Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox company| company_name = Neiman Marcus | company_logo = [[Image:Nieman's logo.PNG|200px]] | company_type = Private | foundation = 1907 | key_people = -[[Carrie Marcus Neiman]], Cofounder & chair of board<br/>-[[Herbert Marcus]], Cofounder & [[CEO]]<br/>-[[Abraham Lincoln Neiman|Abraham Lincoln "Al" Neiman]] Cofounder<br/>-[[Minnie Lichtenstein Marcus]] VP of Horticulture & Emeritus Benefactor <br/>-[[Stanley Marcus]], [[CEO]], chair of board & Emeritus Benefactor<br/>-Lawrence Marcus, Women's Department VP & Emeritus Benefactor<br/>-[[Joe Allen Hong]], Fashion Designer | location = [[Dallas, Texas]], [[United States|USA]]| industry = [[Retail]] | products = Clothing, footwear, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and housewares.| owner= [[TPG Capital]]<br />[[Warburg Pincus]]| homepage = [http://www.neimanmarcus.com www.neimanmarcus.com] | }} '''Neiman Marcus''', formerly '''Neiman-Marcus''', is a luxury specialty retail [[department store]] operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the [[United States]]. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in [[Downtown Dallas|Downtown]] [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], [[Texas]],<ref>"[http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=118113&p=irol-contact Company Information]." Neiman Marcus. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.</ref> and competes with other department stores such as [[Saks Fifth Avenue]], [[Barneys New York]], [[Nordstrom]], and [[Bloomingdale's]]. The Neiman Marcus Group also owns [[Bergdorf Goodman]] specialty retail department stores on [[Fifth Avenue]] in [[New York City]] and a direct marketing division, Neiman Marcus Direct, which operates catalogue and online operations under the Horchow, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman names. ==History== ===Beginnings=== [[Image:Neiman Marcus Commerce Street.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The [[Neiman Marcus Building]] is the headquarters and flagship store in [[Dallas, Texas]].]] [[Herbert Marcus]], Sr., a former buyer with Dallas' [[Sanger Brothers]] department store, had left his previous job to found a new business with his sister [[Carrie Marcus Neiman]] and her husband, A. L. Neiman, then employees of Sanger Brothers competitor [[A. Harris and Co.]]. In 1907 the trio found themselves with [[United States dollar|$]]25,000 from the successful sales-promotion firm they had built in [[Atlanta, Georgia]], and two potential investments into which to invest the funds. Opting to reject the unknown "sugary soda pop business," the three entrepreneurs chose instead to return to Dallas to found a retail business rather than take a chance on the fledgling [[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola company]].<ref name="HandbookALN">{{Handbook of Texas|id=NN/fne32|name=Neiman, Abraham Lincoln}}</ref> For this reason, early company CEO [[Stanley Marcus]] was quoted in 1957 as saying in jest that Neiman Marcus was "founded on bad business judgment."<ref name="Schack">William Schack, "Neiman-Marcus of Texas" (article), ''Commentary'' 24:3, 213, September 1957.</ref> The store, established on September 10, 1907, was lavishly furnished and stocked with clothing of a quality that was not commonly found in Texas. Within a few weeks, the store's initial inventory, mostly acquired on a buying trip to New York made by Carrie, was completely sold out. Oil-rich Texans, welcoming the opportunity to flaunt their wealth in more sophisticated fashion than was previously possible, flocked to the new store. In spite of a nationwide financial panic set off only a few weeks after its opening, Neiman Marcus was instantly successful, and its first several years of operation were quite profitable.<ref name="fundinguniverse.com">http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/The-Neiman-Marcus-Group-Inc-Company-History.html</ref> In 1914 a fire destroyed the Neiman Marcus store and all of its merchandise. A temporary store was set up and opened in 17 days.<ref name="nmoverview">[http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/company_overview.jhtml;jsessionid=MJTBGRZOT1KBECQAAKHRABY Historical timeline], from Neiman Marcus Online</ref> By the end of 1914, Neiman Marcus opened in its new, permanent location at the corner of Main Street and Ervay Street. With the opening of the flagship [[Neiman Marcus Building]], the store increased its product selection to include accessories, [[lingerie]], and children's clothing, as well as expanding the women's apparel department. In its first year at the new building, Neiman Marcus recorded a profit of $40,000 on sales of $700,000, nearly twice the totals reached in its last year at the original location.