Macy’s vs. Last Call – Store Wars Rd. 1

STORE WARS: Macy’s vs. Last Call

Starting March 13th and running through April 2nd, Dappered.com is hosting a bracket based tournament with the purpose of eventually crowning the all around Affordable Men’s Style Retail Champ for 2012.  For a full introduction see this post.  The bracket on the right will be updated as the tournament progresses.  Click on it for the full size.  Make a case for your preferred competitor in the comments section, but don’t forget to vote at the bottom of each match up.  On with today’s showdown:

Strengths:  Heritage, consistency, and variety.  They’re the wardrobe anchor for many a man on a budget.  Off the rack suiting might not fit superb, but if you’re willing to settle a little on some areas of fit, and you’ve got a good tailor, you can look extremely sharp.  Plenty of casual stuff too.  Variety of brands is strong.  In-house names like Alfani, Alfani Red, Bar III, and sometimes INC can produce some positive surprises.  Their One Day Sales.  Decent affordable jewelery selections for the ladies in your life if you play the sale game.  Brick and mortar shopping experience is usually pretty consistent.

Weaknesses: With that heritage and consistency comes the tendency to be safe and predictable.  For affordable style, they seem to be a solid B 90% of the time.  Rarely A+.  “Full retail” can be eye-roll worthy when compared to their perpetual sale prices.  You really have to play the wait for a sale/coupon game with Macy’s.  Can also seem to be a bit out of touch with younger and more fitted styles.  Not a lot of must-have unique items.  Website can be clunky sometimes.  Over-promotion of a so-so shipping policy with countless catalogs, emails, and web ads that scream “FREE SHIPPING!” and then in tiny print reminds you that free shipping only kicks in “with $99 purchase.”

Strengths:  High end, sometimes drool worthy goods often available at stunningly affordable prices… as long as you wait for an extra 25% – 40% sale.  It’s usually their shoe selection that draws the most attention, but big name suits like Hickey Freeman will show up from time to time.  Free shipping can usually be found with codes (like FSANN4).

Weaknesses: Selection can struggle (they’re an outlet after all) and those “drool worthy” items can sometimes be few and far between after their shoes.  Waiting for an extra 25% – 40% off sale is an absolute must.  Can produce some excellent finds, but can then go quiet for a real long time.  If you’re patient, it’s easy to find dessert at Last Call.  Making a full meal on the other hand ain’t so easy.

Your votes determine who goes on to the next round. Cast your ballot below.  Voting ends at midnight ET.
UPDATE:  Macy’s in a walk.  There are some finds via Last Call, but ol’ reliable Macy’s wallops em’.
.