VS. 
I am by no means a marketing or sales expert, but I don’t think it takes a focus group or research study to realize that Macy’s made a major mistake by getting rid of the Marshall Field’s name. I knew from the first rumblings of a name change that it would be a huge faux pas. I was further convinced after hearing Macy’s parent company CEO Terry Lundgren cite research that said “two-thirds of people surveyed in the Chicago market felt neutral to positive, largely neutral about the name change from Marshall Fields to Macy’s.” Who did he think he was foolin’? He could have saved the money he spent on that phony baloney research and gave it to me. As a life long Chicagoan I could have told him there are certain things synonymous with this town, the Sears Tower, the Cubs, Garrett’s Popcorn, the Daley’s, Michigan Avenue, State Street and Marshall Fields (not in any particular order and certainly not the only Chicago icons).
Here we are two years and millions of dollars in lost sales later and Macy’s is finally giving up on trying to woo the Field’s faithful. Click here to read the Trib article. Macy’s is now trying to bring in new shoppers by building a wine bar, offering free Wi-Fi, opening the city’s only FAO Schwarz toy store and hosting college nights and “shoe diva” parties. Supposedly, kids, college students and young professional that moving into the downtown area will be impressed enough to shop at Macy’s State Street store. What about the other stores in Water Tower, Oak Brook, Old Orchard, Northbrook and River Oaks? Sales at those stores aren’t great either.
Here’s a piece of free advice, no market research needed, change the name back to Marshall Fields! Bring back the favorite brands, along with great customer service and the green bags and Chicagoans will grace your cash registers in droves.
Comments (2)
Tonya-I agree one hundred percent. It's sad that what I secretly wished for (Macy's sagging sales) has transpired, but like you I ask, "What were they thinking?" I swore I would never shop there and I haven't. The state street store was like a museum. It was the source of many memories for families and friends. Going to "Fields" was the ultimate trip to buy the best quality, a little bit higher priced, but with a status so well known that you were proud to wrap your presents in Marshall Fields gift boxes and carry just about anything in the green shopping bag.
Posted by Betty Carroll | December 4, 2007 8:31 AM
Posted on December 4, 2007 08:31
Right on! I knew Macy's would fail in Chicago as soon as I first heard of the name change. You can't mess with Chicagoans, they know what they want.
Posted by Kurt | November 18, 2007 12:30 AM
Posted on November 18, 2007 00:30