
Macy’s: A History
No one would have guessed that the small, fancy dry goods store that opened on the corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue in New York City in 1858 would grow to be one of the largest department store retailers in the world.
But after several failed retail ventures, Rowland Hussey Macy’s determination and ingenuity paid off at the age of 36 with the launch of R.H. Macy & Co. He adopted a red star as his symbol of success, dating back to his days as a sailor. First-day sales totaled $11.06 but by the end of the first full year, sales grossed almost $90,000. By 1877, R.H. Macy & Co. had become a full-fledged department store occupying the ground space of 11 adjacent buildings.
Always the innovator, Macy’s is known for several firsts that changed the retail industry. Macy’s was the first retailer to promote a woman, Margaret Getchell, to an executive position, making business history. Macy’s pioneered such revolutionary business practices as the one-price system, in which the same item was sold to every customer at one price, and quoting specific prices for goods in newspaper advertising. Known for its creative merchandising, Macy’s was the first to introduce such products as the tea bag, the Idaho baked potato and colored bath towels. Macy’s also was the first retailer to hold a New York City liquor license.
By November 1902, the store had outgrown its modest storefront and moved uptown to its present Herald Square location on Broadway and 34th Street, establishing an attraction for shoppers from around the world. With the store’s 7th Avenue expansion completed in 1924, Macy’s Herald Square became the “World’s Largest Store,” with more than 1 million square feet of retail space. (Note that Macy’s Herald Square will be expanding to 1.1 million square feet of retail space in the current renovation project.)
By 1918, R.H. Macy & Co. was generating $36 million in annual sales. Yet, the prosperity of the retailer was never more apparent than when the company went public in 1922 and began to open regional stores and take over competing retailers. In 1923, the Toledo-based department store Lasalle & Koch was acquired; the next year, Davison-Paxton in Atlanta was acquired; and in 1936, the Newark-based Bamberger’s was purchased.
To help celebrate their new American heritage, Macy’s immigrant employees organized the first Christmas Parade in 1924. The procession featured floats, bands, animals from the zoo and 10,000 onlookers, beginning a time-honored tradition now known as the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In 1945, the company expanded west and purchased O’Connor Moffatt & Company in San Francisco. Two years later, O’Connor Moffatt stores, including the landmark Union Square store that opened in 1866, were converted to Macy’s after a survey indicated that San Franciscans would welcome the name.
Macy’s California broke new ground with the first department store flower show in 1946. What began as a fragrance promotion in the cosmetics department now annually welcomes the spring season, treating visitors to a botanical, cultural and community spectacle and is held in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., in addition to San Francisco. In 1971, Macy’s Union Square store’s lower level, once cluttered with bargains, was transformed into “The Cellar,” changing the way customers shop for housewares. Due to its success, the Herald Square store followed suit five years later.
On December 19, 1994, Federated Department Stores, Inc. (now known as Macy’s, Inc.) acquired R.H. Macy & Co., creating the world’s largest premier department store company. Federated Department Stores operated over 400 department stores and more than 157 specialty stores in 37 states.
A&S Department Stores were converted to the Macy’s nameplate in May 1995. Also in 1995, Federated acquired The Broadway Department Stores, bringing Broadway, Emporium and Weinstocks to the Macy’s family, as well as six former I. Magnin stores. Some 46 stores were converted to the Macy’s nameplate. Following the model of A&S, Jordan Marsh Department Stores of Boston, already owned by Federated, was converted to Macy’s in March 1996. In January 2001, Macy’s absorbed 17 Stern’s Department Stores located in New York and New Jersey. In June 2001, Federated purchased the Liberty House operations in Hawaii and Guam, bringing the proud Macy’s tradition and heritage to the Pacific.
Macy’s entered 2005 with about 240 locations, primarily on the East and West Coasts. With the conversion of all Federated’s regional store nameplates in March 2005, Macy’s grew to about 425 locations across the country. In September 2006, with the conversion of stores acquired from The May Department Stores Company, Macy’s now serves customers through approximately 800 stores in virtually every major geographic market in the United States, as well as the macys.com website.