<ref name="fundinguniverse.com"/> In 1927 the store expanded and Neiman Marcus premiered the first weekly retail fashion show in the United States.<ref name="timeline">[http://www.texasmonthly.com/2002-03-01/webextra5.php Stanley Marcus Timeline] ''Texas Monthly'', March 2002</ref> The store staged a show called "One Hundred Years of Texas Fashions" in 1936 in honor of the [[centennial]] of [[San Jacinto Day|Texas' independence from Mexico]]. A later profile of the store, "Neiman Marcus of Texas," described the "grandiose and elaborate" gala, noting, "It was on this occasion that one of the most critical among the store's guests, Mrs. Edna Woolman Chase, editor of Vogue, expressing the sentiment of the store's starry-eyed clientele, told the local press:<ref name="schack216">Schack, p. 216.</ref> {{Rquote||I dreamed all my life of the perfect store for women. Then I saw Neiman Marcus, and my dream came true.|Edna Woolman Chase, editor of ''Vogue'' (1936)|quoted in ''Commentary'' 1957|30px|30px}} In 1929 the store began offering menswear. During the 1930s and 1940s Neiman Marcus began to include less expensive clothing lines along with its high-end items, in response to the [[Great Depression]] and following war years. Between 1942 and 1944, sales at Neiman Marcus grew from $6 million to $11 million.<ref name="fundinguniverse.com"/> Despite a major fire in 1946, the store continued to profit. ===1950-1990=== Herbert Marcus, Sr., died in 1950, and Carrie Neiman died two years later, leaving [[Stanley Marcus]] in charge of the company's operations.<ref name="fundinguniverse.com"/><ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,890689,00.html</ref> The 1950s saw the addition of a $1.6 million store on [[Preston Road]], a 63,000 square foot plant with decor "inspired by the art and culture of Southwestern Indians" and "colors ... copied from Indian weaving, pottery, and sand paintings"; the themed decor included [[Kachina doll|Kachina figures]] on colored-glass murals and an [[Alexander Calder]] [[Mobile (sculpture)|mobile]] named "Mariposa,"<ref name=tolbert53>[[Frank X. Tolbert]]. ''Neiman-Marcus, Texas'', New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1953, page 5.</ref> the Spanish word for [[butterfly]]. Art likewise was used as inspiration for Stanley Marcus' seasonal campaigns to solicit new colors in fabrics, as he did the year that he borrowed 20 [[Paul Gauguin]] paintings &mdash; many of which had never been publicly exhibited &mdash; from collectors around the world and had the vivid colors translated into dyes for wool, silk, and leather. Area teachers cited the Gauguin exhibits as spurring a dramatic increase in art study.<ref name="tolbert-11">Tolbert, 1953, page 11.</ref> In the 1950s and '60s [[Gittings]] operated a portrait studio in Neiman Marcus. Clients included [[Lyndon Johnson]], [[Howard Hughes]], and the [[Pahlavi dynasty|Shah of Iran]], [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] and his family. The company continued its extravagant marketing efforts (including the launch of His and Her gifts in the famous Christmas Book) with the inauguration of Fortnight in 1957. The Fortnight was an annual presentation of fashions and culture from a particular country, held in late October and early November of each year, and was one of the most anticipated events in Dallas. It brought fashion, dignitaries, celebrities, exotic food and extravagant celebrations to the downtown store for 29 years.<ref name="fundinguniverse.com"/><ref>http://smu.edu/newsinfo/excerpts/fortnight-annotations-spring2007.asp</ref> Neiman Marcus opened its first store outside the [[Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex]] in downtown [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] in [[1957]]. The freestanding store was later replaced with a new anchor store located in the [[Houston Galleria]] in 1970. In 1965 the Preston Center store was closed and a new store, more than twice as big, was opened at NorthPark Center. Another branch in Fort Worth was also opened. By 1967 the four Neiman Marcus stores in operation were generating annual sales of $58.5 million, and the company's profit for that year was in excess of $2 million.