The Final Countdown (of Pittsburgh Saks Closing)

(photo from the aftermath of the Saks 2008 recession clearance)

You have one week left to pay Pittsburgh's Saks Fifth Avenue a visit before the doors are shuttered for good. I was able to stop by this week and can report that prices are now pretty incredible. But what remains is very picked through. You take an additional 70-90% off the lowest marked tags. Other than the fixtures that are for sale, everything is contained on the first floor.

In women's: There is an entire La Vie section (beautiful pieces for professionals who want to still look unique and feminine) with racks priced between $25 and $35 per piece. It is located in the space formerly occupied by women's handbags and scarves. In the women's contemporary space, you will find furs to the left and dresses to the right with other clothing pieces (suiting, tops, sweaters, outerwear, and pants) in between. Take 80% off dresses (and if you buy three, you get an additional 10% off). 80% off outerwear 70% off sweaters, pants, tops, and skirts. 70% off bras (and if you buy three, you get another 10% off). You get the idea... Men's stuff can be found where women's shoes once sat. Bras and intimates are where the Prada handbags and wallets were once located. There are still plenty of pretty items left but you have to dig. Lots of Escada if that's your thing. Some very pretty dress options in plus sizes (which are across from La Vie). A few evening gowns remain. But stuff is moving quickly as you can imagine.

The See by Chloé sweater dress is gone sadly (and I wasn't the person who scored it), but the other See by Chloé dress I tried is still there for about $50.

Some tips if you go: dressing rooms are mostly communal (all communal in men's and half communal in women's) so dress accordingly. I wore a slip so that I could still change swiftly with some amount of modesty, knowing that the communal room had a shorter wait. You can bring a maximum of 8 things into the dressing rooms. It's funny how swiftly the Pittsburgh Saks has come to feel like Gabriel Brothers in both of the above regards...

If you are shopping for a specific type of item (a blazer or a dress for example), check the entire section and the dressing room return racks. Things are not as organized as they once were during the regular rotation of Saks' end-of-season sales so even though you might not be a size 6, some 8s, 10s, and 4s could be in the size 6 section. Don't fixate on the numbers during the hunt. Be thorough and patient.

And be kind to your fellow deal hunter. These scenarios have a dehumanizing and decivilizing effect on many of us (as indicated by the annual Black Friday trampling stories we read across the US). At the end of the day, it's just stuff. There will always be another deal, another dress, another opportunity to consume. But being a jerk can have a lasting impact on your fellow shopper's outlook. Being kind can too, but in a positive way.

Everything is "Final Sale" so beware of the disorienting effect that sale goggles can exert upon otherwise sensible brains. And check price tags if multiple items of your desired garment exist in the additional % off sections! I paid different prices for two of the same T by Alexander Wang t-shirts in men's (bought as undershirts for Chris) because I wasn't careful during the transaction and I didn't check both tags. It was a difference of only a few dollars so it isn't a big deal. But let my mistake make other dealhunters more thorough. :)

I am not sure if another cut will be taken next Thursday, when only two days will remain. I regret not going earlier on this Thursday just to see what was still available when those deeper cuts were made. I also can't help but regret not scoring the stripey sweater dress before someone else nabbed it. Sure it was itchy but for 80% off, I'd deal. Anyway, I hope this update is useful. If you score anything great, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Pittsburgh Saks Liquidation Update

So by now you know that we're losing our Saks Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh. An external liquidation firm is handling the process of turning over stock. And additional materials were consolidated from other stores, prior to being shipped to outlet locations. Currently, contemporary stock is 40% off. And there is an additional 10% off the 60-65% off merchandise. There are brands not typically carried in Pittsburgh, including some See by Chloe dresses, some premier designer items from Pucci, Proenza Schouler, and more.

The handbags were pretty picked over as well as shoes (I saw one pair of these leopard Revas, some sky high Nicholas Kirkwood pumps, and other random odds and ends). Some small Tory Burch bags, a random MBMJ Hillier, and plenty of iPad cases remained. But plenty of boots, rainboots, and booties were left. There were a few Michael Kors watches and some neat jewelry pieces. For me, the most exciting stuff was in women's contemporary. I'll be back later this week with some clothing reviews from the sale.

They brought in additional sales associates through the liquidation firm, so the level of service ranges depending on how seasoned an employee you encounter. But because plenty of people are shopping the sales who may have rarely patronized regular Saks, it might not be noticeable. I did hear some of the more recent saks employees lamenting that they were tired of hearing "how sad" the closing sales felt for shoppers. I am sure this is the default guilt-induced interaction that many frequent and less-than-frequent patrons exhibit. There is something about the process that feels very much like pillaging or scavenging that yields (for me at least) that guilty shopper feeling. I personally only made such small talk earlier in the sale and limited to conversations with the sales associates who I've seen there for years. They were the ones who were eager to share their future plans and to whom I wanted to express my gratitude for services in the past.

