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Macy’s

Wednesday, 3 September 2014 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: North America / Nordamerika
Category/Kategorie: General, New York City, Shopping Reading Time:  4 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post Macy’s, originally R. H. Macy & Co., is a mid-range to upscale chain of department stores owned by American multinational corporation Macy’s, Inc. It is one of two divisions owned by the company, with the other being the upscale Bloomingdale’s. As of January 2014, it operates 850 department stores locations in the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a prominent Herald Square flagship location in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It also has eSpot ZoomShops kiosks in over 300 store locations selling consumer electronics.

Macy’s is known for its niche in popular culture and the diversity of its merchandise. It competes with Belk, Bon-Ton, and Dillard’s; more upscale facilities compete with Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Macy’s has conducted the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City since 1924, and sponsored the city’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display since 1976. Macy’s flagship store on Herald Square is advertised as the largest in the world, and draws shoppers from well beyond the New York City Metropolitan Area. The venue is in close proximity to other Manhattan landmarks, including the Empire State Building, Koreatown, Pennsylvania Station, and Madison Square Garden.

Macy’s was founded by Rowland Hussey Macy, who between 1843 and 1855 opened four retail dry goods stores, including the original Macy’s store in downtown Haverhill, Massachusetts, established in 1851 to serve the mill industry employees of the area. They all failed, but he learned from his mistakes. Macy moved to New York City in 1858 and established a new store named “R. H. Macy & Co.” on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, which was far north of where other dry goods stores were at the time. On the company’s first day of business on October 28, 1858 sales totaled US$11.08, equal to $301.47 today. From the very beginning, Macy’s logo has included a star in one form or another, which comes from a tattoo that Macy got as a teenager when he worked on a Nantucket whaling ship, the Emily Morgan.

As the business grew, Macy’s expanded into neighboring buildings, opening more and more departments, and used publicity devices such as a store Santa Claus, themed exhibits, and illuminated window displays to draw in customers. It also offered a money back guarantee, although it accepted only cash into the 1950s. The store also produced its own made-to-measure clothing for both men and women, assembled in an on-site factory. The store later moved to 18th Street and Broadway, on the “Ladies’ Mile“, the elite shopping district of the time, where it remained for nearly forty years.

Read more on Macy’s and Wikipedia Macy’s (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.

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