PEARLAND, Texas – Macy's is opening its first Houston-area off-price store this weekend. Consumer expert Amy Davis went inside the Pearland Macy's Backstage store to give you a sneak peek.
There are 55 Macy's Backstage locations across the country, but this is the first one in our area. Macy's plans to open 100 more this year. Davis wanted to see what makes it different from a TJ Maxx or Marshall's.
The main feature is clothes for women, men and kids, but not the same clothes you'll find in a traditional Macy's.
"The merchandise changes week by week," explained store manager Brendan Halford. "Where at a Macy's you might have the same merchandise almost for a whole season."
Halford has been with Macy's for 25 years. He knows customers are changing.
"The customer still likes the department store experience, but the fastest growing sector in retail right now is the off-price shopping," he said.
Just like at a TJ Maxx or Marshall's, you'll find home decor, toys, pet products and beauty products. What makes Macy's Backstage different from its competitors is that it is tucked inside the regular Macy's. Macy's Backstage takes up 14,000 square feet of space inside the 120,000 square foot Macy's Pearland Town Center store. While you might recognize some of the same brands in the two stores (Think Michael Kors, Guess and Jessica Simpson.), they don't share merchandise. You won't find Macy's store brands like Alfani or Charter Club in the off-price store.
Davis found fun and trendy bags priced at 16.99 and high-end MCM handbags for more than $400. A Sam Edelman tote was priced at $49.99. The regular price was listed as $248. There are never saleprices at Macy's Backstage; and they don't take coupons.
To find out how good the deals actually are, we checked two hairdryers selling at Macy's Backstage. One BaByliss Pro 2000 hair dryer is $29.99. That is a good price because Davis couldn't find it for less than $47 anywhere else.
A Chi Tech 1600 Series hair dryer in red is $49.99 at Macy's Backstage. The lowest price Davis found elsewhere was $59.99.
Another difference between Macy's and Macy's Backstage are the return policies. While you've got 180 days to return merchandise at Macy's, you only have a 30-day window at Backstage stores.
The grand opening of the Macy's Backstage at Pearland Town Center is Saturday at 10 a.m. The first 200 shoppers in the door get scratch off cards for $5 to $25 off your purchase.
