150 Macy's Stores Gone by 2028

The American retail landscape is shifting under workers' feet, and Macy's is accelerating the pace. The iconic department store chain is now on track to close approximately 150 of its namesake locations by 2028, an extended timeline that will continue displacing thousands of retail employees across the country. For the workers caught in these closures, understanding what comes next is not optional — it is urgent. Metaintro breaks down the numbers, the strategy behind the cuts, and the career paths available to those affected.

How Many Macy's Workers Are Losing Their Jobs?

The scale of Macy's workforce reductions is significant. The company closed 55 stores in 2024 and another 66 in 2025, with 14 more confirmed for early 2026 across 12 states. In total, more than 80 namesake locations have already shut their doors, and roughly 65 more are scheduled to close through 2028.

Each store closure eliminates positions across sales, visual merchandising, loss prevention, stock management, and store leadership. While Macy's has not released a single aggregate figure for total jobs lost, the impact is measured in the thousands. According to RetailWire, Macy's store closures have been partially responsible for a 274 percent increase in retail layoffs during the closure period.

Beyond store-level roles, the company has also cut more than 1,000 corporate and management positions as part of a broader effort to "simplify" its organizational structure and reduce layers of management. The Cheshire, Connecticut fulfillment campus is winding down operations in phases, eliminating approximately 993 positions before its full closure in April 2027.

Affected store employees have been offered transfer opportunities to nearby locations where available, along with severance packages and outplacement resources. However, for workers in markets where no nearby Macy's location remains open, transfers are not a realistic option.

What Is Behind the Bold New Chapter Strategy?

CEO Tony Spring launched the "Bold New Chapter" strategy in February 2024 as a multi-year turnaround plan. The core logic is straightforward: close underperforming stores, concentrate resources on the strongest locations, and reposition the brand for a smaller but more profitable footprint.

The plan originally targeted closing approximately 150 stores by early 2027. That timeline has since been extended through 2028, with Macy's leadership citing a desire to "wait for the most favorable real estate market in order to get the most value for shareholders and for the business." Translation for workers: closures will keep coming, but at a somewhat slower pace than initially planned.

On the investment side, Macy's is pouring resources into 350 go-forward locations and designating 125 of those as "Reimagine" stores. These upgraded locations are receiving increased staffing, fresher product assortments, and improved visual presentations. The strategy appears to be gaining traction — Reimagine stores reported comparable sales growth of 2.7 percent in a recent quarter, outperforming the broader chain.

For job seekers, this creates a split reality. Workers at go-forward locations may see improved conditions and potentially new roles. Workers at closing locations face displacement with limited options within the company.

Where Can Displaced Retail Workers Go?

Retail workers often underestimate the transferability of their skills. Years of managing customer interactions, processing transactions, coordinating inventory, and working under pressure translate directly to roles in multiple growing industries.

Customer service and sales skills are in demand across healthcare administration, insurance, banking, and SaaS companies. Patient coordinators, client success associates, and inside sales representatives all rely on the same interpersonal and problem-solving abilities that retail workers develop on the floor.

Inventory and logistics experience maps directly to warehouse operations, supply chain coordination, and e-commerce fulfillment roles. Companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target are actively hiring for distribution and logistics positions, many of which offer competitive pay and benefits packages.

Visual merchandising and store management skills translate to event coordination, facilities management, and marketing operations. Workers who managed product displays, floor sets, and seasonal campaigns have project management experience that many employers value.

Loss prevention and security roles provide a pathway into corporate security, fraud investigation, and compliance positions across financial services and technology companies.

As Metaintro CEO Lacey Kaelani told Fortune, "In combination with layoffs over the recent years plus the rise of required AI skills, experience is no longer enough." For retail workers who have spent years or decades on the floor, pairing practical experience with targeted upskilling in areas like digital tools, CRM platforms, or data entry can make the difference between a lateral move and a career upgrade.

What Does the Broader Retail Job Market Look Like in 2026?

The Macy's closures are not happening in isolation. The entire traditional retail sector is undergoing structural contraction. Department stores, in particular, have been shrinking their physical footprints for over a decade, and the trend is accelerating.

However, the retail labor market is not uniformly negative. While traditional brick-and-mortar positions are declining, several adjacent sectors are expanding. E-commerce operations, last-mile delivery, and omnichannel retail roles are growing as consumer spending shifts online. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects continued growth in transportation and warehousing employment through 2030.

Healthcare remains one of the strongest hiring sectors in the country, with patient-facing administrative roles particularly accessible to workers with customer service backgrounds. According to industry data, healthcare support occupations are projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations over the next decade.

Technology support roles, including help desk, technical customer service, and IT onboarding positions, are also increasingly accessible through certificate programs and bootcamps that can be completed in weeks rather than years.

The key for displaced retail workers is to move quickly. Severance packages typically last 60 to 90 days, and the workers who begin exploring options immediately tend to land better outcomes than those who wait.

How Should Macy's Workers Prepare for Their Next Career Move?

For workers facing a store closure, preparation should start before the doors close. Here are concrete steps to take.

Update your resume with quantifiable achievements. Instead of listing "sales associate" duties, frame your experience in terms of results. Revenue generated, customer satisfaction scores, inventory accuracy rates, and team sizes managed all translate to metrics that hiring managers in other industries understand.

Leverage free upskilling resources. Platforms like Coursera, Google Career Certificates, and LinkedIn Learning offer affordable courses in project management, data analytics, digital marketing, and IT support that can be completed in under three months.

Tap into outplacement services. If Macy's is offering outplacement support as part of your severance package, use it. These services typically include resume reviews, interview coaching, and access to job boards that are not publicly listed.

Consider industries with transferable demand. Healthcare administration, logistics and warehousing, financial services customer support, and SaaS sales development are all hiring and value the skills retail workers bring. Metaintro tracks thousands of these openings daily and can match your experience to roles you might not have considered.

Network with former colleagues. Retail closures displace entire teams at once, and those teams often scatter across industries. Staying connected with former coworkers can lead to referrals and inside knowledge about which employers are hiring and treating workers well.