By George Anderson
In Murphy's world, this would have been expected. Marshall Field's is sold to May Department Stores, the company converts to a new computer system and chaos and confusion ensues, with consumers not getting their orders and sales people losing commissions. The question many must be asking themselves, especially the sales people: Will being bought by Federated Department stores mean that more gore is in store?
Reports in the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune say Field's has encountered problems in its furniture department where computer errors has led angry shoppers to cancel undelivered orders.
Field's spokesperson Jennifer McNamara did not provide details as to the extent of the problem but said, "We're working as quickly as possible to rectify it."
Fixing the problem also includes having to assuage sales people who have been materially hit by the glitches in the system. "We're taking steps to ensure our team members feel they're being treated fairly in connection with these system issues on an ongoing and retroactive basis," said Ms McNamara.
Moderator's Comment: Are the computer conversion problems experienced by Marshall Field's common in merger/acquisitions large and small? Do you have any insights into how significant a problem it has been since May purchased the chain from Target? What's to be done to avoid a similar situation occurring under Federated Department Store's ownership?
The Chicago Tribune piece pointed out that furniture delivery issues were not the only technical problems Field's faced since it was purchased by May. "It took Field's eight months under May to give online shoppers the ability to buy products other than gift cards, meaning Field's largely sat on the sidelines during the holidays while most retailers reported double-digit online sales gains." - George Anderson - Moderator