HI swalter--it is very late and I have not read all the posts. However, I just wanted to agree w/your point about MF being much more than just a store. My childhood was spent in Chicago and Marshall Fields, esp the one on State Street, is so much more than a store. It is a one of a kind experience that can only be compared to Gallerie Lafayette in Paris. People who are not from Chicago, probably cannot relate to the idea of its meaning to the city.

As a "naturalized" Bostonian, I also agree w/Anonymous. Filene's downtown store also has a grand history that is not replaceable.

... shucks, no brionis in stock.

It makes me sad, too. My entire family is from Chicago, and Marshall Field's IS indeed, an institution. I feel ya.

Sad.

NanoPalos, I completely agree and identify with your post. Even though I am a suburban girl and very rarely make it to the State Street store, this news just breaks my heart. I got my first credit card from Field's when I was 21 (with a $300 credit limit!) and I bought my first nice piece of jewelry for myself there. I registered for my wedding there and always always buy special wedding or birthday gifts from Fields. I have 5 good friends and family members who work at the Oakbrook and Woodfield stores. I even worked there part-time one holiday season. Hearing this news makes me feel like a part of my life will be changing, and not for the better.

The Marshall Field's on State Street... ahhh, bliss.

I remember when my mom got her first MF credit card (and a matching one from Carson Pirie Scott - they still around?) She bought the most beautiful gown as the first purchase on that card. It was no big deal to her, but I remember as a little girl felling like that store, that gown and that card was magic.

I was thrilled to move to a little city on the Midwestern prairie and find an MF here. Now, I'm crushed.

Even Dayton's (which invented Target as a retailing entity separate from its upscale Dayton's brand) was better than Macy's. And an earlier poster was correct about that name change - only when Target went big-time with name recognition far beyond Dayton's region did the corporate name change happen.

As an aside - Anyone remember those old detective novels where they could identify where the mysterious corpse came from by the labels in his clothes? Guess that investigative tool is just a memory.

BTW, as regards to ancient memories - I'm not even 40 yet, and the gown memory is not yet 25 years old.

I don't think you will have to worry much about the name change 5 years from now they all will be gone including Macy's. This merger is an atempt to save a dying part of retailing. A smart move but only a stop gap in the end of this type of retailing

I'm not so sure the original poster has shopped at MF in the last couple years. Yes it use to be an institution. The key words are "use to" MF downtown or any mall branch of the store has gone down in quality over the last three years. I use to shop the downtown store, now I don't even botther. You could see this sale coming several years ago. The dressing rooms became messy, the inventory was dull and the staff became less and less. I was impressed the last time I was in a Macys store. It seem much more variety and choices than the downtown MF has had in several years. Welcome Macys!

buckeyemom - If you are ever down here in Cincinnati to shop, be sure to check out the Macy's at Kenwood Towne Centre. From other comments, it seems Macy's differ greatly from store to store, but this one is pretty nice. They have been adding on to it and redecorating for months and the grand opening for the redo is today.

I, too got my first credit card ever from Field's and will be sending it back to them cut up.

What upsets me the most, perhaps, is that they're keeping Lord & Taylor as Lord & Tayor, and that store certainly doesn't have the brand equity that Marshall Field's does. The only reason anyone (I know) goes there is because of their deep discounts due to their unpopularity.
So I guess it's Nordstrom from now on--that's about the only non-Federated store left.
Racy

Chicagoans, I sympathise. And although I am not a Chicago native, when I lived in Columbus, I grew to love our Marshall Field's. Many of my cashmere sewaters, which were of good quality, were purchased there in my annual after-Thanksgiving pilgrimage! And on my trips to Chicago, a stop to the original store almost seemed mandatory.

And, just like people in other parts of the country have fond memories of going to their grand, old department stores, I have fond memories of going to the downtown Columbus Lazarus to go to the 6th floor Christmas wonderland they created every year. We'd have lunch at the Chintz Room and we'd pick up something special in the downstairs food department.

What a trip down memory lane this has been . . . Reminiscing about great stores like I. Magnin, Lazarus and Frederick & Nelson. I'd like to add a couple of others that I miss: Bonwit Teller and Bullocks.

I think that the "Macy-isation" that is occurring is not only diminishing these regionally unique brands, it's also diminishing the Macy name, as well.

And I definitely feel sorry for parents today who have to take their kids to Wal-Mart to meet Santa . . . BLEECCH!

And the day that Wal-Mart becomes the only store left is the day I start doing ALL of my shopping online from stores outside the U.S.!

