Barneys is closing for good in a week, cutting hundreds of jobs. This is what the iconic department store looks like in its final days
Bethany Biron/Business Insider
By Bethany Biron From Business Insider
All remaining Barneys stores will officially close on February 23, and a total of 719 employees will be laid off, according to a WARN notice filed on Thursday.
With just over a week of business remaining, inventory is growing sparse and stores are in a state of complete disarray as liquidation sales culminate.
I visited the uptown flagship store on Madison Avenue and the downtown location on 7th Avenue at the end of January and found bleak scenes at both locations, with empty shelves, ransacked beauty counters, and messy floors.
For Barneys, the end’s not near, it’s essentially here.
As New York’s iconic luxury department store prepares to close its doors, store-wide liquidation sales are rapidly approaching final days as remaining inventory wanes. All Barneys stores will officially close on February 23 and a total of 719 employees will lose their jobs, according to aWARN notice. The filing, which is required of companies in advance of mass layoffs, was posted on Thursday.
On a recent visit to Manhattan’s two stores at the end of January — the Madison Avenue flagship and the downtown location on 7th Avenue — shelves were sparse and picked-over, and very few shoppers were seen braving the messy racks.
The most devoted bargain hunters can still score a deal, but only if they’re willing to dig through disorganized piles of luxury items, which are discounted by as much as 90% off.
Here’s what it was like visiting Barneys in its final days.
I started our Barneys memorial shopping venture at the Madison Avenue flagship store uptown, where the once-elaborate window displays were as bleak as ever.
As I entered the store, the emphatic red and yellow liquidation signs were blinding.
I started downstairs in the beauty department, which was by far the most desolate part of the store.
On this messy counter, I found a depressing scene of perfume samples being sold in bulk from a storage bin.
Then I found even more sad samples in storage bins.
Everywhere I looked, there were miscellaneous plastic bins filled with beauty products …
… and I mean everywhere.
The counters were in such a state of disarray, it looked like someone had ransacked the store.
All of the shelves were mostly empty …
… and individual brand counters were nearly barren.
Here, a lone foundation sits on an empty shelf.
Meanwhile, high-end brands like Tatcha were discounted at as low as $16.50.
Meanwhile, this $250 “beauty bag” was going for $25.
Next, I made my way to the upper levels to see how the liquidation sale was faring in the other departments.
Let’s just say upstairs wasn’t much better. The first thing I saw was an information box for inquiries on purchasing fixtures and equipment.
Unlike in previous months, there were very few shoppers to be found on a Thursday afternoon.
In the men’s department, tons of racks were nearly empty.
Meanwhile, stickers were affixed to various fixtures around the store to indicate they had been sold, like this marble table …
… and also these chairs.
The home goods area was scattered with totally random items, many of which were in boxes.
In the women’s department, I found these sparse racks of designer clothing …
… and also these.
Nearby was an extremely messy table with a bubblegum pink leather purse strewn atop a pile of disjointed clothing.
Another floor was devoted to just fur jackets …
… and rugs.
Certain parts of the store were completely cleared out.
The shoe department had probably the most inventory, though it was a bit of an eyesore.
I also spotted some bizarre items, like this display of dog ornaments for 80% off.
I started to feel a bit glum in this ghost town of a store, so I decided it was time to call it a day.
