I visited Macy’s, and saw how disappointing displays and customer service are hurting its sales

• I visited the Macy’s flagship store in New York City and tried on its new “On 34th” private label. 
• Most of the styles were lackluster and outdated. 
• The store appeared to be severely understaffed — no one helped me get a dressing room or at the register.

This summer, Macy’s is launching On 34th, a women’s brand promising to solve common fit issues and provide styles that can be mixed and matched. 

I thought this would be a good opportunity to check out the new line and experience shopping at the iconic retailer – as a millennial who admittedly doesn’t frequent department stores very often. 

I went to Macy’s famous flagship store on 34th Street in Manhattan, and while it had plenty of selection, it failed to capture my interest with its lackluster displays and elusive staff.  

Macy’s revenues fell about 7% year-over-year in the first quarter, to $4.98 billion, and a recent UBS report expects Macy’s to continue to lose customers as shoppers gravitate to online channels and off-price retailers like TJ Maxx.

“Macy’s has a real problem with merchandising, both in terms of buying product, allocating product, and displaying product in a compelling way in its stores,” retail analyst Neil Saunders told Insider. “The end result is a very disjointed offer that does not come across clearly to the consumer and isn’t all that targeted at any particular type of consumer.” 

Saunders told Insider he’s visited more than 50 Macy’s stores across the country this year. “The one thing that they all have in common is that they’re abysmal,” he said. “Macy’s is one of the worst retailers for shopkeeping standards in the country.” 

I witnessed some of this disarray during my visit. A highly stylized Ralph Lauren Polo shop was a bright spot in an otherwise faltering store.  Table displays were either sparse or cluttered, the mannequins were dressed in dull and frumpy outfits, and finding a store employee was a game of “Where’s Waldo.”

A Macy’s spokesperson provided the following comment: “We invite our customers to own their style and provide merchandise and displays that showcase product versatility and different styling options to inspire them. With ebbs in customer traffic and the current transition of seasonal merchandise, there may be times when some areas of the store are not in keeping with our standards.”