Macy's plans to reopen all stores in six weeks, starting with 68 on Monday

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Business

Macy's plans to reopen all stores in six weeks, starting with 68 on Monday

The department store chain shuttered all 775 stores in March and furloughed most of its 125,000 workers due to widespread coronavirus lockdowns

By Taylor Telford and Abha Bhattarai
April 30, 2020 at 10:11 a.m. EDT

Macy's will reopen dozens of stores Monday as states begin easing coronavirus lockdowns and said it expects to have its entire fleet operating in six weeks, according to news reports.

Chief executive Jeff Gennette told the Wall Street Journal that 68 stores will be in the first wave, making it the first major retailer to announce its comeback plan. The move comes as Simon Property Group, the nation's biggest mall owner, prepares to reopen 49 shopping centers this weekend in states easing restrictions, including Georgia and South Carolina.

Best Buy also plans to reopen 200 stores in May for shoppers with appointments for in-store consultations, the Journal reported. Tapestry, which owns Kate Spade and Coach, will reopen 40 stores for curbside pickup Friday.

[The iconic brands that could disappear because of coronavirus]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/29/which-iconic-brands-could-disappear-because-coronavirus/

{snip}

Taylor Telford
Taylor Telford is a reporter covering national and breaking news. Follow https://twitter.com/taylormtelford

Abha Bhattarai
Abha Bhattarai is the national retail reporter for The Washington Post. She was previously a reporting fellow at the New York Times. Follow https://twitter.com/abhabhattarai

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/30/macys-reopen-stores-coronavirus/

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Macy's plans to reopen all stores in six weeks, starting with 68 on Monday

Link to tweet

[marble falls]

1. I hear their first big sale will be on body bags.

[jimfields33]

4. The problem with saying that with every opening is that what if it doesn't?

When you continue to say that until on every move, it makes it impossible for it to happen 100 percent of the time.

[marble falls]

6. What if it doesn't. So this is a gamble not based on science. What's your concern???

[jimfields33]

8. I worry that it will be used against us if our predictions don't happen

[DesertRat]

14. How will it be used against us?

Sorry, I'm not following.

[jimfields33]

17. We say there will be deaths all over the place due to opening and it doesn't happen.

They’ll say oh those liberals love to call “cry the wolf” or whatever that saying is.

[DesertRat]

18. There's no shame in overreacting to the coronavirus

A quote I read (can't remember where) said: "If the measures we're taking to fight the coronavirus work, they may be called excessive later on, but the alternative is worse."

[Bengus81]

19. The logic I use is what is different NOW than in March or April?

Positive tests are not going down in Kansas or most other States for that matter, they're going up on a daily basis. Is there a vaccine that I missed? So why did State government close them just to reopen when nothing has changed??

I get the income situation and I think that Government needs to step up and give stimulus cash to people on a two week basis for a few months until something changes--and cap the recipients receiving the checks at reasonable income level. How about we roll back that obscene 14% tax cut for corporations like Amazon,Boeing etc to pay for it? How about a tax hike for guys like Bezo's who has made himself another $20B just in the last few months?

This BS opening is going to be disaster V2.0 in the coming weeks.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. I think I read they fill online orders direct from stores

so this is good news for Macy's, maybe even a matter of survival.

[Roc2020]

3. feels like desperation

I can't think of any substantial victories against this pandemic to justify 'reopening' any business

[jimfields33]

5. They are desperate

They were on their last leg prior to this. I suspect they would close for good if they had to close another month. This still may not save them.

[marble falls]

7. If they can't find a successful model, maybe they ought to get out of the buggywhip business?

[jimfields33]

9. Maybe

Probably 80 percent of mom and pop stores are gone. 50 percent of department stores will never open again. And numerous restaurants are gone. It’s going to be totally different when all’s done. It’s going to be a lot less choices on where to go eat, shop, buy a book, etc.

[Doreen]

11. Sounds like what already happened in my town years ago.

It is scary to think we will get even less.

[Roc2020]

12. Don't forget tourism

It's actually quite shocking how many businesses tourism directly and indirectly affects that will not survive due to the crippling of local national and international travel.

[marble falls]

13. I still don't think encouraging customers and compelling employees to take unnesessary risks ...

to keep stock holders happy is a great idea.

I think your statistics are off, but even so: we are a market driven society in the US and when this is over if people want a Macys then then some venture driven entrepreneur will open a Macys.

This is what's happened any time we've face this sort of economic situation before whether it was the Great Depression, the Great Recession, shortages from wartime, etc.

Macys survived 10 years of Depression, 8 years of Reagan's Recession, 5 years of WWII shrtages on the tail of 10 years of Depression - but three months of Covid19 has put them on the ropes so low we must risk our lives to maybe save them???? Their problems may be made worse by 3 months of Covid19 but it isn't why they will go down even if C19 is when it happens.

People quit going to them in droves over the years, they didn't evolve. Just like the dinosaurs. When the had their Covid moment, they died out and the world repopulated itself.

Macy may be dying and maybe its not the best thing for us, but Amazon is having no problems at all and they stated from the ground up.

If the airlines fail, and no doubt some will, as they have before, Trump Airlines and TWA come to mind, there were other airlines that took their place.

If the oil companies fail, and some have before, well - there will be producers, refiners and retailer to take their place.

Macys will either fix their business model or they will join the buggy whip makers and retailers and someone else will take their place.

Its only three months later, the civil structures are still holding regardless of how wrong minded some of them seem. We are no where near panic stage and nowhere near the point of risking our lives so someone else's stock portfolio can perform better or some CEO gets all his options and bonuses.

[Celerity]

23. All Restaurants are Taco Bell

[jimfields33]

24. Yep. Great movie.

I especially liked when you crash your car it becomes styrofoam. I always thought they should do something like that.

[jmowreader]

25. Society was way too controlled in that film

On the other hand, the "synaptic suggestion" equipment could be useful in higher education. If it is March and we know we need 100 new teachers in West Virginia schools in September, we spend March and April picking out 100 good strong candidates who already live in WV, freeze them from May 1 to August 1, implant the skills they need...when school opens up in September, the schools are staffed.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Stupid move. But WaPo: a group of brick&mortar stores is not a "fleet". It doesn't move, duh. . . nt

[C Moon]

15. I'm in So. California. It looks like a lot of businesses are re-opening even with the stay at home.

I walk my dog early in the morning and traffic is now 3x what it was a month ago. It almost looks like a normal morning—without the school traffic.

If this is true (companies are not obeying the stay at home rules from our governor), the virus is going to have a good ole time in the next couple weeks.

[japple]

16. Just in time for Mother's Day!!!! eom

n/t

[sybylla]

20. So disappointing. I was all set to start shopping from them online, too.

Endanger your workers, you lose. Fuck all the way off, Macy's.

[Politicub]

21. Good luck avoiding virus transfer while trying on clothes

Apparel is their bread and butter.

Macy’s is one of the most inessential businesses around.

Shopping is fun and all, but survival is what most people on focused on.

[Steelrolled]

22. It is incredible how this has become such a political issue

with the two sides forming their battle lines. This is how we all are shaping the American culture of today.