Hidden Gems

Margaret wanted to look her best when she showed up at R.H. Macy’s.

She bought a brand-new velvet dress the color of rubies for the occasion. She wore ivory-colored gloves with lace trim along her dainty wrists and pearl earrings that reminded her of the meaning of her name and what a gem she was.

She thought dressing in bold colors and looking sharp would boost her confidence and make a strong first impression.

Although Margaret had no retail or sales experience, she did know a thing or two about numbers. Her cousin, Rowland, was greatly impressed with how skilled she was with mathematics and thought he could use someone like her at his store.

Margaret was relieved by how well the meeting with Rowland was going. He decided to give Margaret a chance and hired her as a cash clerk.

Her job was to make change for customers. If someone paid with a one dollar bill for a seventy-eight-cent pair of fancy silk gloves, Margaret took their dollar, stored it safely, and returned the customer’s change of twenty-two cents.

Margaret was a skilled cash clerk. It would be easy to make an error when someone deals with so many different people and sales transactions—but not Margaret. She barely made any mistakes with her cash drawer.

Margaret did such a good job in her role, that before she knew it, she was training other store employees on how to handle cash and receipts in the same careful manner she did.

“Don’t ever cross out a figure or change it, no matter what seems to be the logical reason in your own mind,” Margaret would say. “The very act implies dishonesty.”

As a cash clerk, Margaret earned $2.50 a week. This was enough to cover her basic needs but not much else.

Margaret’s boss and cousin, Rowland, had many nicknames. Some called him Mr. Macy while others called him Captain Macy. Some referred to him as “the old man.” But no matter what people called him, he was known to pinch every penny. He did not spend money if he didn’t have to.

The one thing he did like to spend his money on was advertising. He felt it was a wise investment to run ads in the local newspaper to attract customers.

Rowland also thought it was a good investment to put Margaret into a new role. He noticed how gifted she was with numbers, so he promoted her to head bookkeeper. She was now in charge of tracking all of the money for Macy’s. All the money coming in from sales, and all the money being paid out for staff wages and business expenses. From candlesticks sold for nine cents to dolls that cost ninety-nine cents, Margaret kept track of it all. And she adored her job.

Pretty soon, Margaret tackled tasks that went beyond just dealing with numbers. She liked to help Rowland dream up catchy advertisements to entice people to shop at Macy’s. Together, they created ads for products such as linen sheets and silk stovepipe hats like the ones president Abraham Lincoln wore. These popular top hats were all the rage in 1861 and were usually seven or eight inches tall!

Margaret’s greatest contribution to R. H. Macy’s was still to come. Her cousin Rowland had a red star tattoo on his wrist from his sailing days. When Margaret saw it, she thought it would be the perfect emblem to represent Macy’s.

Mr. Macy used the star design in his newspaper advertisements. But Margaret wanted to take it to the next level. Her idea was to place the red star on items throughout the store and even on the building itself. Before long, every price tag had its own little red star. They even painted red stars on tall columns outside the building. (The stars can still be seen at the original Macy’s location on West Thirteenth Street in New York today.)

Margaret hoped that whenever people saw a red star, they would think of Macy’s.

Now, more than 150 years later, the Macy’s logo is one of the most recognizable symbols in retail history. The red star is still used on every Macy’s store sign, bag, and ad to this day.

Margaret got a kick out of “putting a bug” in Rowland’s ear. Her plans often worked. Margaret suggested that Macy’s add more departments to attract even more customers. Soon, things like ice skates, soaps, perfumes, and picnic supplies could be found at Macy’s.

And one very important department that is still near and dear to the hearts of all children who enter the doors of Macy’s was added: the toy department!

Children could choose from checkers and chess sets made of wood, bone, or ivory to play with, as well as games like badminton—which was known as shuttlecock back then. Macy’s even carried toy swords and magic lanterns.

There was also an assortment of elaborate toy villages, fabulous china tea sets, dominoes, satin slippers, and toy houses for dolls.

In 1870, Margaret introduced a book section in the store for both adults and children to enjoy. Cloth and paper publications of stories like Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, Tom Sawyer, Don Quixote, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and Little Women soon lined the shelves.

With any business, some ideas seem promising at first but later present obstacles. That’s what happened when Margaret introduced fresh flowers at the store. As beautiful as the lilacs, lilies, and yellow roses were, they weren’t selling fast enough for the department store to keep them in stock and make a profit. So, R.H. Macy’s stopped selling fresh flowers.

Margaret didn’t let that get her down. Astonishing the customer was always top of mind for Margaret. Even if one plan didn’t work out, she powered through and thought up another idea, and then another.