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May Department Stores: Chains
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Department stores saw sales grow by 4.6 during the month, helped by an 8.5 percent surge at Federated, operator of the newly national Macy's chain. A massive $100 million national ad campaign and holiday-related sales helped draw people into their stores last month.
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The former May Department Store in University Heights, Ohio, has, like all in the chain, changed over to the Macy's brand. Some customers are unhappy with the change and voting with their wallets, analysts say.
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Management positions in department stores made up just over 2 percent of total employment. These positions included department managers, buyers, merchandise managers, store managers, and retail chain store area managers. A college degree became increasingly important for management positions, especially with large department stores. Companies preferred to hire people who earned a bachelor's degree in marketing or business to join management training programs.
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His next move, the $11 billion merger with May and the conversion of 400 May department stores into Macy’s, created a department store with the size and power to demand better prices from clothing suppliers and more exclusive merchandise. In the last year, Martha Stewart said she would develop an upscale furniture line for Macy’s and the designer Elie Tahari agreed to create a collection of women’s clothing for the chain.
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Department store chains have bigger problems than a gloomy economic forecast. Once the premiere centerpiece of the American shopping experience, mall-based department stores have become antiquated, offering too much sameness in products. They have ... grown a sizable reputation for poor customer service. The modern attitude toward department stores was expressed by Barbara Ashley of Retail Ventures, who told Real Estate Finance and Investment, "Department stores are overpriced, the merchandise assortment is redundant and prices change frequently. Shopping is abysmal with untrained sales assistants."
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At the time, department stores were pillars in local communities, dominating retailing in their spheres and authoritatively dictating fashion trends in many medium-sized cities. But their power waned as fashion-oriented specialty chains grew, especially those reaching out to women entering the workplace. In recent years, they have faced the rise of national competitors like Wal-Mart and Target Corp. and increasing acceptance of shopping over the Internet.
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