We shopped at Bloomingdale's The Outlet and saw why the off-price luxury store is helping to keep parent company Macy's afloat

Bethany Biron

Feb 19, 2020, 20:30 IST

We shopped at Bloomingdale's The Outlet and saw why the off-price luxury store is helping to keep parent company Macy's afloat

Bethany Biron/Business Insider

Bloomingdale's The Outlet in Manhattan.

Though Macy's has struggled in recent quarters, the company continues to point to its off-price brands Macy's Backstage and Bloomingdale's The Outlet as "a highlight of the company's performance."
Today there are 19 Bloomingdale's The Outlet stores across 10 states, which have continued to serve as competitors to brands like Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth.
We visited Bloomingdale's The Outlet in Manhattan, and though it was a bit of a disorganized mess, it also boasted an impressive array of designer goods and was brimming with customers on a recent Tuesday.
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Macy's is hoping its off-price ventures might help keep the struggling retailer afloat.

The company - which also owns Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury, in addition to its namesake department-store brand - announced an ambitious restructuring plan earlier this month designed to "stabilize profitability" following a period of slumping sales. As part of the multi-part strategy, Macy's announced it would expand its off-price Backstage locations, which along with Bloomingdale's The Outlet have served as "a highlight of the company's performance," according to a Macy's press release.

Today Macy's operates 19 Bloomingdale's The Outlet locations in 10 states, and while the revitalization plan doesn't call for an expansion of the brand, it has consistently performed well for its parent company.

Macy's first launched Bloomingdale's The Outlet in 2010, in response to rising demand for off-price fashion in the face of the recession. Since then, it has become a viable competitor to the growing assortment of lower-priced luxury department-store brands including Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth.

We shopped at Bloomingdale's The Outlet in Manhattan on a recent Tuesday and though the store was overwhelmed with inventory, it was also filled with shoppers. Here's what it was like.

We visited the Bloomingdale's The Outlet on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It's a three-level store that first opened its doors in 2015.

The store is one of two Bloomingdale's The Outlets in the state of New York. The other location is in Staten Island.

When we arrived on a recent Tuesday afternoon, we decided to start our shopping trip on the first floor, home to women's contemporary clothing.

Despite the overwhelming abundance of inventory, we were impressed by the designer selection, which included Rebecca Taylor, Kate Spade, Derek Lam ...

... and Alice & Olivia, among others.

One of the first things we noticed was the sheer volume of clothing, at discounts as high as 85%.

Still, the store was bustling with shoppers browsing the crowded racks for bargains.

We were particularly impressed by the denim selection.

The racks got increasingly messy as we worked our way to the clearance section.

This assortment of gloves and scarves was especially egregious.

However, once again, the haphazard racks did not deter the bargain hunters.

Next, we ventured to the second floor, but not before first checking out the sunglasses and other accessories on the landing in between the two stories.

This area boasted an impressive selection of designer shades.

We also spotted reusable versions of the iconic Bloomingdale's keepsake brown bag.

On the second floor, we found more accessories, including women's handbags from brands like Michael Kors and Kate Spade.

We also browsed the floor's robust women's shoe department.

Nearby, we found a glitzy selection of formal gowns and occasion wear.

Just beyond that, we spotted a small but respectable home goods area, which mostly included kitchen items.

As we continued exploring the second level, we quickly found even more women's clothing, this time in a section labeled "classic" containing labels like Vince Camuto ...

... and Karl Lagerfeld.

There was also a small athletic area.

Next, we made our way to the lower level, home to men's and children's apparel.

Similar to the women's floors, this area was bursting with products.

Inventory was somewhat scattered about without much rhyme or reason.

Despite the disheveled racks, they still held an impressive array of designer names.

However, the lower level by far had the most eyesores, like this rash of mostly empty children's clothing racks by the restroom ...

... and this table of miscellaneous supplies.

This table of clearance items also left much to be desired ...

... as did this shelf of random toys.

Still empty-handed, we decided to head upstairs in search of a much-needed pack of socks, which took a surprisingly long time to find given the mass amount of inventory and general lack of organization.

Once we secured the socks, we made our way to the register, where we saw this sign announcing the recent closure of the Forty Carrots ice cream bar.

Much like competitors like Nordstrom Rack, shelves near the register are lined with impulse buys, like these hair products.

We also spotted these messy racks of jewelry.

Eventually, we made it to the register and paid for the socks before calling it a day. While there were tons of designer gems in the store, shopping there definitely involves some serious searching.

While the store could certainly reconsider its layout and organization, ultimately it appeared that business was booming.

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