Macy’s will be the subject of a reality television show.
“Unwrapping Macy’s,” set for broadcast in September, will offer a behind-the-scenes look at how the retailer operates its stores, selects merchandise, creates a catalog and runs events like the annual Thanksgiving Day parade, said Steven Weinstock, one of the producers behind the show.
The show, which is still being edited, will be on WE, the Women’s Entertainment network, whose viewership is said to overlap with Macy’s customers. The first of eight 30-minute episodes will appear at 10 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2006.
“Unwrapping Macy’s” will, for the most part, depict the daily lives of employees. Weinstock said life at Macy’s was “inherently dramatic,” because of creative conflicts between staff members and the deadline pressure of each passing fashion season.
Ron Klein, chairman of Macy’s East division said, “Most reality TV is a negative experience, waiting for someone to fail,” but that “Unwrapping Macy’s” would not follow that format.
The show will premier just as Macy’s parent company, Federated Department Stores Inc. (Cincinnati), expands the Macy’s now-national brand into several new markets with the conversion of several former May Co. stores.