<ref name="fundinguniverse.com"/> In 1968 the company merged with Broadway-Hale Stores, Inc., which enabled Neiman Marcus to expand at a much faster pace than would have been possible as an independent entity. In 1971, the first Neiman Marcus outside Texas opened in [[Bal Harbour, Florida]]. In subsequent years stores opened in over 30 cities across the United States, including [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]], [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]], [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], and [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]. In 1988 the company's name was officially changed from Neiman-Marcus to Neiman Marcus and the current logo was adopted. ===1990-present=== [[Image:Neiman Marcus Boston.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Neiman Marcus in [[Boston]]'s [[Copley Place]]]] In the late 1990s, the company started a small boutique called the "Galleries of Neiman Marcus" which sold jewelry, gifts, and home accessories. The concept struggled and ultimately all three locations, [[Seattle]], [[Cleveland]], and [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], were shuttered. Some believe the locations were wrong and Neiman Marcus officials have hinted the concept might be resurrected.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} In 1999, neimanmarcus.com, and the store's online gift registry, debuted under the control of Neiman Marcus Group's Neiman Marcus Direct division. [[Stanley Marcus]] died on January 22, 2002. He had served as president and chairman of the board for the company. Marcus had been the architect behind the fashion shows, New York advertising for a strictly regional chain, in-store art exhibits, and the Christmas catalog with its outlandish His-and-Hers gifts, including [[vicuña]] coats, a pair of airplanes, "[[Noah's Ark]]" (including pairs of animals), camels, and live tigers.<ref name="Schack">Commentary</ref><ref name="nmoverview">NM Historical Timeline</ref><ref name="aaf">[http://www.advertisinghalloffame.org/members/member_bio.php?memid=702&uflag=m&uyear= Stanley Marcus, Advertising Hall of Fame]</ref> Over the last 20 years, ownership of Neiman Marcus has passed through several hands. In June 1987, the company was [[Corporate spin-off|spun off]] from its retail parent, [[Carter Hawley Hale Stores]], and became a publicly listed company. [[General Cinema]], later to become [[Harcourt General]], still had a roughly 60% controlling interest until 1999, when Neiman Marcus was fully spun off from its [[parent company]]. On May 2, 2005, Neiman Marcus Group was the subject of a [[leveraged buyout]] (LBO), selling itself to two [[private equity]] firms, [[Texas Pacific Group]] and [[Warburg Pincus]].<ref name="CNNmoney">[http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/02/news/midcaps/neiman_marcus/index.htm Neiman Marcus in $5.1B buyout] CNN Money, May 2, 2005</ref> ===Archives=== The "Neiman-Marcus Collection," comprising early account books, advertising and Christmas Catalog layouts, files on charity activities, past awards and presentations, and a collection of Stanley Marcus's personal memorabilia, among many other items, is located in the Texas & Dallas History & Archives Division, 7th Floor, Main Library, Dallas Public Library, where it may be consulted by researchers. [[Lloyd E. Lenard]] (1922–2008) wrote a [[master's degree]] [[thesis]] on the impact of Neiman Marcus on the [[American Southwest]] while he was a student at the [[University of Missouri]] at [[Columbia, Missouri|Columbia]]. Neiman Marcus hired Lenard to its management training program, but he soon returned to his native [[Louisiana]], where he worked, first in advertising, and then [[insurance]]. ==Neiman Marcus Group== [[Image:Dallas Renaissance Tower 1.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Renaissance Tower (Dallas)|Renaissance Tower]] is the headquarters of the Neiman Marcus Group, also in Dallas.]] Unlike many of its department-store contemporaries, Neiman Marcus is still in operation today under the original name and is still headquartered in the city where it began. '''The Neiman Marcus Group''' comprises the Specialty Retail stores division — which includes Neiman Marcus Stores and Bergdorf Goodman — Cusp (a contemporary boutique format) and the Direct Marketing division, Neiman Marcus Direct. These retailers offer upscale assortments of apparel, accessories, [[jewelry]], beauty and decorative home products. The company operates 40 Neiman Marcus stores across the United States and two