I wish this was my work space...

Days like these... It's so obvious that I'm on the wrong career path. Or not the wrong path.. but maybe just misdirected. I hope that one day (sooner than later) I have the financial stability to make a living by living my life.. doing the things I love. The best I can do is find some sort of positive element in every "job" I take. I spent 7 years working for McKee and Company... learning the elements of home design... textiles... color palettes... space planning...(and of course, how to take coffee orders, prune roses, and handwrite 100s of 100s of price tags... haha) Next, short-lived employment at Salt Creek Grille, as a 20 something year-old hostess. Needless to say.. I didn't learn much... other than the simple fact that I love to serve people. I love to create atmospheres where people can come and talk, and eat, and be merry. But even that... I learned that a LONG time ago. I do love to entertain. All I can say about my current venture is that I'm learning a lot.. (about diamonds and gemstones, settings and metals) I'm still not sure it's helping me figure out what I want to do with my life... but I don't hate going every day... and we all know that's half the battle. I can't justify the compensation.. so I won't even try. For the most part, I enjoy my peers, admire my boss, and have an awesome team. Just trying to figure out how (and when) it's all going to result in a life (living) I'm proud of.

LA Time Article -- ..."Macy's Refashions itself... to attract modern shoppers"

December 22, 2009

RETAIL

Hoping for green holiday, Macy's refashions itself

The venerable chain, building on its nostalgic appeal, is updating its

operations to attract modern shoppers

By Andrea Chang

Wrapped in the music, lights and relentlessly red decor of Christmas at
Macy's, Kathleen Kwiatkowski opened her wallet with a little pull from
holidays past.

Like millions of other Americans, Kwiatkowski says she shops at the
department store for its selection, ample coupons and easy return policy.
But in part it's simply tradition.

"Macy's is Christmas," said the West Hollywood resident, 56, examining a
stack of knit tops at the Beverly Center store. "My mother used to take me
to the New York store when I was a little girl."

Since the classic film "Miracle on 34th Street," Macy's has been synonymous
with the holidays in the minds of many consumers. This Christmas, amid a
tough sales environment, the department store giant -- second only to Sears
Holdings Corp. by revenue -- is hoping that nostalgia translates into a
much-needed sales boost.

Amid the devastation the recession has wreaked on retail sales, the
venerable chain has been trying to reinvent itself, tailoring its stores to
specific regions, pushing its online presence and boosting its promotions
to draw customers.

In the process, Macy's hopes to reverse the decades-long decline in the
department store business model that has seen many mall-weary consumers
shifting their shopping habits to big-box discounters, free-standing stores
and the Internet.

"It's a critical holiday season for Macy's. They have to turn things
around," said retail analyst Michelle Clark of Morgan Stanley, who is
neutral on the stock.

The Cincinnati company, which owns luxury retailer Bloomingdale's and
operates a total of 854 stores, is aware of the threat of becoming
obsolete. With nearly one-third of its annual sales riding on the
November-December season, Macy's is trying hard to stay relevant.

"Macy's as a department store is not just competing against other
department stores," said John Gorham, senior vice president and director of
stores for Macy's southwest region, which includes California. "In today's
world, whether it's specialty, whether it's discount or whether it's
department stores, the name of the game is capturing wallet share from the
consumer."

The recession, the reshaping of the company and the competition have kept
Macy's financial results volatile.

The company lost $35 million for the three months ended Oct. 31, even after
slashing 7,000 jobs and closing about a dozen stores this year. Over the
last eight quarters, its earnings have seesawed, swinging as high as $750
million in profits to a low of $4.77 billion in losses, a result of a
write-down in assets.

In trying to reinvent itself, Macy's has been overhauling its merchandise
structure -- a move the company says will allow it to better respond to
customer preferences and needs by location.

Under the initiative, called My Macy's, stores are grouped into small
districts of about 10 to 12 locations each. Previously, the clusters were
about twice as large yet had half as many managers, resulting in
merchandise missteps such as not adjusting product sizes by location.

