tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387577382434463891.post3048084473522061137..comments2023-10-15T06:33:46.836-07:00Comments on A Timeless Affair -- Inspiration for Vintage Weddings: Update: Macy*s Sip and Scan Registry EventEden Hensley Silversteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13694056096336019643noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387577382434463891.post-27608770970673652972010-05-23T15:44:35.868-07:002010-05-23T15:44:35.868-07:00(continued...)
- Ultimately, their products were ...(continued...)<br /><br />- Ultimately, their products were what remained most unimpressive to me. I'm sure there were a few things in the kitchen section that I would've added, had I been able to escape the watchful eyes of those awful salespeople! But really, everything else was aesthetically unexciting, outdated, and, in my estimation, horribly overpriced. Overpriced to the point where I didn't want to add any of it to our registry because I would have been embarrassed to ask our friends and family to spend that much money on us!<br />- They gave us a gift of champagne glasses too, which was quite generous. I shouldn't complain. However, these glasses were obviously very cheaply made and had the Macy's star logo on them. "Here, have this item for your home that advertises our store." Great for our friend who likes stars! :) (I am glad they found a good home.) But as a gesture from Macy's, it kind of fell flat.<br /><br />In the end we pulled all the items off our Macy's registry because this event did nothing but turn us off from their company. I didn't want to bring money to a company that clearly only sees us as potential dollar signs. We barely had any items on our registry to begin with, and since we were unable to find anything more to add (thanks to pushy salespeople and overpriced, boring products), we moved what little we had over to our Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond registries.<br /><br />In the end, I feel a little silly complaining about what amounts to a no-cover party with free food, beverages, and a gift at the end. But when you're throwing an event to try to get people to buy your stuff and you end up pushing them away? You have failed, Macy's, you have failed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387577382434463891.post-30664908518953983052010-05-23T15:41:40.638-07:002010-05-23T15:41:40.638-07:00(continued...)
Macy's:
- Did not close the st...(continued...)<br /><br />Macy's:<br />- Did not close the store, so we were there along with a zillion other random shoppers (I suppose I can understand how it would not be in their best interest to close such a huge store, though)<br />- Had no product demonstrations<br />- Had one small food station with three overly fancy but ultimately mediocre hors d'ouvres. I would much prefer a simple cheese and meat plate than frilly appetizers. The cake was good, but it was presented not as a token of thanks for registering with Macy's, but as a sample from a local wedding cake vendor: a bite or two followed up with several pieces of paper literature to try to get you to buy their cake. Not appreciated! Even the music was provided by a local wedding DJ trying to get you to take his card (at least he wasn't pushy about it).<br />- Did not serve us any wine. And in fact they faked us out by having a display of what looked like champagne cocktails only for us to discover it was just water upon the first sip. That was the start of me being irritated, that first sip. Furthermore, in general the guys that are attending such events are not going to have much interest in being there. One good way to keep them at least moderately interested would be to booze them up a little. I think they failed hugely by not providing alcohol.<br />- Had salespeople so pushy that I was afraid to stop and look at or touch *anything* for fear that I would catch the notice of one of them. Once they noticed us looking at something, they would scamper over and eagerly try to impart knowledge upon us, and then not go away. In general I am a very informed customer and don't need additional information! If I have a question, I will ask, thanks. As you mentioned, this was the worst in The Cellar, where the kitchen items are. I really wanted to browse the kitchen section more, but after being badgered incessantly by not one but two salespeople in the 10 minutes we were there, I wanted nothing more but to run screaming out of the store. Ed's scanning of the gummy sharks was his small and hilarious act of defiance against their ridiculous sales tactics.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387577382434463891.post-16236872631916548122010-05-23T15:39:35.976-07:002010-05-23T15:39:35.976-07:00I'd hoped to find more to add. Maybe some nice...I'd hoped to find more to add. Maybe some nice sheets or something. Really, though, what ultimately turned us away from Macy's (aside from those ridiculously pushy salespeople) was their products. Their sheets and towels are nice but a) they're WAY overpriced and b) they just don't come in interesting colors. Macy's really needs to update their look if they want to grab the younger generation. The one sheet set we were interested in was that purple one. At $600 for a duvet cover and $200 per flat sheet... yeah, that's not happening.<br /><br />I think if I hadn't been to the Crate & Barrel event first, I wouldn't have been so down on this one. Let's compare:<br /><br />Crate & Barrel:<br />- Closed the entire store so only people there to register were browsing<br />- Had a few product demonstrations, including knives and a panini grill on which they actually made sandwiches and asparagus for us to eat (which were delicious and fresh)<br />- Had several food stations set up throughout the store with meats, cheeses, fruit, and tiny sandwiches<br />- Served us wine - as part of a product demo (the Vinturi aerator), but also to be gracious hosts<br />- Salespeople were friendly and smiling. They greeted us then left us alone unless we had a question. And if we had a question, they left us alone after answering it, rather than pestering us further<br />- The products were nice, pretty, had a good color selection, and were reasonably priced<br />- The gift they gave us at the end of the evening was a set of delicate heart shaped champagne flutes: not really our style, but a nice gesture just the same. <br /><br />As a result, I ended up learning a lot, squealing over all the different pretty products, leaving happily full and tipsy and feeling cared for. I definitely added several items because I was a little drunk! Granted, I deleted a lot of them later, but still, getting my brain to associate their products with being happy and tipsy is a GOOD IDEA.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com