Bergdorf Goodman stores, in [[Manhattan]]. Neiman Marcus' largest market is the [[South Florida metropolitan area|South Florida MSA]], where they operate five stores. The company also operates 20 '''''Last Call''''' clearance centers and three Horchow Finale Furniture Outlets. These store operations total more than five million square feet (500,000 m²) gross. Competitors in the luxury retail segment include [[Bloomingdale's]], [[Nordstrom]], [[Saks Fifth Avenue]], and [[Barneys New York]], [[Lord and Taylor]] and [[Dillard's]]. Neiman Marcus Direct conducts both print catalog and online operations under the Neiman Marcus, Horchow and Bergdorf Goodman brand names. Under the Neiman Marcus brand, Neiman Marcus Direct primarily offers women's apparel, accessories and home furnishings. Horchow offers upscale home furnishings, linens, decorative accessories and tabletop items. They have also launched a new blog [(www.insite.neimanmarcus.com)] outlining the latest news in the fashion world and beyond. Until recently, The Neiman Marcus Group owned majority interest in [[Kate Spade]] LLC, a manufacturer of handbags and accessories. In October 2006, the company purchased all minority interest for approximately $59.4 million, and in November 2006 sold 100% ownership to [[Liz Claiborne]], Inc. for approximately $121.5 million. Another recent divestiture was a majority interest in Gurwitch Products LLC, which manufactures [[Laura Mercier]] cosmetics, to Alticor Inc., for approximately $40.8 million.<ref> [http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/company_overview.jhtml;jsessionid=MJTBGRZOT1KBECQAAKHRABY Form 10-Q], from Neiman Marcus website March 8, 2007</ref> ===The Showroom of Neiman Marcus=== In the fall of 2004, Neiman Marcus launched a new store within a store called The Showroom of Neiman Marcus. This department sells furniture and home collections previously only available through the Neiman Marcus catalogues The Horchow Collection and NM by Mail. The eight Neiman Marcus stores that house the collection are located in [[Plano, Texas|Plano-Dallas MSA]] ([[The Shops at Willow Bend|Willow Bend]]), [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] ([[Union Square, San Francisco, California|Union Square]]), [[Scottsdale, Arizona|Scottsdale]] ([[Scottsdale Fashion Square|Fashion Square]]), [[Boston]] ([[Back Bay]]), [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] ([[Michigan Avenue (Chicago)|Michigan Avenue]]), [[Oak Brook, Illinois|Oak Brook]] ([[Oakbrook Center]]), [[Miami]] ([[Bal Harbour Shops]]) and [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]] ([[Nicollet Mall]]). === Horchow Finale Stores === Horchow, a furniture brand owned by Neiman Marcus, is sold in a limited number of Neiman Marcus locations. There are also Horchow Finale Stores, with two locations. Though Horchow items are also found in Neiman Marcus Last Call stores, the Horchow Finale stores focus on furniture & home items. The two remaining Horchow Finale Stores are in the Dallas, [[Texas]] area. The original Horchow Finale location closed in 2009 to make way for the George W. Bush Presidential Library. The Inwood Village location of Horchow Finale became a showcase Neiman Marcus Last Call in March 2010. === Neiman Marcus Last Call Clearance Centers === Neiman Marcus Last Call Clearance Center is Neiman Marcus's outlet store. They are located throughout the [[United States]] at a number of outlet centers, with many found in outlet centers operated by [[The Mills Corporation]] and [[Chelsea Premium Outlets]]. They range from 20,000 - {{convert|45000|sqft|m2}} of selling space and sell women's, men's and children's apparel, shoes, jewelry, handbags, furniture, luggage, gifts and home accessories that were previously sold in Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman stores, on NeimanMarcus.com, and in the Horchow catalog at discounts of 30% to 65% off original Neiman Marcus and catalog prices. Neiman Marcus credit card holders receive an additional 5% discount off their entire purchase at Last Call Clearance Centers when they use their Neiman Marcus credit card (other credit cards including American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are also accepted). Currently, there are 24 Last Call Clearance Centers in the U.S. The newest location opened at [[Gurnee Mills]] in Gurnee, Illinois in May 2009. ===Credit cards=== Neiman Marcus sold its store credit card business to [[HSBC]] in mid-2005; however, Neiman Marcus sued HSBC over fees and interest rates in March 2008.