Neiman Marcus

Full review
Neiman Marcus is fun, who have heard of the $250 cookie recipe? It is an urban legend purportedly about Neiman Marcus charging someone a princely sum of money for a simple cookie recipe; and wanting to get back at the store, that someone decided to post and email the recipe for everyone to share. Because of the persistent and pesky nature of the myth, and the good and bad publicity stemming from it, Neiman Marcus went about and published a real cookie recipe to stem any criticism they may receive. The recipe is located at http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nmAbout.jhtml

So who is Neiman Marcus anyway? They are based in Dallas, Texas, and literally are the Saks Fifth Avenue of the south. Although most of what they sell is luxurious, Neiman Marcus is not exclusive as they offer many very affordable items and gifts.

What I like best about Neiman Marcus is their annual Christmas catalog. It is a glossy publication with a different style (difficult and somewhat expensive to print) cover. What is unique about the Christmas catalog is its selection of limited edition one-of-a-kind items being sold alongside more ordinary designer labels, and foodstuffs. Sure there are the usual baked hams, pralines, and handmade toys, but who else can offer a $6million limited edition executive Bell helicopter (in the 2001 catalog)? Rich folk, better hurry, because there are many JR types out there who will want this, poorer folk, well just dream on. A year or two ago, Neiman Marcus offered a limited edition $100,000 Jaguar convertible with Coach (tm) leather seats – all the cars were snapped up as soon as they were put up for sale. For Star Wars fans, there was a life-size, yes, life-sized X-Wing fighter from Lucas Studios. No assembly required as workmen comes included to set it up.

The showmanship behind all of this is uniquely Neiman Marcus, and in a way, an extension of the Texas ideal – much of the credit goes to the salesmanship of son Stanley Marcus (who incidentally, passed away yesterday at the age of 96). You will find Neiman Marcus alongside other high-end department stores at upscale malls near you. Over the Internet, the NeimanMarcus.com is pretty much standard as far as shopping sites go. There is a big sales link on the front page, and product descriptions accompany each large photo of items. Instead of selling only clothes and accessories, Neiman Marcus also has other stuff to offer, and is worth checking out. Upon delivery, you find your items packaged extremely well, and should you wish, gift wrapped.