Do you guys think that Macy’s needs a better selection of products? It seems to me that someone mentioned it on one of the threads here. People are always looking for something new so perhaps should start carrying some new brands to address that issue. I don’t know if this will happen, but as someone who is in constant contact with customers I notice this problem as well.
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Well, INC, CC, Alfani, Style&co, BarIII are copies each other and only slight change artwork and fabric. Also competition between knit and woven in similar style. I don’t know what does the head of designer think? Also same factory supply Macys for many years. Of course stable work, but high costing. And HK office is stand for factory side. Not for US. Product team are not experience. ( not come from production, Related field/other major. ) Even though maybe buyer will combine with production. No experience is no Experience. That why does lead Macys go down which is one of reason!
Back in the 2000s my Macys had the best urban brands like Phat Farm, Ecko, Southpole, Rocawear, and Sean John. To this day only Sean John exists but the style now is c-ap compared to back then. That's the main thing they're missing now and that's hip hop and urban brands which they got rid of for more skater brands.
MMG is to fashion what General Motors was to cars years back... The same platforms repeated at different, but wholly owned, brands.
A lot of the fabrics look like Halloween costume material. Super cheap and in brands like Bar III where cost is a bit too high. Design and quality has to drastically improve to coax the customer to come back.
I think Bar III has many super cute pieces (though they use too many cheapy fabrics). Their dress designer in particular does a great job and I love many of their prints (the new florals just coming in are very pretty).
INC is usually blech, though every so often there are some neat things and I can never understand how the same design team that makes a cool piped trench coat can also do that scary silver sequin big bow cold-shoulder ruched sleeve top (you know which one I'm talking about...).
I agree overall at MMG, there is too much repetition of styles from year to year, too much polyester and synthetics.
As a fashionable (ish) 35 year old, the only brands I can wear from Macys are Free People, Danielle Bernstein, Olivia Culpos collection from INC, Cotton On, Joe's Jeans, French Connection, and 1 State (occasionally) - most of these vendors are not in all locations (my hometown G100 door doesn't most of those brands) - so most people have to buy online - would be great to get these in all stores (but understand the circumstances).
A typical Macys has an overstock flow of Style & Co, Alfani, CharterClub (all MMG brands) - GroSS. Would never wear any of that even if it I'm 50.
Macys (especially RTW) needs a lot of work - I spend most of my money at Nordstrom for clothes since Macys doesn't have much to offer the fashionable consumer!!
I worked in central until about 3 years ago. There used to be an amazing talent pool of merchants and design team - they were leaders and creative thinkers. Almost everyone of them is gone. You need people like this to plant the seeds to grow a business. The good ones soak up info and trend they were getting from you folks in the stores. Central workers are doing the work of what about a dozen used to do and are spending most of their day pushing forms and paperwork.
They need to get rid of Alfani. It's overstocked, hideous, and overpriced. The product rarely moves,but takes up the most space in the store.
Private Brands once filled that need and were the industry leaders, but MMG was destroyed by Macy's inc. They hollowed out of all talent at MMG as Macy's thought they could run it better. They couldn't and the brands today are shells of what they used to be. MMG was a HUGE profit center for the company until Macy's inc forced all the talent out. Now, INC, Alfani, Style&co, etc are all the same hideous prints, cheap fabrics, and recolored styles. Trash. Macy's screwed up in a major way decimating Private Brands and will continue to pay the price.
In addition, the cool new market brands have no interest in going into dated and dirty unkempt stores. Macy's is stuck with brands like Kors, Calvin, and Tommy that no one really wants anymore and can get in a million other places.
The same people at Macy's in executive positions stay in those positions...there isn't an innovative thinker in the bunch. Look at the Holiday trends....the same for the last 4 years. Its a joke. The death spiral continues....