I hate Macy's

And speaking of uncontrollable tears....and loss of something ya love....

Marshall Fields is becoming Macy's!!!

Hecht's is becoming Macy's!!!

Oh The Horror! What The F*ck?

If I wasn't a Macy's fan before....let this be the start of my "I Hate Macy's" petition right now. Let me go on the record and say corporate retail mergers SUCK! Yanno, it took some time for me to get over the demise of Woodies, back in the 90s, but never did I think, a legendary retail giant, like Marshall Fields would go that way. But it happens more often than I realize. I'm really not a shopping enthusiast, as they say, but there are stores that I grew up with, or Moms and MamaDear frequented, that left impressions on me as a child. Then there are stores that I grew to love as an adult that have either been swallowed up in mergers or simply gone out of business.

"The Broadway is Southern California" -- that was the slogan of The Broadway. My best memories are of going to the store that anchored the Carson Mall for breakfast with Santa Claus and with the Easter Bunny. Department stores had restaurants then. There was a huge carousel outside the mall entrance, too.....Today, it's IKEA.

Bullocks...Bullocks Wilshire -- the store that anchored the Lakewood Mall had a huge staircase in the center of the store that I always feared. I'm still scared of heights, but back then I just knew my lil' ass was gonna slip through the stairs and free fall to the floor. Actually, now that I really think about it, that wasn't Bullocks, that was Buffums. But I have memories of going through the clearance bins with my Moms at Bullocks Wilshire, looking for matching salad tongs and silverware. She still has those salad tongs.

Fedco -- my grandfather still lives up the hill from the store on La Cienega. Today it's a Target. But that Fedco and the one that used to be in Cerritos were the two that stick out in my memory. Funny how your senses bring forth memories, but one day I walked into your average lunch deli/salad bar in downtown DC, and they were serving pizza. It smelled, and surprisingly tasted, just like the pizza you could get at Fedco on your way out the door. The memories came floating back. The predecessor to membership warehouses like Costco (which started out as Price Club), and Sam's Club, Fedco seemed to have a "personal touch." I was even old enough to have friends that worked there before it finally shut it doors for good.

The Boston Store -- in the shopping center off Imperial Hwy and Crenshaw, what I remember most about The Boston Store is the ramp in the center of the store, off to the left of the jewelry section. I think it led up to the furniture section. My sister and I used to run up and down that ramp while Moms and MamaDear were shopping. Today, I believe it is an Ace Hardware Store.

Robinsons, May Co., I. Magnin, Gemco, Thrifty's, Orbach's....Zodys, ohmigawd hahahaha -- Zodys. Yea, memories of all these stores that have met a retail death. Many of these are Cali-centric, I mean, yanno, that IS where I grew up. But retail death is a nationwide thing. Marshall Fields is inherently Chicago. Hecht's is DC, although they claim a Mid-Atlantic following. Lawd knows I love me some Parisians and for now, it seems to be free from merger, but I just may lose.my.natural.mind should I hear otherwise.

And lastly, my beloved Publix store is closing. Well, at least my favorite one, the one closest to me. To know me is to know my love affair with grocery shopping, and Publix has been an obsession since I arrived in The A. Every time I find a new Publix, I make my way inside, no matter where I am going -- I see a new Publix, I gotta stop. Well, apparently the powers that be don't feel the one down the block needs to go on, especially when they are opening a new one in Atlantic Station next month. Hell, I don't live nowhere near Atlantic Station so I don't buy that rationale for closing my beloved Publix. Truthfully, there's a Publix up the block in Buckhead, but that is a small store -- dare I call it a "bodega" LOLOL Nothing like the one they are closing.

*Sad sigh* Cue the uncontrollable tears.....

[Song of the Day: "Unbreakable" by Alicia Keys]