<ref> [http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2008/03/03/story1.html?b=1204520400%5E1598554 Neiman Marcus files lawsuit against credit card issuer], Dallas Business Journal, February 29, 2008</ref> The lawsuit was settled in May 2008.<ref>[http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2008/05/05/daily10.html?jst=b_ln_hl Neiman Marcus, HSBC settle credit card lawsuit], Dallas Business Journal, May 5, 2008</ref> Fifty percent of Neiman's transactions are conducted using their private-label cards because Neiman Marcus accepts only its proprietary store credit cards, [[American Express]] cards, cash or check in their stores. (However, between fall 2005 and mid-2006, Neiman Marcus briefly tested the acceptance of [[VISA (credit card)|Visa]] and [[MasterCard]] at a store in Missouri, as well as in several in-store restaurants in California, and Neiman Marcus has accepted all major credit cards for online purchases since their website opened in 1999.) According to the April 26, 2007 issue of The Wall Street Journal, Neiman Marcus is testing a co-branded credit card issued by HSBC with some of their top customers. The card, which runs on the American Express network, was expected to have been issued in 2008. The settled lawsuit between Neiman Marcus and HSBC may have delayed the new co-branded card's full launch. ==Store locations== ===Neiman Marcus=== There are 42 Neiman Marcus stores in [[Arizona]], [[California]], [[Colorado]], [[District of Columbia]], [[Florida]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Hawaii]], [[Illinois]], [[Maryland]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Michigan]], [[Minnesota]], [[Missouri]], [[Nevada]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]], [[North Carolina]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Texas]], and [[Virginia]]. The newest opened in [[Bellevue, Washington]], in September 2009. ===Horchow Finale=== The two Horchow Finale stores are located in the [[Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex]] in Grapevine, Texas and [[Plano, Texas|Plano]]. ===Last Call=== The 26 Last Call stores are in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, [[Maryland]], Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. ==The Christmas Catalog == ==="His and Hers" & "Fantasy" gifts=== [[Image:Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog-100th Anniversary Edition.jpg|thumb|right|250px|100th Anniversary Edition Christmas catalog 2007]] [[Image:1969 Neiman Marcus Kitchen Computer.jpg|thumb|right|250px|In 1969 customers could buy a $10,600 kitchen computer to help with recipes]] Since 1939, Neiman Marcus has issued an annual Christmas catalog, which gets much free publicity from the national media for a tradition of unusual and extravagant gifts not sold in its stores. Some have included the 'his and hers' themed item, trips and cars (see below). In 1952, Stanley Marcus introduced a new tradition of having extravagant and unusual gifts in each year's Christmas catalog, ''The Christmas Book''; the idea was sparked when journalist [[Edward R. Murrow]] contacted Marcus to ask if the store would be offering anything unusual that might interest his radio listeners; Marcus invented on the spot an offering of a live [[Black Angus]] bull accompanied by a [[sterling silver]] [[barbecue]] cart, subsequently altering the catalog to include his new idea, priced at $1,925.<ref name="ratliff">Rick Ratliff, Knight News Service, "The ultimate present: 2 Texas firms take pride in unusual gift offerings," The Lima News (Lima, Ohio), November 24, 1977</ref><ref name="mouseranch">"Mouse ranch &mdash; perfect Christmas gift," UPI story, ''The News'' (Port Arthur, Texas), October 6, 1974 &mdash; gives 1955 as date of introduction</ref><ref name="johnson">Tom Johnson, "Junk for Xmas At $11,700," ''The Gettysburg Times'' (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania), December 23, 1966</ref> At one point, the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog carried the distinction of being the item most stolen from recipients' mailboxes, prompting a Chicago postmaster to suggest the company switch to enclosing the catalogs in plain brown wrappers.<ref name="raphel">Murray Raphel. "An interview with Stanley Marcus," ''Direct Marketing'', Vol. 58, No. 6, October 1995, pp. 22-25.