Earlier this month, Macy's announced that its store at North DeKalb Mall is among the 36 locations scheduled to close . The store, open since 1965, will close in the spring.
Closeout sales began last month and the final clearance sale began Jan. 11. It is expected to run for eight weeks . The entire store is marked 50 - 70 percent off the lowest ticketed price, except for fragrances and beauty items. But before you rush out to shop, read this tale of one local's experience.
A 68-year-old DeKalb resident and loyal Macy's shopper (who will remain anonymous due to her employer's policy), headed over to the North DeKalb store last week to check out the closeout sale. She generally visits that location to shop for home goods and found a Cuisinart food processor marked down from $159 to $89.
The item was in the original packaging, she says. The policy for closeout or clearance items is "no return" and she was told as much at the register. But when she got the food processor home and opened the box, she discovered it did not contain a grater/slicer blade or instruction book. Needless to say she was upset.
"When you shop at the closeout sale at Macy's North DeKalb, you do not have Macy's assurance of quality and satisfaction. I understood that the purchase was no returns and I also understood that this was Macy's, who would certainly not sell damaged or cannibalized goods. I was wrong," she says.
She tried to find some recourse, but had little success. Macys.com couldn't help because online transactions are distinct from in-store transactions, she was told. When she reached general customer service for Macy's, they directed her back to the store location to resolve the issue. The store told her given the circumstances of the transaction -- as in, all sales final -- there was nothing they could do.
And well, there isn't much she can do with a food processor that has no blades or instructions.
So she has a message for anyone racing out to the Macy's at North DeKalb to shop.
"While this store says Macy's on the outside, inside it's basically a garage sale," she says. Ouch! No, she won't be missing this location when it closes.
I tried to contact the store myself to inquire about the policy for damaged goods. After about 10 minutes bouncing from one department to another, as none of them were answering the phones, I finally got an operator, explained the issue and was transferred to an extension that went directly to voicemail -- which was full. I've reached out to the folks at Southeast corporate and will update this post with any additional insight.
Until then, you may want to try (or at least peek under the hood), before you buy when you're shopping the clearance sale at Macy's North DeKalb!
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