I went Christmas shopping with one of my daughters and her daughter the other day. This has been an annual tradition for many years. It keeps me from getting overwhelmed and assures that I’ll buy gifts that people need rather than what I decide to buy. Being a typical male, I’m a hunter not a gather; so my style is to park as close to the one store that might have everything I need, go in with a carefully thought-out list and buy what’s on it with little regard to price or anything else. There’s no browsing, no haggling and no attention paid to sale merchandise. Just get in and get out as quickly as possible.
Fortunately my daughter slowed me down and insisted I make some choices, so there’s a good chance that what was purchased won’t be returned the week after Christmas. She always reminds me that size is important for clothing, but consideration must also be given the recipients personal tastes, style, color and other things that let them know that care went into the selection of the gift. With her help, this year’s gifts meet the criteria.
As I walked through the major department stores at the huge mall not far from my home, I noticed that things have changed. It did not happen in one year, but what transpired over several years suddenly became clear to me. The better department stores no longer have departments. Instead the women’s clothes department, for example, consists of a number of boutiques with each sporting a number of different types of clothing items under a single label. So instead of going to the sweater department where all the sweaters were on display, a half-dozen or more sections carried sweaters, all with different brand names. The same is true for blouses, jackets, dresses, slacks, and so on.
Branded-leased departments are not new for items like perfume and various specialty products, but doing this across a vast array of clothing tends to lengthen the time one must spend in a particular store and probably adds to the price tag. Speaking of price, the department stores never recovered from the mass merchants’ everyday low price strategy. To compete, they turned to weekly store-wide promotions; these are the rule rather than the exception. There are coupons, extra discounts for using store charge cards, and price reductions on top of price reductions. It makes you wonder if only fools, and men in a hurry, are willing to pay the full retail price.
Along with promotional discounts came a reduction in sales personnel. Department stores were once known for having each area well-stocked with merchandise and knowledgeable salespeople ready to help customers make selections. Now, you’re pretty much on your own. If you can’t find what you want, try another branded department. Those lucky enough to find something must take it to a centralized checkout counter and stand in line, pretty much like you do at the mass merchants.
Is this the end of service as we pre-boomers remember it or simply the way younger generations prefer to shop? I can’t say, but I’m sure glad I didn’t have to shop alone this Christmas and hope I won’t have to go back to the mall until next Christmas.
Don Potter, a Philadelphia native, was born in 1936 and is a 50 year veteran of the advertising agency business. Now living in Los Angeles, he has written two novels in retirement, frequently writes on marketing issues, and has a blog dedicated to pre-boomers (those born between 1930 and 1945).
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