</ref> Other Fantasy Gifts: '''pre-1965'''<ref name="johnson">Johnson, "Junk for Christmas," 1966</ref> *Toy tiger draped and decorated with diamonds and other precious stones &mdash; $1 million *[[Ermine]] bathrobe, $6,975 *His and Her airplanes, matched pair &mdash; $176,000 *Chinese [[junk (ship)|junk]] (advertised as "[[Waste|Junk]] for Christmas") &mdash; $11,700 shipped to the Port of Houston '''1964''' *His and hers [[hot air balloon]]s &mdash; $6,850 '''1965'''<ref name="johnson"/> *A gold [[toilet seat]] advertised as "a 24 [[carat (purity)|kt]]. Gold plated throne"&mdash; $250 *Handspun lace handkerchief -- $300 *Empress [[Chinchilla]] coat &mdash; $8,975 *His and Her para-sails &mdash; $361 each *"The Pets' Cookbook" and chocolate scented rubber bone &mdash; $10. *Man's western style hat &mdash; $250 *Pine wood play wagon for children &mdash; $145 *[[Video tape recorder]] and camera &mdash; $1,345 *One 14-ounce tin of fresh [[caviar]] &mdash; $130 (flown fresh to customer on request) '''1970'''<ref name="hope">Hope Strong, "Where's There's Life" (column), ''The Lima News'' (Lima, Ohio), April 4, 1971</ref> * Pleasure cruise along the Florida coast &mdash; $35,000 (sold to a Miami charitable organization that then offered tickets for $200–$1,000 donations) * [[Lucite]] bathtub with aquarium &mdash; $5,000 * His and Her Thunderbird autos * "For optimists": $10 [[live oak]] trees * "For pessimists": a [[Noah's ark]] with all [[endangered species]] aboard &mdash; $588,247 :(No arks were sold, but over 1,000 trees were purchased.) '''pre-1972'''<ref name="webb">Jack Webb, Copley News Service,"Gifts for Millionaires," ''Iowa City Press-Citizen'', November 22, 1972</ref> *a truckload of pink air *His and her [[mummy]] cases, $16,000 and guaranteed to be about 2,000 years old *a "Freeway Fortress" combination car and [[tank]], $845,300 (or 10% [[down payment|down]] and 36 installments of $24,192.49 per month) '''1972'''<ref name="webb"/> *$5 of candy pebbles in a jar *an $8 set of [[worry beads]] *a $250,000 bag of uncut [[diamond]]s *a "privacy egg," 12' x 15', built by N-M in the area of the buyer's choice and stocked as the buyer prefers, $80,000 '''1974'''<ref name="mouseranch">"Mouse ranch," 1974</ref> * the "N-Bar-M Christmas Book Mouse Ranch," {{convert|12|sqft|m2}}, "for anyone who ever dreamed of being a cattle baron in miniature": acrylic corrals and fences, silverplated "roundup tweezers," mesa, [[cactus|cacti]], pastures, feed barn, watering tanks, feed bins, and a windmill (but no mice) &mdash; $3,500 *{{convert|106|carat|g}} polished black boulder [[opal]] &mdash; $150,000, not eligible for charge purchases *Russian natural [[sable]] jacket, $12,000 *Nickel-plated penguin ice bucket handmade in Italy, $450 (UPI noted: "To make the bird feel at home, Neiman-Marcus will fill it with custom-chipped Antarctic ice, hand carried from the South Pole. Travel arrangements for the courier, including row boat and ice pick only $3,450.") *A pair of 18th century wooden horse heads from [[India]] &mdash; $7,500 *An imperial sacrificial robe worn by a Chinese emperor, circa 1770 &mdash; $6,000 *A sterling silver thermometer case for doctors &mdash; $28 plus 4 weeks for monogramming *[[Bronze]] [[spear]]heads from the [[Greco-Persian Wars|Persian Wars]] (1500 to 700 [[B.C.E.]]) &mdash; $35 '''1975'''<ref name="killen">Patrick J. Killen, United Press International, "Don't look a gift mule in the mouth," ''The Herald'' (Arlington Heights, Illinois), December 25, 1975</ref> * In honor of the [[United States Bicentennial]], autographed letters from [[George Washington|George]] and [[Martha Washington]], $8,500 for the set '''1978''' * Solid [[milk chocolate]] [[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]] set, $600<ref name="stevens">William K. Stevens. "New era for Neiman Marcus: Can mystique survive amid expansion?" ''The New York Times'', February 19, 1979.</ref> '''1979'''<ref name="hollandsworth">"Gift of the Century," ''Texas Monthly'', Vol. 27, Issue 12, December 1999, p230.