If you're looking to buy a gift in Seattle and have it wrapped, Macy's may no longer be your store of choice. The chain has confirmed it is doing away with its gift wrapping departments in the city.
Macy's spokesperson Jim Sluzewski told The Seattle Times, "Demand for gift-wrapping is not what it once was. There was a time not long ago when you never heard about gifts in bags. Now, in fact, gift bags are the primary vehicle."
The department store chain has been eliminating gift wrapping departments from its stores across the country for three years. While it will no longer wrap gifts for consumers, it is expanding its selection of gift bags for sale along with wrapping paper and greeting cards.
Kate Newlin, a retail consultant, said she thinks Macy's is making a mistake in eliminating gift wrapping because the service helps "differentiate between going to a department store and getting that human-to-human service, vs. going online and click-click, you're done."
Discussion Questions: Where do you stand on the elimination of services such as gift wrapping in department stores? Are there other customer services typically offered in department stores that should either be eliminated or expanded?