems the cost of running electricity and employee salaries for the day must outweigh whatever meager sales revenue was brought in.

[@kevlarandchrome]

Man, that is so weird. When I was a kid, Macy's was synonymous with New York City and high end fashion stuff, seeing it look like a TJ Maxx is quite jarring.

[@AmbientWalking]

I let my mind drift to the other side of the world whenever I'm traveling with you. It's such a super great experience. Thank you!

[@radio645]

One of the issues I have in these large stores like the examples you show here, is the obvious lack of cashiers and clerks nearby or at the checkout counters anxiously awaiting to serve their customers. The last Macy's I shopped at, it took me 15 minutes before I found a lone employee shoved off in a corner far away from the place I had originally started shopping. I had walked past several checkout counters in various departments, all empty and void of any personal along the way. I was beginning to think the store had closed or maybe there was a fire drill or something. If Macy's wants to do anything to improve their customer base, how about having more than one cashier or employee around just in case someone needs help?

[@9023gregb]

Macy's is so depressing. Not high end enough clothes to get really rich people and the rest of the stuff is waiting for a landfill. Enough cologne to fill a swimming pool.

[@HejranBiki]

I went to that Macy’s a month ago and it was so crowed

[@raksekamta2808]

A lot of Macy’s I’ve been to lately have looked quite… haggard. I’m happy I’m not the only one who picked up on that.

[@tonithomas6143]

That's the perfect word to describe the Macy's near me. I'm surprised it's still open.

[@MissMTurner]

Back in the 90s, Sears used to have a big electronics department and I bought so many video games and even systems on my "Discover" card back in the day. 😆 (It was super easy to get a card from them when I was like 18 and few people accepted it, so Sears video game department was the winner.)

[@craigjensen6853]

Yeah, my dad bought our first Macintosh there.

[@CamdenBloke]

I use a Discover card. It has rotating categories with 6% cash back, so I keep track of which category to use it on in a given month. It's also my card with the lowest interest rate and the highest limit. They don't offer purchase protection though, like extended warranties.

[@janis902]

Stores seem to be so chincy with their Christmas decorations now a days.

[@GreenAppelPie]

I don’t think they are willing to spend the money

[@davinp]

Macy's should look at Kohl's. They have only floor stores (not at malls) which are organized and do have plenty of Christmas decorations

[@R32R38]

Kohl's does a very good job at keeping their stores physically neat and orderly. Much better than Target and especially Walmart.

[@porkypie0324]

Was out shopping yesterday at a few stores with my hubby, and we also noticed the lack of Christmas decor and pizazz that Macy's and many department stores are known for at this time of year. You almost wouldn't even know it was the holiday season. It was evident, too, that stores seemed to have reorganized their space so that shelves and aisles appear well stocked, perhaps because of the supply chain issue (as you pointed out).

[@andrew6xrv]

Macy’s is so inconsistent. My town has two Macy’s, a three story one in an enclosed mall that opened in 1983, and a two story one in an outdoor shopping center that opened in 2009. The larger, older one looks so much nicer and well put together than the other one, and had had little improvements like brighter lighting, new new carpet, etc.

[@radman999]

Looks similar to The Bay here in Canada. Outdated and obsolete. A very depressing shopping experience for old people only.

[@imnottwelve1126]

About a decade ago Macy's moved into a mall near me. They decided to take up a few massive multifloor buildings and a few smaller spots to extend make up, perfume, jewelry. Again, just at a single mall. A few years ago they reduced their occupancy to two of the massive multifloor buildings. It was awkward, frustrating, and my first experiences with Macy's. Back when they took up several spaces at a single mall. If I wanted to buy things from multiple departments I had to some times buy things at the department I was in first. This was because all these different stores that Macy's was occupying were not connected with each other. Accessing other departments could require walking through the mall or driving a street over. I can think of examples of things split up but similar. Athletic clothing and swimwear. Pretty sure those were in seperate flagship buildings. Entertainment center (aka TV console) and Television. The TVs were in one of the Flagships attached to the mall. But I believe the entertainment centers ( TV consoles) were at the massive Macy's building the next street over. The next street over is also owned by the mall and considered part of the mall. Just to give scale one of the flagship buildings Macy's left now holds indoor roller coasters. Macy's still occupies one of these Flagship buildings in the mall. I think the building Macy also occupies a street over (owned by the mall and considered part of the mall though not attached) has an extra floor.