</ref> * [[Dirigible]] &mdash; $50,000 '''1986''' * [[California Spangled Cat]] - Cover item - price included personal delivery of your new cat with a week of training provided by breed originator, [[Paul A. Casey, Jr.]] &mdash; $2,500 '''1998''' * Aston Martin DB7 — 10 special black cars for the 1998 Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog '''1999'''<ref name="hollandsworth"/> * Preserve a section of endangered land, including naming rights &mdash; $200,000 '''2002''' *Collection of paintings by [[Andy Warhol]], "The Athlete's Series," $3,000,000 *Neiman Marcus Limited Edition 2004 [[Cadillac]] XLR, $85,000 *NM Limited Edition Burberry Taxi, $58,900 * "His and Her" Personalized [[action figure|Action Figures]], $7,500 '''2003''' *His and Hers [[Robot]]s, $400,000 *NM Limited-Edition [[BMW]] 645Ci Coupe, $75,170 *Luxury [[ice fishing|Ice Fishing House]], starts at $27,000 *[[Mermaid]] suit, comes with a mermaid tail, faux pearl top, and swimming lessons, $10,000 *{{convert|44|carat|g}} diamond ring, yellow diamond, can be inscribed with up to 2,000 characters, $800,000 *[[Bombardier Aerospace|Bombardier]] [[Learjet]]s, $7,737,000 to $12,743-000 '''2004''' *Limited-Edition [[Maserati]] Quattroporte, $125,000 *Custom [[suit of armor]], $20,000 *Modern Zeppelin NT, $10,000,000 *[[Grand Ole Opry]] Experience, $25,000 *NM "Las Vegas" [[Tricycle#Motorized tricycles|Trike]], $65,000 *Underwater Aviator, $1,700,000 *Haute Couture Valentino Gown, $325,000 '''2005''' *Private concert with [[Elton John]], $1.5 million *IndyCar Series Simulator, $65,000 to $75,000 *Collection of Jewels with eight significant pieces of jewelry spanning the last three centuries, $1.2 million *Dreamboat Limited-Edition Levitating Sculpture, $18,000 to $90,000 *NM Limited-Edition 2007 [[Lexus]] GS 450h, $65,000 *His & Hers Custom Photobooth, $20,000 *Grand Empire Railroad, $200,000 *Skycar Prototype, $3.5 million *Tree Sculpture (an adult [[treehouse]]), $50,000 '''2006''' *Virgin Galactic Charter to Space, $1.7 million *Pencil Skyscraper by [[The Art Guys]], $6,000 or $40,000 *His and Hers Twike Communicator Vehicle (Zero emission electric car system), $40,000 *GC Quad, $56,465 *Membership at The Club at Castiglion del Bosco, $3.8 million *[[Jacques Fath]] Archives, $3.5 million *Limited edition [[doghouse|pet homes]], $5,000 and $7,000 *Backyard [[water park|Water Park]], starts at $100,000 *All-Star Sports Celebrity Dream Package: Charity Auction, starts at $250,000 *Limited-Edition 2007 BMW M6 Convertible, $139,000 '''2008''' *A backyard golf course custom-designed by [[Jack Nicklaus]]. *$10 million Kentucky horse farm, complete with a stable of up to 15 thoroughbreds. *Life-size Lego replicas of you and your beloved for $60,000 *$250,000 authentic Guinness pub *$110,000 for a chance to shoot some hoops with the Harlem Globetrotters. *$110,000 fighter motorcycle *35-year collection of every 45 rpm record listed on the Billboard Top 100 Rock and Pop charts through the end of 1990 *A Dallas Cowboys end zone in your backyard for $500,000. *Limited-Edition 2009 BMW Individual 7 Series Sedan, $160,000 * "Lions Rouge" Precious Rebel art guitar by [[Amanda Dunbar]] for $22,500 '''2009''' *A customizable cupcake car for $25,000 The Christmas Book is available at stores for $15. However, the $15 will be credited back to customers with their first purchase from the catalog. ===Other Christmas gifts=== In 1961 Neiman-Marcus in Dallas was one of two stores in the nation &mdash; the other being [[Wanamaker's]] in [[Philadelphia]] &mdash; to offer computer-based assistance in selecting Christmas gifts. The process worked by comparing information on the recipient to a computerized list of the 2,200 items available at Neiman-Marcus, then providing a printout of the 10 best suggestions. One person testing the computer filled out the questionnaire as if he were President [[John F. Kennedy]] shopping for gifts in excess of $1,000 for his wife, ; the computer suggested a [[yacht]].<ref name="parade1961">"Santa Claus Has a New Helper", ''Parade'', December 24, 1961</ref> During the [[Apollo 8]] mission in December 1968, Marilyn Lovell, wife of [[astronaut]] [[Jim Lovell]], who was the Command Module Pilot, received, as a Christmas present, a [[mink|mink coat]] that was delivered to her by a Neiman Marcus driver in a [[Rolls-Royce car]]. The coat was wrapped in [[royal blue]] wrapping paper with two [[Styrofoam]] balls &mdash; one for the Earth and the other for the Moon &mdash; and had a card that read, "To Marilyn, from the Man in the Moon."<ref name="apollo13book">Jim Lovell with Jeffrey Kluger. ''Apollo 13'' (previously published as ''[[Lost Moon]]''), 2000, pages 50-51.</ref> ===Vehicles=== Neiman Marcus has often offered [[automobile]]s in its holiday catalogs. These are usually coordinated with manufacturers as a publicity tool, though the cars themselves are normally special versions unavailable from other sources and produced in limited numbers.