I heart Macy’s, a positive customer service experience
2010 marked the first time I participated in Black Friday. I had a whole bunch of coupons for Macy’s and some specific quality clothing items I wanted to purchase for my bf plus some bedding we’ve discussed getting for over a year.
I found the perfect duvet cover. It was on sale, check! I had a 15% off coupon for it, check! Out of stock, but they would happily order it for me and ship it at no charge, check! Great, I was on board. I asked the sales clerk to make sure that the sale price was indeed ending the next day, and it would go back to a higher price after black friday. It was, so the time to purchase was right then! (I had a coupon that began the next day for $50 off a $200 purchase, which would be a better rate, but not when it went back to full price.
I went home, happy with my purchase, the cheapest I could finangle and what I thought would be the best price through the end of the year. However, I checked online and their cyber Monday special was even lower, with free shipping. I happened to be shopping the next day downtown Seattle and there was a macy’s there too, that had the duvet cover in stock. Just for a lark, I stopped by to confirm that the price had indeed gone up and that my coupon would not be worthwhile. But the sale price was still in effect! Sales clerk #1 had been wrong. So I could have saved even more money. I called customer service and they were very helpful, but not able to cancel the shipment (it was in process I think). Unfortunately, the online price could not be applied to the store, so it was buy there in the store and get my coupon off and return my shipped item, or just not bother and wait for it to arrive in the mail. I thought about it, and decided I would just use my $50 coupon anyway and return the shipped item when I received it.
When I went to purchase it, the sales clerk (day 2, different store) told me about the friends and family discount of 25%, which ended up being the best option of all. Plus they had it in stock. The only catch, it applied to Dec. 1, and not before. So I purchased it on the spot, they are holding it, and I will collect in person on Thursday. The next day I called customer service (during business hours, and they said it had shipped already but they could have it rerouted to their warehouse. When it arrives, they will credit my account for the purchase so it’ll be like I returned it without any effort on my part. How nice!
Overall, I ended up saving an additional $20 from black friday + coupon, getting the final price of $149.99 instead of $269.99, and dealt with several very nice cordial employees of Macy’s who cared about how I spent my money, both in the store and on the phone. Sometimes it’s better to buy in the store!
I’ve always had a soft spot for Macy’s, maybe it’s all the presents my grandmother used to get me when I was the only grandchild and she worked at Macys and got discounts on stuff.
Merry xmas, happy hanukah, and may you all find yummy, frugal gifts this holiday season.
DebtMaven 