Who, Us? Shop at Department Stores? Nah.

By Joanna Miller in Miscellaneous on Oct 17, 2006 7:57PM

Chicagoist likes to think we’re still young and a little hip, but news about young adult shopping trends and department stores has left us scratching our head. Sure, we lamented the loss of Marshall Fields, but, truth be told, we never shopped there. Same goes for most other department stores. So it doesn't surprise us when they close.

Department stores always felt old to us, and a little overwhelming. But it turns out that might not be the case anymore. It seems all the cool kids, or at least some of them, are shopping at places like JCPenney, Kohl’s and Federated (aka Macy’s). The Tribune reports department store shopping is up among adults 18 to 24 thanks to store makeovers, “edgy advertising” and new, youthful lines.

Seriously? JCPenney? Kohl’s? 'Cause when we think Kohl’s, we think one-piece sweater sets, baby doll t-shirts that say, “Your boyfriend thinks I’m hot,” and not much in between.

And Macy’s? We took a quick stroll through the State Street store’s “Thisit” section the other day and couldn’t see past all the get-ups that made us wonder when the Pocahontas-on-an-acid-trip look became so popular.

Although we did drop a few dollars at the Lush shop on the first level, and we’re hooked on the stuff. Actually, we’ve been back twice for more. So, wait, does that mean we’re a department store shopper now? But it didn’t feel like we were shopping in a department store. Damn those sneaky marketing geniuses.

Flagship Macys via KellyK