[@jedimind_79]

I work at a Macy's Backstage distribution center. From what I understand Backstage is what's making them the money now. You are exactly right Backstage is like Marshals ot TJmaxx, its discount overstock and in some cases the name brand stuff there is made specifically for Macy's.

[@72polara]

That first store looked like a Sears before the yellow liquidation signs go up.

[@Mr_Redsfan]

I feel like this is at least the second, and maybe third, holiday where whoever owns the TRU name has declared they’re “back.” Also the only way it would be acceptable for TRU to carry video games is if they bring back the hang tags and tickets!!!

[@chasemix808]

I don’t think I saw a single employee in your video. I know that in our local Macy’s, you have to go searching for someone in order to give them your money.

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

Toys R Us at Macy's I will give it a chance

[@KramerY2J]

My mom works at Macy's in San Antonio. She says they're busy all the time.

[@Echolyris212]

La cantera or north star because the other locations I cannot imagine getting busy. Lol

[@KramerY2J]

@@Echolyris212 Yeah la cantera lol

[@kellyngrey4950]

I'm in SA too. The Macy's at North Star is very busy during the holiday season. I used to work at the Cheesecake Factory there, so that mall is far from moribund.

[@otsmovies]

I think employee shortages could be impacting the neatness of that first store too.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

It's sad and kinda wierd how when you go to a Best Buy, Staples etc where NO ONE helps or is around. Sometimes I think you could walk out with merchandise & no one would care.

[@njdotson]

7:33 bruh that is the funniest moment on this channel I'm also imagining the employee empty the box on christmas only for there to be one letter inside reading "bring back babbages"

[@jvargas6034]

My Son Went To The Montclair Macy’s On December 1, And He Saw Toys R Us Inside Our Local Macy’s. Our Local Macy’s Is Located At Central Avenue And The Interstate 10 Freeway BTW

[@dawnpatrol700]

Love seeing the Geoffrey standee. Toys R Us was my place as a kid

[@rhysphil9332]

"Nothing says fatherhood like drinking" Amen to that lol

[@Moonbeam143]

I never would have thought Macy's and Toys R Us would team up. And the lack of Christmas stuff is sad.

[@russcannon6725]

Perhaps with all the additional tasks like BOPIS and curbside pickup, store staff doesn't have the time for holiday decorating.

[@SteveBrandon]

As someone who honestly misses Sears Canada stores, I'd love to visit a Macy's sometime since the tour of the first store reminds me so much of the now-demolished Sears at Carlingwood in Ottawa. On the other hand, I don't need to go to Macy's to go to Toys R' Us since they still operate old school Toys R' Us stores in Canada.

[@nlpnt]

Macy's came to my town when they took over Filene's. They closed a couple years ago and the building's now repurposed as a temporary high school.

[@UndeadEggmiester]

It's beginning to sorta look like Christmas at a few places I go.. really this year doesn't really feel like Christmas compared to previous years.

[@kimm4615]

I work at a Macy's and mine is nothing like this! My Macy's is always super busy during the holidays and is never this empty, even throughout the rest of the year. So, there are some locations that are still thriving! I don't think we'll go out of business anytime soon. Not with how many online orders we get on a daily basis. My Macy's will probably be one of the last ones standing.

[@megumei044]

Oh my god that Star Child opening so hit me in the 1990's anime weeb feels.

[@GreenAppelPie]

Yeah stores used to really decorate Christmas and I really used to enjoy going to the stores if just for people watching and widow shopping. I’d even get seasonal work in retail while in high school and it was enjoyable.

[@andreadiamond7115]

As a former small business advertising AE, I find your channel fascinating. ✌🏼❤️ to all.

[@titan8611]

Macys in San Antonio Texas is always busy when the mall is busy

[@TheRexter88]

That intro tho📀📀📀🤘🏼

[@ranchdressing1037]

The Toys r Us at my local Macy's was embarrassing to just look at, let alone take the 8 steps through. Back in the day, Macy's working Nintendo console upstairs was top secret at the arcade.. you were not to talk about it.. especially when the tokens ran out!

