Why Macy's Is A Retail Sleeping Pill

So what is Macy's anyway? I mean I understand Walmart and Target at one end of the spectrum and Saks and Neiman Marcus on the other, but Macy's is a mystery.

I walk into a Macy's and what do I find:

*A boring predictable environment

*Plain vanilla products it feels as if I can buy much cheaper and faster on line

*Sales reps who seem to be sleepwalking, dreaming of escaping the monotony all around them

Most of all, I think of what Bloomingdale's legendary former CEO once told me: "Great retailing isn't retailing, per se, it's show business." If Bloomies was once the epicenter of retail entertainment, to me Macy's is an Ambien.

I have nothing against Macy's personally but as a businessman, the place bothers me for a primary reason that applies to other entities of its ilk.

That is, Macy's was once a great and imaginative retailer. Its holiday windows were stunning. Movies were made about it. Great products often enjoyed their debuts at Macy's. The company has gone through a series of managerial and financial gyrations over the years, that's true, but as a consumer I don't care about that. I want to walk into a store from a tiny New York surfing boutique to a California Walmart and be excited about the deals, the bargains, the unique goods, the imaginative environments. At Macy's, for me: nada.

And then there is online. I find it vastly more exciting, pleasant and economical
to browse Amazon, Mr. Porter and RestorationHardware.com than to visit a Macy's or to be bored to tears by its site.

There are thousands of issues swirling all over this issue, this Macy's thing, but to me none more important to the marketer I am that no business should ever lose its magic, its joy, its ability to thrill, its unique qualities and quirks. Others may find it all at Macy's: I don't see a hint of it.

It's just to damn easy to fade into the black hole of boredom.