This isn't a slam on Macy's - I think the company and it's service is great. It is a commentary on math education policy in this high tech state and, hopefully, some constructive criticism for Macy's management.
I do have some history with the company which does reinforce the point, however definitely old business. One of my first credit accounts was with their predecessor company, the Bon Marche. As you may know I've had a few tough years and during that time I incurred a $20 late fee on a $10 balance.
The point here is about applying mathematical judgement to a company's relationship with a customer.
The traditional Department Store business model is one of high service to the wives of successful men. I'm not saying that service is a bad thing, but value is important too, at every price point.
With changing demographics leading to increased working women there should be a corresponding wisdom towards the spending of earned income.
My particular experience involved an after Christmas visit to their local store. I am one to take advantage of sales, but I always buy at least one full price item. I won't go into details, but it definitely seemed that the sales people, very nice, didn't have a clue as to how to deal with an unusual situation. In addition pricing seemed a bit weird for their target market.
As you may know the company is having some troubles, recently shutting down some operations in Washington State. Here's the AP story.
Who is to say my thoughts would work for them? Certainly building a mathematically knowledgable service organization is not an easy task. But if it was me, that's how I'd do it.