"There was just no physical way that you could get into the detail of what
the customer was demanding when you were that big," Gorham said. "It was a
problem."

In a region as diverse as the Southland, the My Macy's strategy has helped
the chain pinpoint store-specific issues.

In Westminster, for example, Macy's has increased its stock of small sizes
to better serve the store's many Vietnamese shoppers, who tend to be more
petite on average, Gorham said. After shoppers at the Macy's in Costa Mesa
said they wanted more dresses, the chain upped that store's inventory by
30%.

Many customers say they've already noticed the changes.

"Before, there wouldn't be a lot, but now I find there's a lot I can choose
from. There's definitely a difference," said Marivel Molina, 22, who had
just spent $200 on Christmas presents at the Macy's at South Coast Plaza.
"Every time I come I find something."

The company also has put significant effort into its online presence -- and
it's paying off. Internet sales at Macys.com and Bloomingdales.com were up
21.1% in its most recent quarter and 15.6% for the year to date, the
company said last month, although it didn't release exact online sales
figures.

The merchandise improvements have cheered some industry watchers, who say
Macy's is on the right track and that its long history and national
footprint give it an advantage over its competitors. Macy's stock is up 70%
this year, compared with a 23% increase for the Standard & Poor's 500 index
of major companies.

Although it closed 11 underperforming stores this year, the chain opened
six new ones and rebuilt two others. Last month it raised its financial
outlook for the full year.

Analysts are cautiously optimistic. Half of those who follow the company's
financial progress recommend that people buy the stock and half recommend
that investors hold their shares, according to a Bloomberg survey.

"Macy's is taking advantage of the recession. It's made some very tough
decisions in terms of consolidating operations and streamlining its expense
structure,"said Bill Dreher, senior retail analyst at Deutsche Bank
Securities who recommends buying the stock. "We like these changes, and we
like the direction the company is going."

Founded in New York in 1858, Macy's was acquired by Federated Department
Stores in 1994, part of a buying spree that later included purchases of
rivals Broadway Stores and May Department Stores. Two years ago the company
officially changed its name to Macy's Inc.

Industry consolidation and failures in the 1980s and 1990s, along with the
recent wipeout of regional retailers such as Mervyns and Gottschalks, have
left Macy's and its 167,000 employees in an increasingly smaller pool, but
that hasn't helped department stores in general.

Last month sales at department stores fell 4.7% compared with a year
earlier, according to Thomson Reuters. In the retail segment of the
economy, that drop made it the second-weakest sector in November after
youth-oriented apparel sellers. With sales down 6.1% for the month, Macy's
performed worse than department store peers Kohl's Corp., Nordstrom Inc.
and J.C. Penney Co.

Other factors also leave the chain vulnerable.

As a mid-range department store carrying a wide selection of apparel,
accessories and home decor items, Macy's aims to reach customers across all
income levels. But even with seemingly nonstop coupons and markdowns, the
chain has difficulty shaking its image as a pricey place to shop.

"Maybe if I had a full-time teaching job, I would shop at Macy's," said Jan
La Joice, a substitute teacher from La Crescenta who was shopping at a
JCPenney in Glendale recently.

For the holidays, the chain has ramped up its national "Believe" campaign,
including a 30-minute animated television special and gift card give-aways.

"Part of the DNA of this brand is to really do all holidays well, but
particularly Christmas," said Martine Reardon, Macy's executive vice
president of marketing.

That's what drew Carla Cotti to the Macy's at Glendale Galleria recently
when she was looking for trendy gifts for her grandchildren.

The senior housing consultant grew up shopping regularly at the department
store but lately has broadened her options, making her visits to Macy's
less frequent.

"With this economy, there's not a person who isn't going to make their way
to a Costco or a Wal-Mart or a Target," she said. "But I still need
Macy's."

