One Man's Trash is ... Still Trash

On Saturday my husband and I went to the Macy's store near our house as it is one of the many to be closed nationwide. Ads promising amazing deals lured us out of our toasty home into a cold January day. Deciding to divide and conquer, Jim headed to the men's clothing area on the first floor while I was on a mission to find lingerie on floor three. Because the escalator dumps you into home goods, still filled with comforters and towels, I wasn't able to immediately note any significant differences in the store. As I headed through pots and pans and sparkling glassware, I came face to face with the graveyard. Row after row of empty steel racks stood sentry over what had until recently been an undulating ocean of satin, silk and lace. Okay, this is Macy's not Victoria's Secret, so there was polyester too. Nevermind that...This was my first indication that one man's loss was not going to be this woman's gain. Taking the escalator down to the second floor and women's wear, I made a beeline for the petite section. One thing I love about Macy's is the fact that they have an area dedicated to the vertically challenged. I don't have to hunt and peck through the entire women's department to find that elusive "P" on the hang tag. Quite quickly I realized that items that had been on sale for 50% off before the holidays were now boasting the great store closing deal of 30% off. What a bargain! Perhaps if Macy's had come up with this clever pricing strategy earlier they wouldn't be closing so many stores. It appeared to me that items in the store that were of any retail value had already been shipped off to the other area stores, and what was left was stuff no one wanted in the first place. My husband fared no better with the men's selections, but we did make one last run back up to three to see if any of the cookware was less ridiculously priced. What we found there surprised me - two boxed sets of Lenox Christmas china at 70% off. Now that I have a new kitchen with lots of storage, I finally have a place to keep holiday dishes and glasses. So we snatched those up, along with a box of martini glasses for Jim, and that took care of the Macy's gift cards we have been toting around forever. As for most of the rest of the stuff remaining in the store, I have to ask myself, "What were the merchandise buyers thinking?"