Era Ends With New Beginning

"It's been a big culture shock for me learning about the higher end of the merchandise," she said.

Macy's hopes the strategy will reenergize the department store sector, which has been squeezed between specialty retailers and big-box discounters. Hecht's in particular struggled to find a niche, burdened by middle-of-the-road merchandise and customers who had grown used to perpetual discounting.

Kinton, 51, remembers the glory days of department stores. Six-foot-four and perfectly polished, Kinton personifies Washington retail. He started his career as a buyer at Garfinckel's. He had intended to stay only a year and then go to law school. But his first week on the job, Garfinckel's held a fashion show of Missoni clothing, and legendary designer Halston -- who created Jacqueline Kennedy's famous pillbox hat -- made a personal appearance.

"I thought I had died and gone to heaven," Kinton said. He never made it to law school.

He joined Hecht's in 1987 as assistant store manager at Tysons Corner and rose to regional vice president, overseeing 15 stores before the merger. When Federated bought May, he was faced with a choice: Leave Washington to maintain his position or become store manager of Metro Center. He chose to stay.

Kinton was a familiar face for many employees at the store. Thalia "Pinky" Sewell even outdates him. She was hired 34 years ago at the F Street location and has worked at the downtown store ever since.

Even today, she said there are associates on every floor that she recognizes from the old days. Like the lady in luggage who was there during her training when she got hired. Sewell still remembers her Hecht's employee number, 112274. Sewell's was 112250.

Macy's has assigned everyone new numbers, but sometimes associates still use the old ones. Old habits die hard.

"Change was slow, in my opinion," Sewell said. "I guess it needed to be slow . . . [But] I feel like it's here, finally."

There have been some culture clashes along the way. On online message boards, employees at some former May stores have grumbled about the requirement that they wear all black and changes to work schedules and commission rates. Wayne Cambrel has worked at the downtown Hecht's for 36 years and said adjusting his sales pitch to customers to the Macy's pricing strategy was a challenge.

"When their [culture] came into ours, it looked like it was upside down," he said. "It's like speaking a foreign language."

It's the little things that have helped change employees' mind-set. Macy's crafted a scripted line for associates to recite when they answer the phone: the name of the department, the associate's name, and then "How can I supply you with outstanding customer service?" Cambrel said. He has perfected his delivery, drawing out the vowels in outstanding.

"Hecht's never was in the thought anymore," he said.

And that, of course, is the goal. Kinton walked through the store this week and surveyed the changes. The visual manager had dressed 53 new mannequins over the weekend, and the Bobbi Brown counter was under construction. Christmas merchandise was already in. The Hecht's name still covered store awnings, but Macy's logo was hiding underneath waiting to be unveiled.

"We are Macy's," Kinton said. "The last piece to change was the name."