Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco Shifts to Appointment-only Shopping

Saks Fifth Avenue, in an unprecedented maneuver, is switching its San Francisco department store to an appointment-only format.

The switch, which happens on Aug. 28, comes amid a string of recent store closings in San Francisco due to crime, declining sales, traffic and occupancy.

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Saks San Francisco and other stores have been hit by snatch-and-grab robberies in the past, but Saks is not giving up on the city. Shifting to by appointment only may help reduce the chances of further robberies at the store.

The decision by Saks is believed to be the first of its kind for a department store. Many department stores offer by-appointment services in certain areas, such as beauty salons and for high jewelry, while the rest of the store remains openly shoppable.

The San Francisco decision comes as Saks has been rolling out its Fifth Avenue Club personal shopping service beyond its own stores to stand-alone suites in destinations such as hotels across the U.S. It also comes as Saks owner HBC plans to buy the Neiman Marcus Group, a deal that’s waiting for government approval.

Asked why the store, which is located at 384 Post Street on Union Square, is shifting to by appointment only, a spokesperson gave the following statement:

“We’re always looking for innovative ways to optimize our store experience to match luxury consumers’ evolving expectations, including by meeting our customers where and how they want to shop with us. With that, beginning Aug. 28, we are transforming our Saks Fifth Avenue San Francisco store to operate by appointment only, enabling associates to offer customers more refined services tailored to their preferences. We look forward to serving our San Francisco customers with this new experience.”

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Saks had no comment on what the shift would mean to sales volume at the store, and declined to comment on the number of employees affected by related layoffs. Those employees did receive severance packages, according to Saks.

Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, The North Face, Hollister, Adidas, The Lego Anthropologie, Old Navy, Express and Whole Foods are among the recent closings in San Francisco, and the Westfield San Francisco Centre stopped operating and turned the site over to its lenders.

Macy’s is expected to close its San Francisco flagship, possibly next year, though it’s part of the retailer’s previously announced plan to close approximately 150 Macy’s stores while further investing in 350 go-forward stores over three years.

Some retailers continue to invest in the city, including Banana Republic, Levi Strauss and Ikea, which have recently opened stores there.

Customers can make an appointment at the San Francisco store by contacting their style adviser, emailing conciergesanfrancisco@s5a.com, or booking on saks.com. Saks has no plans to close its San Francisco store or shift other locations to by appointment only, the company said.

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