Paradise Found

I mentioned in my first blog that there would be more about fashion and retail and today I’m going to give you an overview of what it is like to work within one of the finest retailers that ever existed.

I started in retail – Bloomingdale’s. on June 6, 1980.  To this day I cannot believe what a wonderful experience it was.  Ten years of so much fun, learning, tough times and very good times.  I learned so much about business and I loved knowing what was new, hot and interesting every day.  Bloomingdale’s had an incredibly inspirational leader in Marvin Traub, who was always a dreamer of things bigger and better and he let his managers manage.  We promoted almost everyone from within – most from their days in the Executive Training Program.  Even Marvin was a Christmas temp who went on to stay with the company for years.

The environment was collegial and friendly – and very competitive.  Everyone from a candidate who wanted to be hired to a buyer wanted to make a statement.

In the 80’s when I was in the human resources department that hired hourly associates we typically had about 5000 employees at the store and the nearby warehouse in Long Island City – and mostly union.  We would had another 3000 at holiday – all hired within 6 weeksin a very organized process – this was before computers, or programs – manual, but it worked.  Around the end of October was the height of the hiring and we had stansions  (like a movie theatre line in Seinfeld).  Our line went around the entire block that was taken up by the store – 59th to 60th Streets between Lexington and Third.  Sometimes the line wrapped around twice!

The security people let 15 or 20 people in at a time (which was all we could handle in the HR lobby) and each of the 8 or 9 recruiters spent about 15 minutes with a candidate, deciding on whether or not they were a proper hire, figuring out where they would best be placed, making the offer, completing paperwork and getting the new hire into a training class.  At times each of us would hire 40 people a day!

During the pre-holiday and holiday time, we worked 6 days a week including two stretches (9:00 am. to 9:00 p.m.) usually Monday and Thursday.  Exhausting, but very rewarding when we realized we had achieved the 3000 goal.  We had drop outs and if that was the case, the job was posted as opened again and we had to start over!

Every day, at lunchtime, I would walk the floors looking at all the new merchandise that arrived every day.  During the 80’s merchandising was very different – instead of departments by brand , the departments were by category – except on the fourth floor where the expensive designer merchandise sat.  On three (where I shopped) all sweaters were in one place regardless of brand; same with blouses, jeans, trousers etc.  Liz Claiborne was the first brand that had its own shop and it was wildly successful.  I must admit, I never bought one piece of Liz – I loved the Bloomingdale’s private label – Sutton Sportswear on 3 or Beekman Sportswear on 4.  Both had knockoffs that looked exactly like the designer labels – sometimes better – at very decent prices.

In those days, young women didn’t wear designer (Chanel, Donna Karan, Ann Klein, Calvin Klein, etc.), they work the knockoffs.  Designer was for the more mature woman.  The same held true for handbags and shoes.  I had knockoffs of Chanel that looked great – and I paid a fraction of the price.

Bloomingdale’s was also a very supportive company and bought many tickets to support various causes – all blacktie events.  I as lucky enough to be the guest of my very good friend, Jim Held, who was then the VP – General Manager of the New York Flagship.  I was lucky enough to go to the Vienna Ball, opening night at the Metropolitan Opera (which included a dinner before the performance), many store parties – parties where guests roamed the store with drink in hand, sometimes a few thousand at a time!  We also attended the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala twice – and during one sat  the table adjacent to President and Mrs. Reagan!

The store had 8 floors of wonderful merchandise in a theatre like setting.  There were several restaurants including the then famous “Le Train Bleu”, Forty Carrots, etc and a fabulous Gourmet department featuring Petrossian Caviar, shops like Marcella Hazan, Michel Guerard, and the best cheese counter I had every seen.  This is where is  experienced the delight of a  little bite of something fabulously wonderful, like Petrossian Caviar.

Today, we cannot import caviar, and even though I have tried the very expensive roe sold today, there is nothing like Petrossian.

The Petrossian family had the rights to farm caviar for many, many years and they taught us all about their salmon and many different kinds of caviar. When they opened their shop in Bloomingdale’s, we needed to hire their salmon slicers and other associates.  A little scary because their standards were incredibly high and slicers were few and far between in NY.  But we satisfied their needs well and they rewarded me with a huge can of caviar in a little carry case with dry ice!  Inside the case was also a little pearl spoon  which I still have today.  Caviar spoils quickly and believe me, I ate every bit all by myself, in pajamas, in front of the TV!  The exerience definately started me on the epicurean road!

I have so many stories I could tell about Bloomingale’s but really it was what it was because of the people.  To name a very few:   Marvin Traub, Vin Brennan, Jim Held, Alan Kahn, Jeff Sherman, Margaret Hofbeck, Barbara Smaby, Julian Taub, Lester Gribetz, Carl Levine, Glen Senk, Judy Daniel, Jack Schultz, Barbara D’Arcy, Alan Reyburn, Barbara Deichman, Bart Center, Sam Brett,  Ellen Fine, Marian Goodman, Julian Tomchin, Hal Ruttenstein, Sue Kronick, Nancy Weber, Barbara Ambrecht,  Richard Mast and so many others.

I don’ think there is anyplace today that can dupliate the enviornment that Bloomingdale’s had established, especially in the 80s when I was worked there…

Till next time!

E