Amazon Doesn't Decorate Its Storefront Windows at Christmas
Retailing used to be about more than simply providing stuff to people.
I couldn’t put my finger on it - what is it about the “Amazonification” of retailing in America that rubs me the wrong way? Is it the instant gratification? You know, placing an order in the morning, and having it appear on your doorstep later that day? No, that’s a pretty amazing fulfilment achievement - one to be celebrated. Is it the fact that sometimes the wrong size, or style of a product appears on said doorstep? No, because the box can be resealed and replaced on the doorstep, and retrieved and returned to Amazon for full credit, all within a couple of hours. Is it because it is way too easy to spend my hard-earned dollars on things that I may, or may not actually need? Yeah, if I’m being honest with myself, that one kinda’ bothers me. But, that’s not the overarching reason for my unease.
Truth be told, I’m grieving a bit for the “way things used to be.” Tromping downtown to the iconic, old department store, and wandering around the store - seeing merchandise, physically handling it, and trying it on - man, that’s shopping! Scrolling through screen after screen of stuff on your phone, and clicking “Buy” - that doesn’t seem like shopping to me.
Growing up in the 1960’s in the Chicago area, my hometown department store was, of course, Marshall Field’s, exemplified by its flagship store on State Street, in Chicago’s Loop district. Sure, Carson Pirie Scott was also encamped on State Street, a block away, but Marshall Field’s was really the one.
Other major cities had their own iconic, downtown-centered department stores: Philadelphia had Wanamaker’s; Pittsburgh had Kaufmann’s; Detroit had Hudson’s; Cleveland had Higbee’s (memorialized in A Christmas Story - you know, the one with the “official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time”); New York, of course, had Macy’s and Gimbels, at least according to the classic 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street. I’m sure other major cities had their own iconic, downtown-centered department stores (with the possible exception of Los Angeles, because, you know, it doesn’t really have a downtown, and there’s sunshine and beaches, so, what do you need an iconic, downtown-centered department store for?), but the Rule of Three research team is on vacation this week, and my research requests remain unfulfilled. That’s it, I’ve had it with those guys; let’s see how they like working in an office with no ping-pong table.
Marshall Field’s was a key part of my childhood, particularly at Christmastime. Our family orchestrated a trip downtown each year in December, in order that we four children could make our demands of Santa Claus, who presided over a North Pole-themed world within Marshall Field’s, followed by lunch in the Walnut Room, also within the store’s enormous space, and which featured a very large Christmas tree. Our trip to State Street always included joining the procession of people outside the store, viewing the display windows, each window decorated with holiday trappings, usually including moving parts, such as elves banging out toys in Santa’s workshop.
The collection of the obligatory pictures with Santa Claus graced my mother’s dresser-top for years, providing an interesting peek back in time, to when we were cute, innocent tykes, offering a marked contrast to, you know, what we had become in the intervening years.
Later on, as I spent time working in the Loop, I would sometimes find my way over to Marshall Field’s for lunch - no, not the Walnut Room - too pricey for me - they also had a spartan luncheon area, with a single serving window, from which they dispensed terrific overstuffed sandwiches.
And, as my wife and I built our household, we turned to Marshall Field’s for many things, including furniture, home furnishings, and children’s clothes. As most Chicagoans did back then, we vested responsibility for our wedding registry with Marshall Field’s. I can recall making three separate monthly payments to Marshall Field’s at one point in time: for furniture we purchased on account; for the remaining pieces of our china pattern, when we came up short via the registry; and for a general department store card, which we abused as other young people did. We retained our amateur status regarding Marshall Field’s department store credit cards, however - three was definitely minor-league stuff - I believe the North American record was fifteen, registered by Joe and Virginia Manzaniello, of Skokie, logged during the early-1980’s recessionary period.
But, the best thing about Marshall Field’s? You guessed it, Frango Mints! If you have never sampled these delightful chocolates, you’re really missing out. They are difficult to describe, but they are quite sublime. And, certainly worth the trip to State Street.
Amazon absolutely provides value, including attractive pricing, nearly-instant delivery, and an enormous range of products available, but, what about the Frango Mints, eh?
What’s that? There are at least twenty different Frango Mint products available for sale on Amazon’s website right now? Well, as Saturday Night Live’s classic, elderly, hard-of-hearing character, Emily Litella, portrayed by Gilda Radner, would have admitted, “Oh, that’s very different - never mind.” (Ed. note: We have repeatedly urged the award-winning columnist not to deploy hackneyed, old references lifted from 1970’s TV shows, yet he persists - although we join the columnist in his appreciation of Ms. Radner’s artistry, this obscure reference has no place in this piece, inasmuch as we are consciously targeting a younger readership demographic - can anyone point us to Tik-Tok? Please accept our apology, on behalf of the entire Rule of Three team.)
Well, I think one area Amazon likely comes up short is in its Christmas offerings. Oh, I’m sure there are at least 150,000 Christmas-themed products which can land on your doorstep at a moment’s notice, including the “official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time,” but, have you viewed their storefront windows at Christmastime?
I didn’t think so. Me neither. But, if, as I suspect, Jeff Bezos is a dedicated weekly reader of Rule of Three, you should likely expect an invitation this Christmas, or next, to view Amazon’s elaborate decorated storefront windows at Christmastime - you’re welcome. I bet Bezos never has to threaten his staff with removal of the ping-pong table in the office to get what he wants. And, try not to shoot your eye out.
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Well, Bill, I grant you everything you wrote, except the canard that LA has no downtown, and thus had no downtown department stores.
Thus:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_department_stores_in_Downtown_Los_Angeles
But they're all probably gone now...
Were any the equal to Marshall Field's? I think not!
My other comment is that not only does Amazon not contribute to community spirit like decorated department store windows do at Christmastime, Amazon destroys communities. It ruins small businesses and a community's tax base. If everyone buys from Amazon you get ghost towns in downtown.
The Jeff Bezos model for retail sales is ruining America.
My2¢
JF