Department stores – why I don’t love them

Yes, department stores, like Macy’s in New York, KaufHaus des Westes in Berlin or El Corte Ingles in Madrid. They have variety, quality and (sometimes) good prices. Their locations are usually also great – all the stores I mentioned are located in the centre of their cities. But still, I don’t like them. And let me tell you why:

- Room disposable and internal organization is often chaotic, misleading people to wander around many different sections and product proposals. For an efficient buyer like me (I almost always have a clear shopping target and seldom defocus from it) lack of organization is a waste of my precious time;

- It is too crowded and chaotic, and usually doesn’t live up to the clean and exclusivity promise of many of the brands it sells. It has brand quality, but their store quality is very poor;

- Price is usually worse than in brand or category specific stores, making it a bad place for a bargain – unless you get a price cut-off promotion.

I know there is a market for department stores – it was a key format throughout the 20^th century, especially for the upper-middle class. But, it needs to make sure it is fit to compete in the fast-paced and very competitive environment in which we live nowadays.