The retail mystery
When I moved to Fitchburg, MA in 1976 there were a few options for men's clothing.
There was still a bespoke tailor business on Main St. I think that it was called Kennedy's, (or maybe that was the last name of the super cute man who attended to me!)
There was a K-Mart at what we called (hold your breath!) the K-Mart plaza. It was a bright, well lit store which was totally reliable for slacks, shirts, underwear, socks etc. K-Mart was at the upper end of the discounts.
Meanwhile just down the road in Leominster there was a Sears store in the imaginatively named "Searstown"!
I moved to Chicopee. The "Fairfield Mall" on route 33 was a bit of a dud, but just a few miles away was the Holyoke Mall with anchor Departmental stores such as Sears and J.C. Penney. It was 1980. Sears and Penney's were the epitome of good service, fair prices, and a deep inventory.
Off to Pittsfield in 1984 to encounter the locally owned England Brothers Departmental Stores (already on the ropes); and we had regional discounters such as Zayre (low end) Bradlees (a bit better).
The Pyramid Company wanted to build a Mall in downtown Pittsfield. The then Mayor, Charlie Smith vetoed it and he was greatly vilified. Prescient or not, he was right. The Mall was eventually built in Lanesborough MA - and it is on the ropes.
Retail has changed so much. The days when Sears and Penneys were our default choice have gone.
Outliers such as Marshall's and T.J. Maxx ( T.K. Maxx in the U.K.) and our Florida based Bealls have their niche, but shopping there is a bit like attending a Church pot luck supper.
Perhaps you will have a feast with a wide range of dishes, or perhaps (as once happened in one of the parishes I served) everyone will have brought a pasta dish. You never know what you might find at Marshall's etc. It will be of good quality, but you'll have to hunt and peck to find it in your style and size.
SIZE I have to buy shoes sized 81/2 (USA size) and wide. My feet are not exceptionally wide but I choose a wide size to protect my bunions.
I need a new pair of running/walking shoes - my old ones are battered and bruised. So I set off to one of my local Kohl's stores where I've been known to luck out.
Believe it or not, the first shoes I looked at were the New Balance brand - sized 81/2 wide. The fates were with me.
But the pricing was weird
Item price $59.99
Sale price $44.99
Discount for having a Kohl's Charge card $6.75
Final price, including Sales Tax $40.92
---------------------------------------------------
I'll take it! Kohl's served me well today.
BUT
What was the mark up along the way, from the point of manufacture to my purchase today? Kohl's told me that (apart from Florida Sales Tax) I "saved" $21.75.
However much I "saved" I know that Kohl's made a profit. So I have to ask where were the shoes made, and how little were the worker's paid per hour in order that my new shoes could be made, shipped, warehoused, distributed to local stores and sold to me at a "bargain price"?
There was still a bespoke tailor business on Main St. I think that it was called Kennedy's, (or maybe that was the last name of the super cute man who attended to me!)
There was a K-Mart at what we called (hold your breath!) the K-Mart plaza. It was a bright, well lit store which was totally reliable for slacks, shirts, underwear, socks etc. K-Mart was at the upper end of the discounts.
Meanwhile just down the road in Leominster there was a Sears store in the imaginatively named "Searstown"!
I moved to Chicopee. The "Fairfield Mall" on route 33 was a bit of a dud, but just a few miles away was the Holyoke Mall with anchor Departmental stores such as Sears and J.C. Penney. It was 1980. Sears and Penney's were the epitome of good service, fair prices, and a deep inventory.
Off to Pittsfield in 1984 to encounter the locally owned England Brothers Departmental Stores (already on the ropes); and we had regional discounters such as Zayre (low end) Bradlees (a bit better).
The Pyramid Company wanted to build a Mall in downtown Pittsfield. The then Mayor, Charlie Smith vetoed it and he was greatly vilified. Prescient or not, he was right. The Mall was eventually built in Lanesborough MA - and it is on the ropes.
Retail has changed so much. The days when Sears and Penneys were our default choice have gone.
Outliers such as Marshall's and T.J. Maxx ( T.K. Maxx in the U.K.) and our Florida based Bealls have their niche, but shopping there is a bit like attending a Church pot luck supper.
Perhaps you will have a feast with a wide range of dishes, or perhaps (as once happened in one of the parishes I served) everyone will have brought a pasta dish. You never know what you might find at Marshall's etc. It will be of good quality, but you'll have to hunt and peck to find it in your style and size.
SIZE I have to buy shoes sized 81/2 (USA size) and wide. My feet are not exceptionally wide but I choose a wide size to protect my bunions.
I need a new pair of running/walking shoes - my old ones are battered and bruised. So I set off to one of my local Kohl's stores where I've been known to luck out.
Believe it or not, the first shoes I looked at were the New Balance brand - sized 81/2 wide. The fates were with me.
But the pricing was weird
Item price $59.99
Sale price $44.99
Discount for having a Kohl's Charge card $6.75
Final price, including Sales Tax $40.92
---------------------------------------------------
I'll take it! Kohl's served me well today.
BUT
What was the mark up along the way, from the point of manufacture to my purchase today? Kohl's told me that (apart from Florida Sales Tax) I "saved" $21.75.
However much I "saved" I know that Kohl's made a profit. So I have to ask where were the shoes made, and how little were the worker's paid per hour in order that my new shoes could be made, shipped, warehoused, distributed to local stores and sold to me at a "bargain price"?
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