INSIDE THE GUTS OF MACY’S
http://youtu.be/QTW0J0xuUII
from the food dept.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade History & Fun Facts


An estimated quarter million spectators witnessed this auspicious event as the parade wound its way down to Macy’s Herald Square for Santa Claus’ unveiling of Macy’s Christmas windows on 34th Street.
For almost 80 years, the words “Let’s Have a Parade!” have continued to stir the emotions of millions of people across the country and around the world. The spirit of that small band of 1924 Macy’s employees lives on today with the participation of more than 4000 volunteers on the famous 2 1/2 mile march through Manhattan’s streets.
- 1927 Macy’s asks theatrical designer and creator of Macy’s Christmas windows, Tony Sarg, to design giant balloons which would become the signature pieces of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Filled with helium, Sarg’s first designs – Felix the Cat, the Dragon, the Elephant, and the Toy Solider – are a huge success. Those first balloons would explode upon release, as their creators had forgotten that helium expands at high altitudes.
- 1928 Macy’s experiments with an air and helium mixture that is used to this day. That same year sees another first: at the end of the parade, the balloons are released into the air as a fitting climax.
- 1929 Balloons, including the Dachshund, are equipped with a return address and an offer of a prize. In following years, the Dachshund Balloon lands in the East River, and two tugs race madly for the prize, tearing it to pieces in the process.
- 1931 Clarence Chamberlain, an aviator flying above New York City, catches the Pig Balloon in midair in an effort to collect the reward money. The following year, an aviator almost crashes into Broadway in an attempt to catch the Cat Balloon.
- 1933 After a few close calls, the practice of releasing the balloons is stopped in the interest of public safety.
- 1930s Celebrities, such as Benny Goodman and Harpo Marx, join in the Thanksgiving Day festivities.
- 1934 Tony Sarg and Walt Disney create balloons including Mickey Mouse, the Big Bad Wolf, the Little Pig, and Pluto.
- 1939 Children’s comic book favorites, including Superman, are introduced, paving the way for pop culture icons to be incorporated into the parade.
- 1950s Stars including Jackie Gleason, Shirley Temple, and Jimmy Durante, join the parade.
- 1955 The Parade telecast moves to NBC after a two-year stint with CBS. Macy’s and NBC have enjoyed a broadcast relationship ever since.
- 1957 Popeye the Sailorman sails into the parade.
- 1958 Air-filled balloons are brought down the parade route on cranes due to a helium shortage.
- 1962 The first year the Parade featured sports champions, including Willie Mays, Otto Graham, Jack Dempsey, and Ralph Terry.
- 1963 The Elsie the Cow Balloon heralds the arrival of the World’s Fair in Queens, New York. Also this year: The parade marches on as floats are draped in black the week following the assassination of President Kennedy.
- 1969 Macy’s Parade Studio moves to its current home in Hoboken, NJ, in the former Tootsie Roll factory.
- 1960s Lorne Greene and Betty White host the telecast from 1962 to 1971. In 1962, Tony Bennett first appears and will return in 2001.
- 1975 The Dino the Dinosaur Balloon is inducted into the American Museum of Natural History as an honorary member.
- 1977 “Parade Lady” Jean McFaddin, who will become a 24-year Macy’s veteran, takes the helm of the parade.
- 1970s Carson sidekick Ed McMahon co-hosts from 1971 to 1981.
- 1986 Sesame Street’s Big Bird flies for the first time in the parade. In 2001, a brand-new Big Bird Balloon was introduced.
- 1989 The parade takes to the street despite its first snow storm.
- 1980s Diana Ross and Sammy Davis, Jr. are just two of the celebrities from the film, television, and music worlds to join the fun.
- 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog Balloon introduces the first video game character to the line up.
- 1996 Rugrats becomes the parade’s first three-character balloon.
- 1999 Ask Jeeves becomes the first Internet-inspired character.
- 1990s Pop and country stars such as Shania Twain and NSYNC take center stage.
- 2000 The Parade welcomes “Bandleader Mickey” – the third time the beloved Mickey Mouse has made an appearance.
- 2001 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade celebrates 75 years of making magic for the holidays!
- 2009 Mayor Bloomberg announces new route for the Macy’s Parade, avoiding Broadway altogether.