Saks Fifth Avenue

[Patrick]

I guarantee this did not happen as you recall.

It is very plausible, especially considering the type of store and the era in which the event happened. I've witnessed a good amount of asshole-ishness and snobbery at modern-day Somerset "Collection" so the story inst a stretch at all.

[Dumpling]

At HFCC [[Henry Ford Community College) a few years back there was a psychology
class discussion touching on retail racial discrimination. The teacher brought up that
for minority shoppers, sometimes "the salesclerks will just leave you alone if you are
a minority, but assist you if you are not" to which an African American male student replied
that he could handle being left alone while he shopped - didn't mind it at all.

[Dumpling]

My Royal Oak high school English teacher - a Finnish lady who resembled a pit bull,
to be overly honest - she was very short and had a wide face with slightly sunken
eyes - had a bad shopping experience at Bonwit Teller at The Somerset Collection.
I forget what exactly transpired but she described it in detail - the clerks were snobs -
and then she instructed all of her students on numerous occasions to boycott Bonwit
Teller. They could go to Saks, sure. Just not Bonwit Teller.

[FormerDetroiter]

@anonJD how can you come on here and tell somebody else what they do and do not recall?

[Don K]

In the mid-90s my late mom and one sister were visiting and Mom needed something or other so we went into the Birmingham Jacobson's not dressed in proper Bham style. We got major attitude from the clerks there, so pretty much said "eff you", went across Old Woodward to Crowley's, and got what Mom wanted with no hassle. I was not sad to see Jacobson's go out of business later, if they were too snobby to take our money.

[Hypestyles]

what should be the successor stores to Sax and where should they be located in the city?

[stromberg2]

So...how did it go down, anonJD??

Stromberg2

[A2Mike]

Discussions about sales peoples' attitudes usually do not mention the fact that in very high end stores the largest part of their compensation is from commissions on sales. This has been repeatedly shown by the retail industry to be an effective motivator for superior customer service but sales people in such an environment are under pressure to make every moment of their time count and accordingly they become finely attuned to the visual and verbal cues customers provide both wittingly and otherwise. How they handle such information in dealing with potential customers is evidence of their own degree of professionalism and blatant rudeness may be a sign that they are rather marginal characters in their business. The best people in sales know how to cultivate a good customer and how to diplomatically handle someone who is plainly over his head in a given environment. I first visited the New Center Saks store early in college and was spared embarrassment by a canny saleslady who steered me to some things both useful and [[mostly) affordable for my circumstances then. I became a loyal customer thereafter and helped add to her status as one of Saks best representatives. For a view of an outstanding present day sales person see the link : http://nymag.com/nymetro/shopping/ny...05/index1.html

[easternguy]

For all those who were not able to open the pictures prviously posted, my apologies. Here they are in jpeg format.

Taken August 13, 1940 probably while store was being prepared for opening. The building entrance at the exteme left of the picture also entered into the underground concouse to the Fisher and GM buildings.



Inside on Main Floor. Can you imagine a retailer today having that much open space? Note modern [[at that time) furnishings and the ashtrays available for the "tres chic".


This was at the rear entrance and parking lot complete with uniformed doorman. Note the chauffer waiting at right.



For the store opening SAKs brought the New York executive staff and department heads to Detroit on a special flight. Twenty one people was about capacity for the DC-3 aircraft at that time.


Actress Billie Burke [[the good witch of the North in The Wizard of Oz) selling war bond stamps at SAKs. I still have my incomplete book of stamps toward purchasing a bond. Note the hats and gloves from an era that had some refinement.
I will post more as I sort them out. Most of the others are of the store interior. Ah, memories.

[easternguy]

For all those who were not able to open the pictures prviously posted, my apologies. Here they are in jpeg format.

Taken August 13, 1940 probably while store was being prepared for opening. The building entrance at the exteme left of the picture also entered into the underground concouse to the Fisher and GM buildings.



Inside on Main Floor. Can you imagine a retailer today having that much open space? Note modern [[at that time) furnishings and the ashtrays available for the "tres chic".


This was at the rear entrance and parking lot complete with uniformed doorman. Note the chauffer waiting at right.



For the store opening SAKs brought the New York executive staff and department heads to Detroit on a special flight. Twenty one people was about capacity for the DC-3 aircraft at that time.


Actress Billie Burke [[the good witch of the North in The Wizard of Oz) selling war bond stamps at SAKs. I still have my incomplete book of stamps toward purchasing a bond. Note the hats and gloves from an era that had some refinement.
I will post more as I sort them out. Most of the others are of the store interior. Ah, memories.

If these are not viewable someone please suggest a format.

[FormerDetroiter]

Perhaps you can try JPEG format.

[easternguy]

Trying agin to post the pictures of SAKs 1940's



Inside on Main Floor. Can you imagine a retailer today having that much open space? Note modern [[at that time) furnishings and the ashtrays available for the "tres chic"

[Jimaz]

easternguy, here's the FAQ for posting Attachments and Images.

Thanks for your efforts. It looks like you have some good material.

There's also a Test Lab for practicing.

[sgkern]

Trying to troubleshoot Easternguy's photo upload. Testing with the picture of the DC-3.

"For the store opening SAKs brought the New York executive staff and department heads to Detroit on a special flight. Twenty one people was about capacity for the DC-3 aircraft at that time."

[sgkern]

Easternguy said, "Actress Billie Burke [[the good witch of the North in The Wizard of Oz) selling war bond stamps at SAKs. I still have my incomplete book of stamps toward purchasing a bond. Note the hats and gloves from an era that had some refinement."

[dtowncitylover]

Youtube video of Gimbels in Philadelphia [[new employee orientation), which owned Saks Fifth Avenue. At 7:03, footage of the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Detroit. Really cool!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiF3tLSUSC4

[Now&then]

I have no reason to doubt Marshamusic's story of past treatment there. They were always snooty at any Saks I visited. People know that Saks did change at the Fairlane location, but do they know at some point they actually had their entrance to the mall closed off, so that you could only access it from the parking lot outside? This was after years of being accessible to the mall, and no other department store ever pulled such a stunt.

As far as high end goes, I cast my vote for Neiman Marcus. They have always treated me well at any location. Plus, they got a nice cafe at the Somerset location.

[Detroit500]

I have always felt a small format Lord and Taylor would do very well in Birmingham or Downtown. But, perhaps an off fifth outlet or nordstrom rack could end up next to the restoration hardware outlet.

[dtowncitylover]

A question I've always pondered is why there at Second and Lothrop? I get the whole General Motors was there, but was that the only property in the city that Saks could have gone? Was the neighborhood north flush with money to support walking shoppers? Why not Washington Boulevard? Why did it isolate itself? Or were there other high end shops in the Fisher Building?