I too am truly sad over the news of MF turning into Macy's. I live in the St. Louis area and head up to Chicago quite often and we go to the MF's on State Street quite often. Its a Chicago landmark. And I disagree with snowrooster; regardless of the parade, MF, for me, has always been much more recognizable than Macy's.

The St. Louis area is also going to be Macyfied very soon. All of our Famous-Barr stores will be turned into Macy's, including the flagship store in downtown St. Louis that has been there for years and years (and just about the only store left downtown worth visiting). Unfortunately, with this merge comes a loss of jobs for over 1,700 May Company employees here in St. Louis, where May Department Store Co. is headquartered.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/bus...E?OpenDocument

Tracy

To illustrate what this means to Chicago, the front page headlines of both the Tribune and SunTimes are about Field's name change.

Is there hope? Just read there is an online petition started to keep the name--

www.keepitfields.org.

Can't hurt. As we say in Chicago, vote early and often!

Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and my Southtown all have headlines- large font: FIELDS NO MORE! Or similar wording.

Well the Southtown, did put a header on the top of the page that the Sox won. But right now, that is another crisis. LOL!

But this is REALLY hitting home and I do think that already some powers to be in the "take over" are realizing some repercussions.

The new people are sending out pathetic double talk, such as promises that Frango Mints will be coming back into production on State St. etc. This with the 6,200 job force loss projection on the very next page. Somehow I am not reassured by their reassurances.

When I made all the plans for OCT. 1 with all my girls- I had no idea about this. Maybe we will switch our luncheon before the show, including a quick tour and have lunch at MF. They are only 2 blocks apart. Yes, we will. And you know, they do have excellent food in the court apart from the Walnut Room, as well. It was always overlooked. Actually I've eaten at the Orland Park's MF's court and it was much better than the Mall's court for similar pricing.

My guy's Aunt was the supreme MF icon. She headed buying for purses and gloves etc. and worked downtown for 25 years at MF. She ended up in AZ and came back every May to do her MF employee discount shopping at State St. or in Oakbrook. She had face creams and make up beyond sublime. I'm still using all her green bags. Adeline must be turning in her grave.

Artman, Original poster here, and I shop at the State Street store on a very regular basis-weekly to biweekly and I patently disagree. When Dayton's bought the chain, I agree the quality dropped. When Mays bought it, it improved and the renovation of State Street is gorgeous and the quality/brands have improved tenfold. Now, we're stuck with Macy's with might as well be Kohls. Nothing against Kohls but it's not comparable-it's how much stuff can we cram into this small space with no focus on branding or merchandising or quality. Good thing the Sox won or I'd be in really sad shape today!

I think you are making incorrect generalizations when it comes to Macy's. The one near my office in Kentucky is pretty much as you described, but the one in a higher end mall near my home is really wonderful. I don't have anything against Kohl's either, but I don't shop there. I assure the Macy's I frequent is NOTHING like Kohl's. Hopefully Federated will listen to the consumer complaints and rethink their decsion with this flagship Chicago location, but if not, I would imagine they will make the Macy's there a top notch Macy's rather than one that mimics the look of a Kohl's.

Macy's is where you go if Nordstrom doesn't have what you want. Then even if you find something in Macy's, you also have to find a sales assistant.

Just heard in San Diego this morning, our Robinsons-May store in Fashion Valley will become Bloomingdales, the first one in San Diego.

BuckeyeMom & LT, I too have such fond memories of lunch in the Chintz Room at Lazarus and fashion shows. My girlfriends and I used to have a "free lunch" munching on the freebies in their food department which was wonderful. We lived in Chicago for 20 years and my girls grew up on lunch in the Walnut Room and a visit to Santa. We were in London at Xmas and visited Harrod's and Selfridges. Here is the bad news, there is no good service there either! We spent $60 for lunch for 2 at Harrod's and didn't get what we ordered and couldn't even converse with the waitress who didn't speak English very well. Selfridges was not at all the place I remember going to as a young girl visiting England. The real way to complain is to write letters and boycott the store. I won't shop at WalMart, I don't agree with the way they ruined so many smaller stores, or the way they ill treat their employees. It isn't easy and you may have to pay a little more, but you can sleep easier at night.

Thanks for the url:

www.keepitfields.org

I emailed it to a lot of peers and it will all make us feel more hopeful for the Flagship store's appearance, at any rate- if nothing else.

Thanks JJ. See I'm not the only one all ticked off!