Good News, Bad News.

Macy's biggest crisis in 2009 is regarding the 7,000 layoffs that happened company wide. Announced in February as part of the 2009 reorganization plan, this was the best way for Macy's Inc. to reduce their debt.
A news release was written by the company and sent out to major newspapers the same day. CEO, Terry Lundgren had mentioned that although 7,000 jobs will be lost, 1,200 district and regional positions will be created.
The Public Relations team at Macy's does an excellent job to mention the good with the bad. In this economy, a retail company understands that their sales may be lower than normal but remain positive and continue to be proactive.
A new program was launched called "My Macy's" concurrent with the job cuts. This program focuses on customer needs by region, it should reduce costs since customer needs vary by location which should increase customer satisfaction. The customer-focused approach has set Macy's Inc. apart from other retailers. The customer should always come first, but it has become their main priority due to the poor economic conditions.
When a company layoffs employees, consumers tend to see retailers in a "different light". By continuing to provide for the customer, Macy's Inc. is doing a great job handling what could be bad press.

Click HERE to read an article on the Macy's reorganization plan.

"To Our Shareholders"

The annual report and reading information on Macy's latest earnings may not intrigued the average customer, but with the economy at its' worse since the Great Depression reading about how your favorite department store is doing financially may spark an interest in more than the investors.
Macy's annual report includes information about the executive officers and other issues regarding the business outside of accounting, which is information about lawsuits filed against the company and the department store's competition. The report is a lot to read, it is 106 pages of information which can even steer away investors from being updated on the company's latest news, although it is very well written.
The letter to the shareholders is the first page of the Macy's annual report. The first two paragraphs address the economic crisis and how it has taken a toll on their earnings but it continues to mention the strategies that will enable the company to increase their cash flow.
This will reassure investors and along them to continue to be comfortable investing in Macy's.
Macy's Inc. sent out another news release regarding the company's earnings on November 11th. It is written in economic terms but the average customer can grasp that Macy's is excited that the company's third quarter results have exceeded their expectations when reading the lead and the quotes provided by the CEO, Terry Lundgren. Lundgren's quotes sincerely express how gracious he is that Macy's was able to do so well despite the economic situation.
Investors will be more than happy when reading this news release, it definitely instills confidence.

Take a look at the ANNUAL REPORT.