It’s been exactly a year since Bloomingdales combined all of its shoe departments into a virtual shoe farm on the fifth floor of its New York flagship. At first view, the choice seemed to make sense. Convenience and organization but the result appears it could have been a miscalculation.
While the shoe floor is usually bustling, the fourth floor with designer clothing section is a ghost town. During our last visit, there was just one lowly salesperson on the entire fifth floor, which contains more luxury clothing brands.
The contemporary floor isn’t much better. The big difference is that there is an overwhelming selection of clothing packed together. It’s hard not to get anxiety for the mere volume of polyester and denim.
When the shoe departments were spread among apparel, there was a chance for customers to be inspired and explore. As you were walking to see the new Chanel ballet flats, you might happen upon a great dress or a great top. As things stand, clothing is only attended by necessity.
In celebration of the Bloomingdales friends and family sale, we made it a mission to find some positives. The discount is 25% off but most higher end brands are excluded. If you’re interested in an item not included in the discount, you can always engage the loyalist program and receive a $25 gift card for every $100 spent.
Some considerations that are included in the saving portion of the friends and family promotion include these Levi skinny jeans with knee rips that come to $75 from $100 and this Sandro cotton lace dress that’s $333 from $445. (It’s actually really pretty in person and even the cotton is a nice quality.) The promotion can also be applied to sale items. These high-rise Kopples jeans come to $75 from $250 and Koral leggings come to $69 from $115.
The friends and family promotion runs through Sunday, April 14. We suggest that you shop during this markdown. The next sale with similar discounts won’t be until mid-May.
