What a sad day it was for retail in America on September 9, 2006, especially in Chicago! On that day, their beloved landmark Marshall Field’s store was changed forever to Macy’s. But it wasn’t just their store; it was 100’s of stores across the United States that suffered the blow as well. Local chains that became a part of the fabric of retail for the last century were swiped up and left behind as if they were garbage. Stores with such names as Filene’s, Hecht’s, Kaufmann’s, Famous-Barr, Meier & Frank, Robinsons-May, Foley’s, L. S. Ayers, Strawbridge’s and the Jones Store are now a thing of the past.
Lets face it, mass merchandising is a part of our culture and slowly it’s becoming all about the profit, rather then the people. Marshall Field said it the best, “Give the lady what she wants” when he described the proper way to handle the consumer. As a consumer, I want my Marshall Field’s back. I’m not happy with Macy’s on State Street as a name; Macy’s @ Field’s would be better. I’m sure most Chicago residents would agree. Marshall Field’s @ Macy’s would be far better sounding. But what can you do? Do you actually think that corporate America will listen to us?
Now don’t get me wrong, I like Macy’s, I’ve always have. Even when they were in downtown New Haven, I held a position there for a few years. Back then it was different though. They were a publicly owned company. In a way they still are, but they were R.H. Macy, not part of the Federated conglomerate. But it seemed that the fact they were local (Metro NYC area) made a bigger difference in how you did business. Yes, we didn’t have email, nor did we have computers, but life still went on and the store still made its profits.
In a way, FDS is good for MF. I don't agree in changing the name. But I do believe they have saved a local landmark from being destroyed. The way I see it, their former owner May Company eventually may have shuttered the landmark, therefore possibly losing this store and its glory to future generations. FDS has the capital and the knowledge to make MF continue to awe its shoppers and guests.
I was originally going to make this a historical blog about MF. But I see instead its turned into a gripe session. Rather then add on the history of the company, I’ve located some links so you can read what I would basically put here. Please comment on your thoughts on this merger as well. I would like to hear your opinions. In a few days however, I will be uploading some items I've collected over the past years. Please check back.
- Wikipedia's entry of Marshall Field's
- PDX History, a local Oregon-ite's view of classic and now defunct department stores.
- Press release for the masses on the revitalization of the historic store, from its current owner Federated Department Stores.
- Macy's revision of Fields.com, now Macy's on State Streets visitors guide.
- Chicago's local CBS station's article and media on the merger
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