Since the late 19th century, Americans have been buying clothes, food, household items, etc. in department stores. Department stores have traditionally been the mainstay of malls or shopping malls, but today more of these retail outlets are independent destinations for one-stop shopping, from cosmetics to lawn furniture and pet supplies.
Today, brick-and-mortar stores are just one aspect of these omni-channel retail chains, each offering varying degrees of e-commerce and accelerating in-store pickup and delivery options under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Department stores that sell food and cleaning products are considered essential and able to remain open during the lockdown.
As more and more consumers shop online, and the "big resignation" is fully impacting the retail industry, the future of department stores remains uncertain. Brands are leveraging new technologies to innovate, open store-in-store concepts, and improve their online shopping experience in an attempt to retain customers.
We use YouGov rating data to find the most popular department stores in the U.S. by the end of 2021. The percentage came from a nationally representative survey panel whose score was calculated by counting the percentage of people who looked positively at something to the percentage of all people who had any opinion on the matter, including "heard of it."
10。 TJ Maxx
56% of Americans have a positive opinion of the store
- 97% of people are familiar with this store
The first TJ Maxx store opened in 1977. The discount chain has more than 4,500 stores in nine countries. TJ Maxx is under The TJX Companies Inc. All, the company also owns HomeGoods, Marshalls and Homesense. The company, which trades under the new York Stock Exchange's ticker symbol TJX, ranked 97th on last year's Fortune 500 list. TJ Maxx had to scramble to add online retail options during the pandemic, but now offers in-store pickup and delivery in all regions.
9。 Sam's Club
57% of Americans have a positive opinion of the store
Sam's Club is a discount member warehouse club where members can buy groceries, household items and fuel. Sam's Club is owned by Walmart and founded by Sam Walton in 1983. Sam's Club has nearly 600 stores in the United States, Brazil, China and Mexico. Club and Plus membership levels have different benefits and annual subscription rates. Members can also handle other services such as mail order pharmacies, financial services, travel clubs, and car services.
8。 Biglots
- 95% of people are familiar with this store
Biglots was founded in 1967 by Sol Shenk to focus on automotive components. In 2001, all of Consolidated International's companies, including Biglots, Oddlots, Mac Frugal's Bargains Closeouts and Pic 'N' Save, merged into one brand. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Biglots is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BIG. Biglots has more than 1,400 stores in 47 states selling household necessities, clothes, food and furniture. It also offers curbside pickup and online shopping options.
7。 Macy's
- 59% of Americans have a positive opinion of the store
The first Macy's was Roland Rowland H. Macy opened a dry goods store in New York City in 1858. Its flagship store was moved to Herald Square in 1902 and remains to this day. After its addition in 1924, W. 34th St. became the largest store in the world, and in the same year Macy's organized its first Thanksgiving parade. In addition to the iconic department store, Macy's also owns Bloomingdales and beauty shop Bluemercury. In 2020, Macy's announced plans to close 125 brick-and-mortar stores within three years, but starting this year, it will also open Toys R Us stores in 400 Macy's stores.
6。 Jeppeny J. Penney
- 60% of Americans have a positive opinion of the store
- 96% of people are familiar with this store
James Cash Penney opened his first store, The Golden Rule, in Kemmer, Wyoming, in 1902. Today, JCPenney has 650 stores in the United States. The company welcomed new CEO Marc Rosen in 2021, who aims to strengthen the brand's e-commerce. This year it also launched fast fashion brand Forever 21 in 100 stores. JCPenney survived in 2020 when Simon Properties group and Brookfield Asset Management acquired the retailer.
5。 Walmart
- 61% of Americans have a positive opinion of the store
- 99% of people are familiar with this store
The first Walmart opened in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962. The company was founded by Sam Walton and went public in 1970. In 1980, Walmart had 276 stores and annual sales of $1 billion. In 1992, shortly before Walton's death at the age of 92, George H.W. Bush awarded Sam Walton the Medal of Freedom in Bentonville, Arkansas. Walmart is now venturing into the virtual world with plans to launch a cryptocurrency and issue irreplaceable tokens.
4。 Dollar Tree
- 62% of Americans have a positive opinion of the store
- 98% of people are familiar with this store
Dollar Tree operates fixed-price discount grocery stores in the United States and Canada. The company also owns Family Dollar, which sells goods at different prices. The origins of dollar tree can be traced back to 1953, when KR Perry opened a Ben Franklin grocery store in Norfolk, Virginia, which was later renamed K&K 5&10. Perry partnered with Macon Brock and Doug Perry to run K&K 5&10 and K&K Toys, starting at $1.00 and becoming dollar Tree in 1993. By May 2022, Dollar Tree plans to raise the price of most of its commodities from $1 to $1.25.
3。 Coles Kohl's
63% of Americans have a positive opinion of the store
Kohl's operates more than 1,100 stores in 49 states. The first Cole Department Store opened in Brookfield, Wisconsin, in 1962. The company went public in 1992 and established an e-commerce division in 2001. According to company data, 80 percent of Americans live within 15 miles of Kohl's stores. Kohl's is working with Sephora to bring the beauty brand to 850 stores by 2023. It also partnered with Amazon in 2019 and now offers in-person Amazon returns in its stores.
2。 Costco
Costco is a wholesale club headquartered in Isekow, Washington. Its origins can be traced back to San Diego in 1976, when Sol Price opened its first members' warehouse club, Price Club. In 1983, Jeffrey Brotman and James Sinegal opened Costco's first store. Price Club was absorbed by Costco in 1993 and now has stores in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Costco stores about 4,000 items in its stores, less than the average grocery store. Costco, known for its employee kindness, raised its starting salary to $17 an hour in 2021.
1。 Targe
- 71% of Americans have a positive opinion of the store
George Dayton opened the Dayton Dry Goods Company in Minneapolis in 1902 and started what would become Target. In 1920, dayton introduced WBAH, the most powerful radio station in the Midwest, whose broadcasts could be heard in England. In 1962, Dayton launched Target, a discount store with the best features of a department store. There are now nearly 2,000 Target stores across the country. Since 1946, Target has donated 5% of its profits to charity and has pledged $100 million by 2025 to support black-led organizations.