Chapter 15 · Retailing

COACH
595 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022

The moment I got off the train at 5th Ave - 59th Street, and before I even entered the Coach store, I felt the luxury of Midtown Manhattan. I was wearing a plaid button down shirt, a PU leather skirt, sheer black tights and combat boots while the people around me wore blouses, pencil skirts, suits, and dress pants. Seeing well dressed people on the most expensive street in the world made me feel out of place, and looking back on my 22 minute trip from Murray Street to Madison Avenue and East 57th Street made me realize that I had no idea what COACH would have in store for me.

As I went to open the door to enter the store, an elderly couple was leaving. They seemed surprised that I held the door for them, and the doorman quickly went to hold it instead, in the process informing me that it was heavy, and apologizing. I ignored him, mostly because I was a bit thrown off that he apologized for something so mediocre.

Once inside, I found that the store was very well lit, bright, inviting, had high ceilings, and as luxurious as the street it was on. I was greeted numerous times by different employees, and asked over and over if I needed help looking for anything specific. After dismissing the sales people that were so eager to help me, I was approached by Yolanda and upon explaining why I was there, she told me that I was free to look around, touch the merchandise and try it on, but not to take pictures. Handbags from the fall collection are on the first floor of the store, but the entire store is filled with this season's trends. Shelves held wallets, shoes, and handbags within your line of vision. Mannequins were everywhere, sporting what was in that section of the store and products were very easy to find. The staircase leading upstairs looked as if it was made out of marble, and I felt like a princess walking up and down it. The view from the second floor was gorgeous, and an area with white couches gave shoppers a place to sit and try on shoes.

The quality of every product was impeccable. I own Coach bags, shoes, and perfume, but being able to touch a hand knit, cashmere and merino wool sweater made me feel like I was touching a cloud, a cloud with a $598 dollar price tag. A light pink belt next to the sweater was priced at $128. While the cheapest thing the store sold were the iPhone cases, shoppers weren't complaining, and were gawking at the bags and scarves, admiring the bright colors. While the colors were bright, some had deeper tones that could easily be paired with anything in my closet and would only tie my outfit together. All the products were located next to other products, showing possible outfit combinations. For example, a teal clutch was placed on a grey sweater, and a bag in a beautiful red color could be found next to a pair of matching heels. There was even a section on a glass table for sparkly black and silver shoes and bags, perfect for a night out.

View from Madison Avenue and E 57 Street

Coach's retail manager has obviously done their research. The store offers a variety of products, from coats to shoes in different colors, to accessories and perfume. You can look great from head to toe in just one trip to this store, but it'll definitely cost you. The location is perfect. Fifth Avenue attracts tourists and people with money to spend, and the 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM store hours gives you enough time to shop whether you're on your lunch break or just got off work. Employees are helpful and friendly, and hope to make your visit to the store as pleasant as possible.

While the company never strayed from its original style, customers were pleased with new product lines, and the brand worked hard to keep the Coach attitude while making subtle changes to their products, such as adding a leather trim to the bottom of the bag. Dior, Fendi, Chanel, Armani, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and miu miu are about a block away from the Coach store so "most expensive street in the world" seems like a fitting description. Even with the $598 for a sweater label, it is still considered an "affordable luxury" among the above mentioned stores and the atmosphere of the store makes it hard to walk away from the beautiful deep purple handbag that is strategically placed within your reach.