Macy’s announcement Tuesday that it will close 150 stores, or nearly a third of its total, is the result of a once-great department store industry in decades of decline.
I know a lot of people buy clothes online, but I like to know how they fit.
I tried buying clothes online once, and it was a nightmare. Imagine how different brands in one store have different interpretations of the same size and multiply that amount of variation by 100 online.
Had to return over half of what I bought and then guess what size I needed based on how ill-fitting the first one was. Return shipping was free, but the carbon and other resource overheads are significant.
Because I think it makes sense to have decently-large stores with a significant amount of clothing that you can try on before you buy it.
There’s plenty of clothing specific stores out there that are relatively large. Department stores aren’t really something people want anymore as they are in a niche between smaller specific stores and larger big box retailers, and are usually crappier than the former and more expensive than the latter.
I feel like I’m usually choosing between three options.
For almost all my clothes, I’m buying from a thrift shop. Cheap, least harmful for the environment, can be in-person trying stuff on. Perfect. I can even get business-appropriate clothing (I work at a university) but obviously it’d be hard to find specific or very nice fitting stuff.
If I need an outfit for a special occasion (for me this is one or two outfits at a time, max), I’ll go to a specialty store. Sometimes these are online “slow fashion” shops, sometimes they are boutiques or tailors. This obviously costs a ton more, but for one or two outfits, it’s worth it.
Lastly, occasionally I will see a stupid, trendy, specific thing I want to wear. I’ll usually buy this online from a fast fashion shop. I’m not a saint, and we’re talking like <2% of the clothes I buy… Idk, I know it’s not the best, but I think my other clothing habits make up for it… and I’m not going to find a cow print crop top or e-boy outfit at the thrift store, ya know?
I’m not sure how I feel about department stores going under since it’s such a complicated issue (don’t care about losing them but maybe they’re dying because they’re being replaced with something worse?), but I have not felt like department stores fill a niche for me for more than a decade now. I don’t feel a practical issue with their loss, more just a sense of foreboding, lol.
Anti-consumer wastes of space. I don’t mourn them
Versus what? Because I think it makes sense to have decently-large stores with a significant amount of clothing that you can try on before you buy it.
I know a lot of people buy clothes online, but I like to know how they fit.
And if you need to buy a suit, you’ll probably spend a whole hell of a lot less at Macy’s than you would a suit specialty store.
I tried buying clothes online once, and it was a nightmare. Imagine how different brands in one store have different interpretations of the same size and multiply that amount of variation by 100 online.
Had to return over half of what I bought and then guess what size I needed based on how ill-fitting the first one was. Return shipping was free, but the carbon and other resource overheads are significant.
Online shopping is great, but not for everything.
There’s plenty of clothing specific stores out there that are relatively large. Department stores aren’t really something people want anymore as they are in a niche between smaller specific stores and larger big box retailers, and are usually crappier than the former and more expensive than the latter.
Which ones are as cheap and have clothing at a decent quality level? Because the former applies to stores like Kohl’s and TJ Maxx, but not the latter.
So either you pay more at those stores for quality or you pay less for clothes that are going to fall apart a lot sooner.
I feel like I’m usually choosing between three options.
For almost all my clothes, I’m buying from a thrift shop. Cheap, least harmful for the environment, can be in-person trying stuff on. Perfect. I can even get business-appropriate clothing (I work at a university) but obviously it’d be hard to find specific or very nice fitting stuff.
If I need an outfit for a special occasion (for me this is one or two outfits at a time, max), I’ll go to a specialty store. Sometimes these are online “slow fashion” shops, sometimes they are boutiques or tailors. This obviously costs a ton more, but for one or two outfits, it’s worth it.
Lastly, occasionally I will see a stupid, trendy, specific thing I want to wear. I’ll usually buy this online from a fast fashion shop. I’m not a saint, and we’re talking like <2% of the clothes I buy… Idk, I know it’s not the best, but I think my other clothing habits make up for it… and I’m not going to find a cow print crop top or e-boy outfit at the thrift store, ya know?
I’m not sure how I feel about department stores going under since it’s such a complicated issue (don’t care about losing them but maybe they’re dying because they’re being replaced with something worse?), but I have not felt like department stores fill a niche for me for more than a decade now. I don’t feel a practical issue with their loss, more just a sense of foreboding, lol.