It turns out department stores are becoming a political battlefield.
Nordstrom announced Thursday that it would remove Ivanka Trump's brand from its website. But before you form an opinion on this, it's important to take note of Nordstrom's official reason. The department store claims that it has no beef with the First Daughter or her father. Instead, the company explains that people stopped buying her products (presumably as a result of the election), so it was no longer very profitable for Nordstrom to sell her heels and other attire.
“We’ve said all along we make buying decisions based on performance,” Nordstrom said in a statement to The New York Times. “In this case, based on the brand’s performance, we’ve decided not to buy it for this season."
Though the company emphasizes that it's not a political decision, Nordstrom's choice to start severing ties with Ivanka rewards the efforts of grassroots movements to use purchasing power to vote with their wallets. Nordstrom has reduced the 71 Ivanka Trump pieces it was selling in December to nine on Wednesday. And it's no coincidence.
But there's more. Neiman Marcus is rumored to also be dropping Ivanka's line, since her clothes were removed from the store'swebsite Friday morning. Neiman Marcus sold 21 Ivanka Trump items on its website this week, but now they've all been removed. It's all very suspicious.
Ivanka's fine jewelry store shut down in 2015. If Neiman Marcus follows Nordstrom's bold lead, we might be seeing the end of Ivanka's fashion empire. It really shows that even if you're not involved in politics, your purchases can make a statement.
So who will be next to cut Ivanka out of their stores? Well, the #GrabYourWallet campaign is targeting Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Lord & Taylor, among others. Macy's currently sells 45 Ivanka Trump items, ranging from coats to dresses. We'll see how long that lasts, considering many of these are on red code sale.
Should customers be holding Ivanka Trump accountable for her father's actions? Share your opinion in the comments or on social media @hercampus.