Macy's: how to shop at the trendiest hypermarket in the USA

As the business grew, the Macy's store expanded: it bought neighboring buildings and attached them to itself, so that in the end it became a large department store. It attracted crowds from all over New York, especially during the holidays, by staging large performances, brightly lighting the display windows, or even inviting Santa Claus to stay at the store. Yes, the Hollywood-style Santa Claus in a big department store, with children sitting on his lap as he listens to their wishes—this is Macy's invention.

The store was also the first in the USA to guarantee a full money-back refund if an item didn't suit the customer, even several weeks after purchase. Thanks to this, ordering even expensive goods from Macys became completely safe, and the store gained many wealthy clients. Also among Roland Macy's innovations (remember, this was the 1860s!) was laying out goods with free access for customers, where anyone could, without asking the salespeople, take and try on whatever they wanted. Tags with fixed prices. And arranging clothing on hangers by size, so that a person of any body type could quickly find what they were interested in.

Today Macy's is the most popular department store chain in the USA. It has more than 800 stores selling quality clothing, footwear, accessories, and various home goods. The company also has a very popular online store Macys.com, selling several hundred thousand items in the USA.

The main Macy's store is located in a luxurious building in the center of Manhattan, on Broadway. It is considered the largest department store in the world. This is one of New York's main attractions, along with the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. The store occupies almost an entire city block, with 100 000 square meters (or 10 hectares) of retail space.

Macy's is also very well known for holding a large parade in New York every Thanksgiving, one of the most famous parades in the world (the one with giant inflatable figures). This tradition dates back to 1924 and is almost a hundred years old! The parade stretches for 4 kilometers and passes right by the windows of the largest department store. Over 3 million people take to the city streets to watch the spectacle, and around 20 million more watch the broadcast on TV.

What Macy's Sells

As befits the largest department store, on Macy's official website everything is organized by departments. This makes finding the item you need much easier.

The most popular categories are:

• Women's – 18,000 dresses, cardigans, jeans, and all kinds of clothing and shoes in any size;

• Men's – clothing and shoes for men, 5,000 top options;

• Plus sizes – clothing for plus-size women, 2,500 items with comfortable proportions;

• Handbags – Macy's US site sells over a thousand clutches, backpacks, crossbody bags, and other purses from top brands, with prices starting at $50;

• Jewelry – Macy's is famous for its jewelry, offering high-quality, unique pieces from America. Nearly 12,000 (!) beautiful necklaces, rings, cufflinks, earrings, and bracelets. Very convenient search by category, brand, metal/stone, and desired price.

• Watches – several hundred models priced from 1,200 to 200,000 rubles. All prices are much lower than their counterparts in Russia.

• Kids – clothing and shoes for boys and girls from 1 day to 16 years old;

• Teens – items that teenagers will love. Especially good selection for young girls.

• Home – pillows, mattresses, blankets, towels, bedding, and kitchenware from top American brands.

• Bed & Bath – items for sleep and self-care. Robes, beautiful shower curtains, rugs, poufs, and much more. Tens of thousands of products, all with great discounts.

The store offers a huge number of items with great discounts—up to 60% off on tens of thousands of products. Plus, Macy's guarantees quality. This is not a Chinese store. The company personally stands behind every item.

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Delivery from Macy's to Russia

For the past two years, the Macy's online store has been able to deliver goods directly to all countries. Moreover, prices here are shown in the currency of the country from which the store believes you accessed it.

That said, prices are not very low. The minimum delivery cost to Russia at Macy's is 1690 rubles ($28). This package takes 15 to 24 days. There is also an express delivery option (11 business days), but it costs 2250 rubles (about $37).

Also, some items simply cannot be shipped abroad. The list of restrictions is very long. It includes:

• cosmetics;

• all Chanel products;

• all Coach products;

• electronics;

• perfumes;

• mattresses and furniture;

• gift cards, gift wrapping.

At the same time, within the continental US the store ships all items completely free of charge — for orders of $25 or $75 and up (depending on the current promotion). Delivery takes 3-6 business days. There are no restrictions on what can be shipped. Meanwhile, at Pochtoy.com we forward everything to Russia except industrial quantities of goods (private use only!), live animals, military gear, knives, and pet products. If you have an unusual case, contact us via tickets (available after registration) — we will review whether we can deliver your package and what potential issues there might be. This consultation is completely free.

If you want to save even more, ship to a Pochtoy.com address. We will deliver to Russia from $12 and in 4-8 days. Cheaper and much faster.

Also note that items the store ships abroad on its own are not counted toward the Star Rewards program, Macy's loyalty program where purchases earn rewards (for example, a 25% discount on any single day). Only items shipped to addresses in America count. You also need to register with Macy's and subscribe to their newsletter (and not unsubscribe). But the extra savings, in our experience, are worth it.