Saks Pittsburgh Liquidation

For Saks Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh, this week marked an official beginning of the end. The Post-Gazette reported yesterday that the Saks Pittsburgh liquidation sale commenced with the company set to shutter their doors on March 17th, 2012.

Although I am really bummed to see Downtown Pittsburgh lose yet another retailer, I reserve a tiny amount of (irrational and completely unfounded) hope that perhaps Saks corporate will opt to open something in the burbs. The empty Boscovs space at South Hills Village would be suitable. The Tanger Outlet in Washington hosts a nice Off Fifth location but who doesn't like the ability to scope new arrivals and shop Saks' legendary Black Friday or After Christmas sales in person?

I also want to say that even though I was a relatively infrequent and predominantly sales-shopping customer of the store, the customer service in Pittsburgh was fantastic. The sales associates made you feel appreciated and welcomed, even when it was obvious that someone (like me) was going to make a b-line for the clearance racks. Perhaps this should be taken for granted and expected from retailers? Still, I know from shopping other similar stores around the country that this was remarkable. So thank you Pittsburgh Saks associates for being so kind and warm over the years! I wish all of you luck and hope that the severance packages were as generous as the kindness you extended to your patrons.

Sad day for shoppers in Pittsburgh

Saks Fifth Avenue is closing their downtown store. Read more here. I know the building was in need of extensive renovations but I was hoping an agreement could be reached to keep them in town. It is a real loss to the luxury retail landscape and I hope perhaps they consider setting up shop in the burbs. Burbs would be better than nothing!

Quick Hard-Working OOTD

DVF dress

Cece cardigan

Chloé flats

Anthropologie trench

Banana Republic necklace

I wore this to campus before Spring Break began. I have owned this dress for a long while. It was one of my first purchases from Shopbop. Although it isn't part of my hardest working garments list, I have brought down its cost-per-wear significantly over the years. At 70% off, it was easy to do.

Later today I will share some of the hardest workers in reader closets! 

In unrelated Pittsburgh business and ecommerce news, it was a major bummer to read that Modcloth laid off workers this week. Included in the layoffs were a few that the company very recently relocated from Pittsburgh to San Francisco. It almost makes me glad that they gave my friend the ax before she uprooted her and her husband's life late last summer. My heart goes out to those who are now looking for work.

Legendary Fall 08 Discounts: The Economic Aftermath for Designers

Recent articles in the Wall Street Journal and New York Magazine quote various prominent mid-level designers lamenting the horrors of their items being marked down early in the holiday shopping season, to cope with waning retail sales amid the economic downturn.

From Nymag.com:
---
Diane Von Furstenberg told The Wall Street Journal, that those kinds of sales "cannot happen again." And (designers are) going to make sure of it. Derek Lam and Marc Jacobs are considering carrying exclusive collections in their own stores to protect their labels against sales. Also, some designers might only offer retailers their pre-fall collections, rather than their runway collections, which they'd save for their own stores. Saks chief executive Stephen I. Sadove said he wouldn't want that to happen, because the runway collection sets the image and tone of each label.
---

EXCEPT you cannot move the volume of merchandise in your boutiques that you can in department stores. Department stores have a geographical reach that boutiques cannot match, even with comprehensive online shop outposts, like DVF.com. Marc Jacobs and DVF are not going to open boutique here in rustbelt cities like Pittsburgh, or even in larger, more affluent cities like DC. Popular mid-level designers simply cannot opt to hold their pieces hostage, refusing to distribute to Saks or Neiman Marcus unless they plan on moving WAY less merch than previous years. That move that would only lead to investors (already dwindling in the recession) withdrawing their support and patronage from said angry designers.

