Saks Fifth Avenue Reopens Phipps Plaza Store

In addition to our normal news coverage, What Now Atlanta is tracking ways Atlanta’s businesses are adapting to the novel coronavirus and the challenges it brings to brick-and-mortars.

Saks Fifth Avenue on Tuesday, May 12, reopened its Atlanta store in Buckhead’s Phipps Plaza, joining a list of neighboring retailers that resurfaced last week in the high-end mall.

The department store, at 3440 Peachtree Road, has reopened with “enhanced health and safety protocols and modified services to ensure the safest and most comfortable shopping experience for our customers,” a company spokesperson in an email Tuesday told What Now Atlanta.

“The health and well-being of our associates and customers remains our top priority and the
driving force behind our strategy for reopening,” Marc Metrick, president at Saks Fifth Avenue, said in a prepared statement Tuesday.

“Saks has the opportunity to set the standard for offering a safe, easy, and personalized shopping experience once stores reopen. We will continue to evaluate store openings based on our own analysis, which takes into account the expertise of local government and health officials, economics, and community sentiment. We truly look forward to welcoming customers back to Saks Fifth Avenue.”

Saks has implemented a number of measures upon reopening, including adding enhanced cleaning protocols, regularly sanitizing high-touch areas such as fitting rooms and point-of-sale areas, and implementing social distancing measures.

Associates will be required to wear face coverings and undergo health screenings and the retailer is operating with reduced hours Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

Saks is also offering curbside pickup and returns at most locations for Atlantans that prefer a contactless shopping experience, and an adjusted return policy whereby any purchase made after February 15, 2020, can be returned within 30 days of the store’s reopening.

[Editor’s note: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly evolving as is its effect on Atlanta, and the City’s businesses and its residents. Click here for What Now Atlanta’s ongoing coverage of the crisis. For guidance and updates on the pandemic, please visit the C.D.C. website.]