Respected retail analyst Neil Saunders had for years regularly posted pictures on social media showing extreme messiness at Macy’s stores—mounds of unfolded sweaters strewn on the floor or shelving that had fallen into disrepair—on social media. Now he was getting an individual tour from the department store’s new CEO, Tony Spring.

At the well-appointed Macy’s in the upscale Topanga Westfield mall in Los Angeles in June 2024, Spring walked the brand’s former bête noire through the improvements he was starting to roll out at 125 “priority” stores: elegantly styled mannequins and more staffers in key areas; double the staffing in the women’s shoe department; and three times as many in the dresses area. There were even live human beings manning the fitting rooms.

Saunders had to admit, he w

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