Small boutiques, connected or unconnected with a specific designer name, are going facing tougher challenges than ever, struggling to compete with the deep discounts of larger luxury department stores' aggressive sale schedules and volume discounts:

From WSJ.com:
That, in turn, clobbered smaller boutiques. "It didn't seem logical to continue," says Linda Dresner, owner of a Park Avenue shop that for a quarter-century specialized in procuring unusual items favored by the fashion cognoscenti, like $1,000 dresses by Japanese label Comme des Garçons. She closed her doors in December, unable to keep up with the price-cutting.
--

I am dismayed to think of the broader effects from losing boutiques who provide higher levels of service to loyal customers, and who might more willingly take chances on carrying or consigning the pieces of emerging designers.

from WSJ.com:
Saks's maneuver marked an open abandonment of the longstanding unwritten pact between retailers and designers over when, and to what extent, to cut prices. Those old rules boiled down to this: Leave the goods at full price at least two months, and don't do markdowns until the very end of the season.
---

As much as I value the presence of boutiques in the marketplace, I don't have the disposable income to "vote with my dollar" and buy from them on principle when it comes to mid-level, popular designer clothing. Even if my size is out of stock in the department store company system, the knowledge that something has been deeply discounted will prevent me from spending a dime over that price. Although I recognize the profound loss of stores like Karma from the Pittsburgh shopping landscape, I could not afford Nanette Lepore or Tibi at boutique prices. As sad as I am for the loss, retail Darwinism will prevail in a capitalist society.

More dust-biting

Thanks to http://www.eye4style.com/'s post on fashionism for the tip.

Domino Magazine to fold:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28, 2009 CONDÉ NAST TO CEASE PUBLICATION OF DOMINO AND ITS WEBSITE, DOMINOMAG.COM New York, NY, January 28, 2009 --

Domino magazine will cease publication, it was announced today by Charles H. Townsend, President and CEO of Condé Nast. The final issue will be published in March 2009. “This decision to cease publication of the magazine and its website is driven entirely by the economy,” Mr. Townsend said. “Although readership and advertising response was encouraging in the early years, we have concluded that this economic market will not support our business expectations.” Domino was launched in April 2005. The magazine’s current ratebase is 800,000. Condé Nast, a unit of Advance Publications, includes twenty-three consumer magazines, Condé Nast Digital, the Fairchild Fashion Group, Parade, the Condé Nast Media Group, and the Shared Services Centers.

Active Endeavors Website closing

I admit I saw both of these coming but that doesn't make the official news irrelevant. I suppose my buying habits are being influenced significantly by the reality of the economic moment. My Saks sale binges in November feel so distant and remote from how I feel now about buying. Though I guess the holiday shopping season enables consumption habits to increase significantly.

The Ban Is Broken

In the name of the Steelers impending trip to the Superbowl, and after weeks and weeks of lamenting how "fans can't see that I'm also a fan when I am wearing my coat on game days," I got a throwback Steeler winter hat.

Now it was only $7 so I could technically still feel like my ban hasn't been broken. A winter hat is a practical item that I will use for years and years to come. But this particular purchase was definitely frivolous. I still intend to not buy anything fancy from now until the trip to New York City. Chris is going for a conference and I am going because I found a cheap flight. I hope to do some shopping and perhaps some wedding attire browsing while we're there.

This ban business sure is easy when there are signs of the economic times everywhere you read/look. It also helps that the great epic sales of 08 have spoiled me from wanting to spend more than 30% retail on any item. I don't really have very many "wants" right now. The few times in the last few weeks that I've filled online shopping carts, I've had little trouble convincing myself to close the browser and say goodbye.

But when brick and mortar stores are closing their local outposts forever, it can't hurt to have one last hurrah! In the future I will post a eulogy for the Homestead Waterfront Filene's Basement, where I acquired a few key, beloved closet staples. They aren't closed just yet so I want to make sure my eulogy is comprehensive and reflects adequately the entire arch of time I've spent there. On Friday I'd will go to Filene's Basement to pillage before they ship our closing store's stock to another location. Maybe the Fall 07 See By Chloe dresses will be under $100!?! It's bittersweet to think about what it means to be a Pittsburgher in this particular moment of history.

Retail Deathwatch

There are lots of local closings announced in my shopping neck of the woods.

Filene's Basement at the Homestead Waterfront is closing in February.
Macys Furniture Store in Century III Mall is closing.
Old Navy in Century III Mall is closing.
And I've heard that many stores at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall are also closing.

The East Liberty Target project is on hold until the company is ready to expand (probably not until the credit crunch alleviates or the economy picks up again).

And while I am only one lonely consumer, I do not think it is a coincidence that so many closings are occurring as I approach nearly 35 days of not buying anything for myself that wasn't food or drink related. I'm certainly not the only person who has curbed their spending amid news of the economic downturn, layoffs, and hiring freezes. I will update soon on some of my current Ebay wants that might lead to ban-breakage. But they are arguably necessities and buying them gently used or highly discounted via ebay is infinitely more frugal than buying brand new or full retail versions.

I want to see if I can go more than two months without buying frivolous things. My mid-February trip to NYC gives me a firm event to look toward.