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 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.
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.