OC Register Article -- My Macy's

Why no Macy’s store is quite like another

December 3rd, 2009, 6:00 am

posted by Candice Shih, Staff Writer

Via OC Register

With more than 800 stores in the U.S., “nimble” might be an odd way to describe Macy’s.

Nonetheless, it’s becoming more the case as Macy’s implements a customization program around the country. Through My Macy’s, not only will Orange County stores better respond to their customers’ needs but so will each individual Macy’s store.

“It’s not just vendor structure or adding categories,” said John Gorham, senior vice president and director of stores in Macy’s Southwest region. “Appropriate size, color, weight of goods and silhouette are also just as important. It’s tailored to the uniqueness of the consumer.”

For example, that meant adding more small sizes in Westminster, which is heavily Vietnamese (pictured), eliminating coats in Hawaii, and adding a Lakers shop in downtown Los Angeles immediately after the team won the NBA championship this year.

Gorham’s area includes Southern California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona. He has lived in Laguna Hills for more than 18 years and knows Orange County well.

He described how each Macy’s in Orange County was adjusted to match its demographics and interests:

Westminster Mall — “It’s a perfect example of adjusting our size range in apparel and in shoes based on the specific customer profile in that market. We are able through the new My Macy’s process to adjust to smaller sizes,” Gorham said. “We have a fairly penetrated cosmetics business so we added a BeneFit Brow Bar.”

Fashion Island — “We didn’t have a juniors business in that store. The customer voted in back in April, and by Sept. 1 we had a full-blown juniors department,” Gorham said. The new department includes sportswear and dresses.

South Coast Plaza — “The customer was asking for a much broader assortment in dresses. We expanded and increased the dress offerings and space by over 30 percent. The business is flying. We are the dress headquarters for all of Orange County,” Gorham said. That also meant expanding the offerings in lower-priced dresses, such as those costing $120 to $150.

The Shops at Mission Viejo — “There was an enormous distortion of Levi’s in men’s. It was something that was continuing to grow,” Gorham said. “We doubled the space and we close to doubled the inventory.” This Macy’s also met a high demand for Levi’s in women’s, children and juniors and for its own INC brand for men and women.

Brea Mall and Main Place — “We added Tommy Hilfiger to these stores. We intensified the juniors business in denim, casual tops, sweaters, knits, camis and tanks,” Gorham said.

Laguna Hills Mall – “It is attracting a younger customer. We expanded juniors into the mall into a separate shop,” Gorham said. Customers asked for mineral-based makeup, too, so a Bare Escentuals counter was added.

The ability to react more quickly to customer demand was made possible by a new management structure at Macy’s, Gorham said. As a senior vice president, he supervises nine district vice presidents. Each of those teams has a district merchant and district planner, who gather local information.

“There’s constant evaluation of business performance and profit performance. You evaluate what’s trending,” Gorham said. “Things can change and things do change.”

Nine West Vintage Collection at Macy's

Nine West Vintage Sheriff Boot $129.00 Via Macy's

Nine West Vintage Coby Flat $69.00 Via Macy's

Nine West Vintage Frollic Boot $99.00 Via Macy's

The belts and bags are pretty awesome too. Definitely reasonably priced. Plus! There's a $10 off $50 Nine West Vintage purchase coupon in the September issue of Lucky Magazine. Or use 'VINTAGE' in the coupon code on Macys.com

Martha Stewart Kitchen Fun

Recipe Box Martha Stewart Collection Via Macy's

Set of 4, 2-Cup Chill Container Martha Stewart Collection Via Macy's

16 Piece Food Storage Container Set Martha Stewart Via Macy's

Collapsible Dish Rack Martha Stewart Collection Via Macy's

Set of 2 Colanders Martha Stewart Collection Via Macy's

Set of 6 Melamine Prep Bowls Martha Stewart Collection Via Macy's

Set of 6 Melamine Bowls Martha Stewart Collection Via Macy's