Manager Should Mind Own Business

I felt very uncomfortable reading Lisa Manheim’s letter regarding the Village Center Westwood project (“Westwood Amenities,” Aug. 10). Speaking as the store manager for Macy’s Westwood about a controversial project seemed inappropriate. It was surprising that a store manager would not be writing about her own store and how it could best serve its neighborhood.

I grew up in Westwood at a time when Bullock’s Westwood was truly the retail “anchor” of Westwood Village, a store where quality and variety were the key features. There were fashion shows in the Tea Room. I bought all my clothes in the children’s department, including school uniforms and camp attire. And there were plenty of knowledgeable salespeople on hand. We can all remember how indispensable that department store was to our community.

So it appears very odd that Ms. Manheim writes to plug a development project which is a self-contained, sunken mail that actually discourages shoppers from patronizing other areas in Westwood, including her store.

What is painfully absent from her letter is any explanation of why Macy’s Westwood has for years shortchanged its shoppers by removing designer/couture apparel, substituting bargain-basement sale merchandise year after year. We would jump at the chance to shop there again if they would just “revitalize” themselves and reach out to such an up-market, upscale clientele as found in Westwood.

So, Macys, are you listening? Tell your store manager to show some excitement for her own store and leave the heavy-handed politicking to the paid P.R. staffers working for Ira Smedra.

PRUDENCE MACGOWAN FAXON

Westwood