What’s in a Name?

Federated to find out if a rose by any other name still smells so sweet in a “cow town”

(visualstore.com)

Following the announcement by Federated Department Stores Inc. (Cincinnati) that it would be converting nearly all the former brands of The May Department Stores Co. (St. Louis) into Macy’s stores, The New York Times did some research outside existing May Co. stores.

At a Filene’s flagship store in Boston, which sits across the street from a current Macy’s, the paper said shoppers had mixed reactions about the name change. Damian McNulty, 30, a contractor from Boston, said he did not care what the store’s name was as long as the bargain basement at Filene’s stayed put.

“If the basement remains, I’ll still shop here,” he said. “But as far as Macy’s or Filene’s, they’re both essentially the same to me.”

Matt D’Ambrosi, 29, a Boston resident who works in real estate, agreed that a name change was not significant. “Honestly, it’s not too big of a deal to me,” he told The Times. “I equate Macy’s and Filene’s as having the same quality. Neither one stands out.”

Similarly, shoppers at Famous-Barr in Richmond Heights, Mo. (a suburb of St. Louis, where May has its headquarters), said the name of the store was less important than the merchandise.

Lee Akers, from west St. Louis County, said, “The name doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s the quality of the merchandise. If it doesn’t improve, I won’t shop here anymore. Famous has let its quality go down. I’ve been to Macy’s in New York and Chicago and they’re not high-quality.”

Akers said what bothered her the most is the implication that a long-time retail giant in St. Louis will now be identified with New York. “I’m not proud to participate in anything belonging to New York,” she said. “Why? Because of their attitude toward the Midwest. They think we’re a cow town.”