RIP Marshall Field's :(

[MisfitsFiend]

We will miss you....

I don't know what marketing fool thought it would be a good idea to change a Chicago Historical icon. I walked past State St. this morning, and the awnings were gone, gone are the green awnings, and up is the stupid red star...if I wanted to shop at Macy's, I'd fly to the east coast...Chicago has lost a piece of its cultural identity...


Sorry, had to get this rant out this morning...

Macy's isn't going about this change very well either.... All they seem to be able to do is anger Chicagoans.

 

[loup garou]

Don't worry, Federated is pissing everyone off. They'll probably end up selling Lord & Taylor 5th Ave here since acquiring May, and they're not bringing back any Macy's in the New Orleans area after Katrina.

 

[yowolabi]

I get almost all of my work clothes from Marshall Fields. This change is enough to make me look at other stores as possibilities. This was an idiotic thing to do.

 

[K1052]

I still don't understand their decision to pull down a institution/name like Fields just to replace it with the usual Macy's crap (and do a poor job along the way from what I hear).

Anyone and everyone from this area of the midwest told Macy's this was a serious mistake.

 

[Platypus]

 

[Tom]

Federated destroyed the Lazarus stores in Columbus, Ohio a few years ago.

 

[Syrch]

they should have made Fields their prestigous line or something....stupid mistake!

 

[skrilla]

Marshall Fields is no more here in MN too. Sad.

 

[dainthomas]

Get in line, pal. They're getting rid of Meier and Franks in Portland too.

 

[KillerCharlie]

If the name of a store is part of Chicago's cultural identity, people from Chicago are pretty shallow...

 

[Lola]

I feel for you.
Although i am not in Chicago... Hudsons/MF was big in Michigan as well. I am sad about it changing.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
If the name of a store is part of Chicago's cultural identity, people from Chicago are pretty shallow...

Really ? What human endeavours are worthy for establishing cultural identity, if commerce isn't ?

 

[Lola]

Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
If the name of a store is part of Chicago's cultural identity, people from Chicago are pretty shallow...

I have heard tons of stories of people who grew up in Chicago who went to Marshall Fields every christmas to see the window displays, visit santa, shop... it is a part of them as much as it is a part of the city. why is that so hard to understand?

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
If the name of a store is part of Chicago's cultural identity, people from Chicago are pretty shallow...

They aren't just changing the name. They are changing the lines of product, how the store operates, and the name. It will now be just like any other department store.

The brand, reputation, and tradition that Field's has built over the last 100+ years cannont be rebuilt at any price.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
If the name of a store is part of Chicago's cultural identity, people from Chicago are pretty shallow...

They aren't just changing the name. They are changing the lines of product, how the store operates, and the name. It will now be just like any other department store.

The brand, reputation, and tradition that Field's has built over the last 100+ years cannont be rebuilt at any price.

Well apparently that brand and tradition didn't do to well, otherwise, Macy's wouldn't be taking over it. You have no one to blame but yourselves.

 

[Born2bwire]

And now Carson's is moving off State St. too I heard.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
If the name of a store is part of Chicago's cultural identity, people from Chicago are pretty shallow...

They aren't just changing the name. They are changing the lines of product, how the store operates, and the name. It will now be just like any other department store.

The brand, reputation, and tradition that Field's has built over the last 100+ years cannont be rebuilt at any price.

Well apparently that brand and tradition didn't do to well, otherwise, Macy's wouldn't be taking over it. You have no one to blame but yourselves.

Federated Department Stores bought the whole of May Company and is converting many of May's stores to Macy's or selling off the May stores to developers if there are too many Federated assets in one area. It has nothing to do with Field's or Lord & Taylor or Filene's doing well and everything to do with Federated wanting to streamline operations and maximize profits on their Macy's private labels.

 

[Pepsi90919]

did his last name really have an apostrophe in it?

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
did his last name really have an apostrophe in it?

no, but it was his store.

 

[Emrys]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
If the name of a store is part of Chicago's cultural identity, people from Chicago are pretty shallow...

They aren't just changing the name. They are changing the lines of product, how the store operates, and the name. It will now be just like any other department store.

The brand, reputation, and tradition that Field's has built over the last 100+ years cannont be rebuilt at any price.

Well apparently that brand and tradition didn't do to well, otherwise, Macy's wouldn't be taking over it. You have no one to blame but yourselves.

It has done much better than Macy's here in Minnesota. Before the switch there was one Macy's store in Minnesota and that was at the Mall of America. It was consistently empty, had little product selection, no feeling and no connection to the city.

Field's/Dayton's always had a welcoming feeling and carried a larger range of products. At field's the house brand was about 20% of the products for sale, with Macy's the house brand is ~40% of what they stock. Further, consumer surveys/comparisons in the Midwest have put the quality of the Macy's line below that of the field's brand, target, etc.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
If the name of a store is part of Chicago's cultural identity, people from Chicago are pretty shallow...

They aren't just changing the name. They are changing the lines of product, how the store operates, and the name. It will now be just like any other department store.

The brand, reputation, and tradition that Field's has built over the last 100+ years cannont be rebuilt at any price.

Well apparently that brand and tradition didn't do to well, otherwise, Macy's wouldn't be taking over it. You have no one to blame but yourselves.

And this is because every business decision is based on logic and will turn out to be right ?

LOL

 

[Sheep]

Bloody hell. I grew up in the Chicago area and my first job in HS was for Marshall Field's. Shame to see it going down like this.

I wonder if anyone would be willing to buy the name and rights? Considering how important branding is, stranger things have happened in the retail world.

EDIT: One more thing--if they get rid of Frango mints, I'm gonna have to go postal on someone. I love those things.

 

[AStar617]

Jordan Marsh already has suffered / Filene's is suffering the same fate up here in MA. :thumbsdown:

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: MisfitsFiend
We will miss you....

I don't know what marketing fool thought it would be a good idea to change a Chicago Historical icon. I walked past State St. this morning, and the awnings were gone, gone are the green awnings, and up is the stupid red star...if I wanted to shop at Macy's, I'd fly to the east coast...Chicago has lost a piece of its cultural identity...


Sorry, had to get this rant out this morning...

Macy's isn't going about this change very well either.... All they seem to be able to do is anger Chicagoans.

i agree. while i did not shop at Marshall fields them changing the name is silly. MF is a known name around chicago.

 

[Lorax]

Originally posted by: Sheep
Bloody hell. I grew up in the Chicago area and my first job in HS was for Marshall Field's. Shame to see it going down like this.

I wonder if anyone would be willing to buy the name and rights? Considering how important branding is, stranger things have happened in the retail world.

EDIT: One more thing--if they get rid of Frango mints, I'm gonna have to go postal on someone. I love those things.

i remember a similar uproar when field's moved their frango manufacturing out of chicago... some newspapers did a taste test to see if people could tell the difference between the old and new mints.