[@therealjaystone2344]

Toys R US is already a dead company to America's eyes

[@MrDan708]

When you such stark differences between stores in the same chain, you're left to wonder if it's the local store manager making the difference or if Macy's has simply prioritized one over the other.

[@JazzyBabe56]

Merry Christmas to you and yours and thanx for a wonderful year of vids....I love your style!

[@GaryGeat28]

I'm honestly surprised to see that Superstition Springs is still open. I was last there in 2015 and it looked like it was barely hanging on. San Tan Village was my favorite mall in Gilbert.

[@craigjensen6853]

Yeah it's falling apart and has to be on borrowed time. I wonder what they will eventually put there.

[@HagarLoves]

I work for a Belk department store, pretty much like Macy's but with 300 locations across the southeastern US. They have definitely been expanding their inventories to try and build more customer bases. Vitamins, more electronics, furniture/decor etc. They had an inventory of PlayStation 5 consoles and did an online one day only, cardholder sale on them. I managed to snag one for myself since they were actually regular price, unlike the rest of the PS5 market due to bots and scalpers. I got pretty lucky I think! Just a thought I had when you mentioned if Macy's will include video games in their Toys R Us pop ups. I think video games can definitely bring business, especially if they are able to get popular titles, or small inventories of consoles for a good price. People will definitely come!

[@lucast3006]

Looks like it was really peaceful up in the furniture section. Probably could’ve taken a nap.

[@Carlos-ui5dx]

Nice video, would be nice to see how other stores are faring during Christmas shopping

[@Daehawk]

We used to use courtesy phones in the anchor stores of the mall all the time in the 90s. Saved us some quarters from the pay phones. Then cell phones came along.

[@daviedmond4639]

Im a visual stylist mngr for bloomingdales which is owned by Macy's. They removed so many positions that revolve around visual, merchandising, and in house mngmt positions needed to create a pleasant experience for shoppers and staffing. We are lux unlike Macy's with a solid history with clientele.....and my position is becoming a thing of the past with most retail chains since I'm in house. Macy's only supports high grossing locations and the biz model creates a steady death for locations like this one cuz its not giving resources needed to underperforming locations so you get the Kmart effect as u can see here.

[@qsxsqsxs]

Your videos are so relaxing! Thank you.

[@KevBehindACamera]

When I worked at Macy's 30 years ago, they had so many extra jobs which have since been eliminated. We had a timekeeper full time, we had a nurse,, we had a full-time vault staff in a real vault where you can go and PayDay and give them your check and they would give you cash in return so there was a lot of money back there I was guaranteed full-time hours every week and overtime and I made more hourly at Macy's.. and when I left in 1994 I was making almost $13 an hour. What does that equate to in 2021 money but times have changed.. Since Staten Island where I work with relatively close to times square. We volunteer for the parade every year and I would be one of the people that held the giant floats

[@tonyx3722]

I wonder if Santa will bring back Babbages. I remember around 94 waiting for my friend to get off work at Babbages in Fashion Square Mall so we can hang out after. I would walk around Babbages looking around till closing when my friend would be off work. Those were the days.

[@Carman1744]

Macy’s in College Station, Texas closed earlier this year and it was two floors.

[@dindog22]

Merry Christmas. really enjoy your content

[@MouseCIick]

I don’t like shopping, but I like walking around and sitting in department stores while listening to music through their shitty speakers. Feels so nostalgic for some reason.

[@WhittyPics]

That store is a mess. I never seen a Macy look like that. I have been in neater Big Lots. Maybe they are short on help? I think I would write on my letter to Santa to CLEAN UP THIS STORE! Toys R Us savings Macys is like Sears saving JCP.

[@BDBD16]

Reminds me of my local Sears, before it got pulled out of the mall.....FYI, in that second mall those Cisco phones typically have a call history, for missed, outbound and inbound calls in the menu.

