tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8401355923091588637.post1370160500688762607..comments2024-03-06T03:19:26.910-05:00Comments on The Emperor's Old Clothes: Saks is playing with a stacked deck.....Fluff Chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17757091504806772512noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8401355923091588637.post-42486788397653382692009-02-12T09:35:00.000-05:002009-02-12T09:35:00.000-05:00So Saks is going to become Filene's Basement? Mayb...So Saks is going to become Filene's Basement? <BR/><BR/>Maybe I'm old-fashioned (I'm 40), but shopping is a seasonal special occasion for me, and the stores I visit on these occasions are not jumble-sale fire traps with manhandled clothing available only in size 2 or 16. I thought that was why Saks had outlets, so they could offer this "experience" to customers looking for a bargain.<BR/><BR/>Saks abandoned my home city about 4years ago, but I have a good relationship with a few salespeople at Saks Boston where I shop in the summers and in the winter by phone. The Boston store is about perfect because of their size (not too big), the variety of price-points, the attentive and experienced staff. I've been to the Saks outlet south of Boston, and it's something, but it isn't a Saks.<BR/><BR/>The lone good department store in my hometown is Halls, owned by Hallmark cards, and I'm happy to notice that they have not taken the all-sale-all-the-time approach. When I was in yesterday buying spring gifts for family members I noticed that they have less merchandise so the store looks cleaner, but also more mid-tier representation, like more Tory Burch, Stuart Weitzman, etc. than past seasons. Happily they are still carrying higher end items like Bottega, Prada, Loro Piana, and the service was as fine as usual. Their sales racks were cleared by the end of January so the store looked spring-y, clean and helped put you in the mood to buy for the new season. <BR/><BR/>My advice to Saks as a long-time customer is to focus on service and showing the merchandise off to best effect. Bring in more designers for trunk shows, special events. People will respond to these, and you will retain your core customers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com