What is your favorite dept. store chain?

[Max]

The purpose of this thread is to discuss--and to take a poll of--the question concerning what your favorite traditional department store chain is (and why you made your selection). When answering this question, consider as many factors as possible, including (but not limited to) store appearance, price, service, merchandise, overall quality, and sentimental/nostalgic value.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE ARE MANY STORES THAT ARE TO BE EXCLUDED FROM THIS POLL. Such stores to be excluded are the following:

*Defunct department stores.

*Department store chains that are not native to the United States.

*Department stores that are not chains (i.e., those department stores with just one location).

*Discount stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart. (These are excluded because these are not traditional department stores, but rather "variety" type stores that sell a far greater range of merchandise than what is found at traditional department stores.)

*Kohl's (While Kohl's does sell the same range of merchandise as traditional dept. stores, it is not a traditional dept. store because it holds two traits--(1) being located in outdoor strip shopping centers as opposed to indoor malls and (2) comprising just one floor--that are typical of discount stores such as Wal-Mart and Target.)

*Parisian (Although this chain still exists, it will soon become defunct, as all Parisian stores will be renamed Belk in 2007.)

Before I tell you more about my favorite (still existing) department store--Boscov's--let me briefly talk about the other stores below:

*In the United States, the big three dept. store chains are Macy's, JC Penney, and Sears. And, while JC Penney and Sears have long been located throughout the country, Macy's did not become truly national in scope until a couple weeks ago, when eleven (now defunct) regional dept. stores were all renamed Macy's. However, even when it was just a small chain, Macy's always had national name recognition for three reasons: (1) the store's annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, (2) the store's mention in the classic film "Miracle on 34th Street," and (3) the fact that its New York City flagship is the largest store in the world.

*While no other department store chain has the scope of the big three chains, another chain--Dillard's--is the largest chain outside the big three. Dillard's, which is a middle-class oriented store, has locations in most regions of the country except for the Northeast and (with a couple of exceptions) the West Coast.

*There are five-nationally known luxury department stores, all included in this list: Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue. (However, despite the fact that these stores enjoy national name recognition, none of them are truly national in scope; that's because these chains only operate stores in the wealthiest Metropolitan areas of the country.) Of these five chains, Lord & Taylor has by far the most reasonable prices; considerably more expensive are Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom. The most expensive chains in the country are Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. (I find it funny that some have coined the name "Needless Markups" for Neiman Marcus, given that store's outrageous prices.)

*Another luxury department store chain is Von Maur. Unlike the five other luxury department stores just mentioned, however, the Mid-West based Von Maur does not have national name recognition.

*The Bon-Ton is a regional, middle-priced chain that is located mostly in Pennsylvania and New York State. The company also operates several other regional, mid-priced chains throughout the country under the following names: Bergner's (headquartered in Peoria, Illinois), Boston Store (which is headquartered in Milwaukee, and does not have any locations anywhere near Boston), Carson Pirie Scott (headquartered in Chicago), Elder-Beerman (located in the Mid-West), Herberger's (headquartered in Minnesota), and Younker's (based in the Mid-West).

*Belk is a regional, mid-priced dept. store chain that is very prevalent in the Southeast. The chain grew earlier this year when the defunct McRae's and Proffitt's department store chains (located in the Southeast) were renamed Belk. In 2007, yet another Southeastern regional department store, Parisian, will be renamed Belk.

*Finally, there is my favorite (still existing) dept. store chain, Boscov's. Boscov's is a regional chain that is located mostly in Pennsylvania, although it also has stores in other Mid-Atlantic states. The chain's prices are lower than mid-priced department stores; as a matter of fact, Boscov's prices are similar to those of JC Penney.

The thing I like most about Boscov's is that (aside from Sears) it carries the broadest range of merchandise out of any department store: in addition to the normal dept. store merchandise categories such as clothing and housewares, Boscov's also has departments selling electronics, large appliances, toys, collectibles, sporting goods, and even candy. Truth be told, most department stores used to have these departments; however, these departments were dropped once dept. stores began to face tough times in the 1980's and 90's. I don't know about you, but I dislike the fact that so many dept. stores have become merely oversized clothing boutiques, to such an extent that even the term "department store" is losing its real meaning.

As I mentioned above, Sears actually does carry the large range of merchandise carried by Boscov's. (Actually, Sears carries an even wider range of merchandise, as Boscov's doesn't sell tools and automotive supplies.) However, I like Boscov's better than Sears because Boscov's stores are much fancier looking on the inside. (Although, was it not for Boscov's, I would have stated that Sears is my favorite currently existing department store, because of the range of merchandise it sells.)

However, I should state that I have never been inside of a Boscov's store, since there are none near where I live. Therefore, it may be presumptuous (spelling?) to say that it's my favorite department store. Yet, after viewing pictures of the inside of Boscov's stores, reading about the chain, and visiting its website-- http://www.boscovs.com --I am so impressed with the store that I feel safe enough to form my opinion on it. Nevertheless, I would love to read the opinions of those of you who have actually been to Boscov's.

And, whether you want to talk about Boscov's or some other department store, I am really looking forward to reading your opinions on all the different department stores.