Word: nordstrom
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...that proved a prescription for turmoil, as the changes confused customers and department buyers alike. For example, Donna Karan's DKNY line of sportswear had been in Nordstrom's cutting-edge Savvy shops since 1989 and was now a candidate for golden oldie. So Nordstrom moved DKNY to the Individualist section, a much larger space for career women, and switched other labels from there to still another section. The changes rippled through the stores like rows of tumbling dominoes, and the resulting disruption surprised the new management team. "We underestimated the problems of shifting things around," Nordstrom says. "We just...
Placing the merchandise was only one of Nordstrom's problems. The company was agonizingly slow to bring in national superbrands such as Tommy Hilfiger for Women and Lauren by Ralph Lauren, allowing rivals like Macy's and Bloomingdale's to take the lead in rolling out the hugely popular items. "We were late in the game in getting in on it," Nordstrom admits. "We just can't allow these things to happen...
Such mistakes have taken their toll through the departure of some once-loyal customers, particularly those with an eye for the latest trends. Tara Feinstein, 35, a free-lance journalist, recently browsed the aisles of a Nordstrom store in Woodland Hills, California, shopping for clothes for her three-year-old son. She walked out with two $20 T shirts and a sense of disappointment. "I remember being very excited when Nordstrom came to Southern California in the 1980s, and I shopped there exclusively," she recalls. "Now, when I think of Nordstrom, I picture brown and drab...
Disenchantment like that mocks the company's goal of serving shoppers through a lifetime of wardrobe changes. The ideal Nordstrom customer may begin by buying turtlenecks and T shirts as a teenager and graduate to a $1,800 Donna Karan suit or a $3,000 Valentino gown as the years go on. And, oh, the convenience! Salesclerks are free to go from department to department to help you pick out a head-to-toe ensemble. Nordstrom salespeople average an industry-leading $29,000 a year in base pay and commissions and are regarded as entrepreneurs with their own clientele...
Furthermore, service is costly; so Nordstrom must find a way to generate more sales from all its stores if it hopes to turn profits around. Besides massaging long-time customers, Nordstrom is trying to attract choosy new ones by paying more attention to refreshing its fashions. Pete Nordstrom argues that last year's shifts in placement have made it possible for the company to respond more swiftly to the latest trends. And he takes comfort from what happened in the early 1980s, when Nordstrom shook up customers by bringing in Liz Claiborne lines and moving other brands around. Although disruptive...