[@zeeoddball]

The fact that they don't seem to value decorating for Christmas and creating an experience for shoppers these days is concerning. If they can't even manage that, I'm not sure how good of a home they'll be for a little Toys R Us that will need to lean on the experience factor. On the other hand, it's possible Toys R Us could put pressure on Macy's to ramp things back up. Time will tell, but I'm hesitant in getting my hopes up.

[@zmbdog]

I think some stores fear the embarrassment of going all out "A Christmas Story"-style and still failing to pull in any shoppers.

[@chadrodick1161]

The Macys in downtown San Francisco is really clean and that’s a huge Macys.

[@Gamersal77]

Great video as always

[@amirmoradi9595]

Best way to get that hickory farms stuff on the cheap is go to their pop up shops that appear in the malls, but visit starting after Christmas. I usually grab some of those hickory farms gift boxes a few days after Christmas and they sell them cheap

[@raymondruiz]

My local store here in Palm Desert, CA is always well lit and very nicely decorated for Christmas. It feels like a luxury experience when you walk in through the door, and it's never badly organized. I think out of all the Macy's stores in SoCal, it's probably one of the nicest and cleanest one of them all.

[@Hotlog69]

The third floor looks like an old Kohl's.

[@its_casual_thursday9090]

Hi there I love how your Retail Archeology opening is a tribute to the Star Child logo. Great video as always!

[@delibakerytravel]

This Is Shameful!! But Really Sad!!😥 Growing Up In Columbus When Macys Was" Lazarus". At Christmas Time the stores were beautiful inside and out. And the windows displays were wonderful just like New York. And we all knew the real Santa was there. LOL!! When Macys started to buy all the regional Department Stores, I feel that was a big mistake or how they did it. But I will say, that was big different time, Can we say on line shopping and Amazon? I worked for Kroger for decades, and when Kroger bought a regional Grocery Chain they almost always kept the original name of the store. This always kept the locals happy. Yes you see the parent name inside the store, but slowly. Just started to follow you , Great Viedos. Thank You From San Diego🌴

[@MyDreamIsAStory]

We don’t have any Macy’s where I live and I have only been to one or two. I was not impressed. It just reminds me of Dillard’s and Sears mixed together.

[@RiderLeangle2]

You say you expect stores like the first one to be the kind they close but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that first one itself closes, if no one in the mall was going in at 5:30 while the mall was busy I can't imagine that location is doing that well.

[@user-is7xs1mr9y]

There are no Macy's in my country (Mexico), but even with the pandemic, malls still have decent foot traffic. I live in Mexico City though, so even if there are not enough people buying, there are still people going to the mall just to hang out or get coffee. Most places decorate pretty nicely too. It's sad to see Macy's like that, I had always thought it was a really nice store even though I've never been to one.

[@R32R38]

Even the more successful second store looked really dead. Some Macy's, like my local one, have standalone furniture stores physically separate from the main stores. I believe most of the Backstage departments are within the main stores, like in the first one here. Hopefully the concept works, Nordstrom's Rack seems to be a flop.

[@craigjensen6853]

Yeah they usually put them backstages in the more ghetto stores I've noticed.

[@rwdplz1]

Christmas time Macy's looking like a Goodwill is just so sad.

[@razvandobos9759]

Macy’s is the only anchor store running at San Jacinto Mall in Baytown Texas. Used to be called Foleys. Look into it’s history, it was Houston’s Macy’s

[@pilotgrrl1]

I used to shop Foley's when I lived in Denver. That was a great store. Macy's, not so much.

[@gordogames121]

The last time I went to Macy's was when they announced their Toys R Us plans, I got to the store and only made it to the coming in 2022 sign and I left

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

Wow Parts of the 1st Macy's store are a Mess This 2nd Macy's store is very nice.

[@KevBehindACamera]

I worked at Macy's in Staten Island 30 years ago. The third floor was just reserved for furniture, luggage, china, housewares and big women's clothes.. the linens and things were on the first floor in a department called domestics which also had all the sheets blankets and pillows.. At the time during Christmas they would consolidate a large chunk of furniture and have a huge toy section put up in the furniture department. It was very impressive back then. Much less today. Well they actually removed the furniture from the third floor and have a separate furniture building now but I haven't been there in years...