Belk is sort of like a Macy's or Lord & Taylor and the southeast. Anyway, the flagship Belk had a dedicated Coach section.Then a couple of years ago they added a dedicated Michael Kors section that was 3x the size of the Coach section. A few months ago, they eliminated the Coach section altogether and put Brahmin there instead. Just FYI, there is a Coach store AND a Brahmin store in the same mall, just around the corner. It makes no sense they would add a Brahmin section when the Brahmin store just opened like a year ago a stone's throw away but....
Anyway.....for the past year I noticed that coupons from Macys, Belk, Lord and Taylor etc can no longer be applied to Coach. I know it is a standard exclusion but I am talking Macy's VIP sales, Friends & Family etc. Same thing with Kate Spade. Michael Kors and Brahmin are still included in VIP sales etc. Even when Coach goes to clearance at Belk it is only reduced to 25% off.
This does not surprise me. Figuratively speaking, Coach wants to move out of the Contemporary Designer section of TPF and join LV etc in the Premier Designer section. Be a brand more in the neighborhood of Burberry perhaps?
For longtime customers this really bites. Now it is either pay full price - and the prices have gone WAY up - or wait for the 3x a year Coach has a sale. You never find the FP bags in the outlets anymore or rarely. I bet eventually Coach will eliminate sales altogether like the higher end designers. Personally I think this is all going to bite them in the a$$. I think it already has and yet they are determined to push forward with this strategy