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} :1970 "His and Hers" [[Ford Thunderbird]] :1995 [[BMW Z3]] [[James Bond]] edition (at $35,000) :1996 [[GMC Suburban]] [[Sony]] edition :1997 [[Audi TT]] :1997 [[Ducati 748L]] :1998 [[BMW X5]] :1998 [[Aston Martin DB7]] :2000 [[Lexus SC|Lexus SC 430]] :2001 [[Ford Thunderbird]] (200) :2002 [[Cadillac XLR]] (101)Exclusive color was Ultra-Violet with Sand leather. :2003 [[BMW 6-Series|BMW 645Ci]] :2004 [[Maserati Quattroporte]] (at $125,000) :2005 [[Lexus GS|Lexus GS 450h]] (75 at $65,000)Crystalline Ice Exclusive Exterior color. :2006 [[BMW M6]] Convertible only, Exclusive color was Ruby Black Exterior with Piano Black accents. :2007 [[Lexus LS600hL]] (100 to commemorate the Centennial of Neiman Marcus. Exclusive exterior color is Truffle Mica.) :2008 [[BMW 7-Series]] (new 2009 completely redesigned 7 series, Exclusive Color was Diopside Black with Champagne Merino leather.) :2009 Jaguar XJL :2010 [[Chevrolet Camaro Convertible]] (Exclusive color is Deep Bordeaux.) ==Neiman Marcus in popular culture== Neiman Marcus' international notoriety has led to its inclusion in many popular media. Television [[sitcoms]] can quickly convey someone's wealth by making the character a Neiman-Marcus shopper, as was done with [[Blair Warner]] of the 1980s sitcom ''[[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]]''.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} Similarly, in an episode of ''[[A Different World (TV series)|A Different World]]'' in which the well-to-do Whitley Gilbert must return all her credit cards to her father, she is especially loath to give up her Neiman's card and reminisces wistfully over past N-M purchases.<ref name="ADW">"Whitley's Last Supper," season four, episode 73 of ''A Different World'', aired October 11, 1990.</ref> The store was mentioned widely on the show ''[[Dharma and Greg]]'' as being a source for the upscale mother's clothes; moreover, the family's pair of [[Rottweilers]] are named Neiman and Marcus. A character on the TV series ''[[Gilmore Girls]]'' compares his ordinary [[measuring tape]] to that of the haughty matriarch, [[Emily Gilmore]], telling her daughter: "Your mother got hers at Neiman Marcus. It’s [[platinum]] with [[gold leaf]] &mdash; it costs more than my car!"<ref name="duav">[http://www.twiztv.com/cgi-bin/gilmoregirls.cgi?episode=http://dmca.free.fr/scripts/gilmoregirls/season2/gilmoregirls-217.htm Transcript of "Dead Uncles and Vegetables,"] ''Gilmore Girls'', Season 2, episode 17, first aired April 16, 2002</ref>. Hilary Banks in ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]'' also frequented Neiman's. In an episode of [[Frasier]], Niles's wife Maris is said to be en route to Dallas which she regards as her holy land because of it being the site of the first Neiman Marcus. It is also mentioned in the first episode of [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]] when Buffy says that Sunnydale is "two hours on the freeway from Neiman Marcus." The store is mentioned in a number of minor ways in other media. It is said that the shopping scenes from [[Blu Cantrell|Blu Cantrell's]] "[[Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)]]" were filmed at a Neiman Marcus store, and the lyrics mention shopping at Neiman-Marcus after discovering her boyfriend/husband cheating on her. The computer game ''[[NetHack]]'' involves a buried joke in which the player is told, "You hear Neiman and Marcus arguing" while hallucinating on a game level that includes a shop. American [[parodist]] [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] released a song entitled "I'll Sue Ya" on his album ''[[Straight Outta Lynwood]]'' that [[satire|satirizes]] America's fame for [[frivolous lawsuit]]s; in the song, the singer jokes about various lawsuits he has filed, including suing Neiman Marcus because they "put up their Christmas decorations way out of season." The chain is also mentioned in the [[Steve Martin]] and [[John Candy]] comedy film "[[Planes, Trains, and Automobiles]]". When Martin's character is going over his credit cards, after he and Candy's character have been robbed, he remarks "And, I've got a Neiman-Marcus card in case we want to buy a gift for somebody." The chain is mentioned numerous times in the series [[The Golden Girls]] by the women; for example in one episode the character of Sophia explains that her Christmas present can be found on the second floor, petite section of their local Neiman Marcus. In the song "Emotionless" on rapper [[Jim Jones (rapper)|Jim Jones']] album, [[Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment)]] mentions Neiman Marcus in his line: "Neiman Marcus I'm in it, shopping and, $5,000 spent on pants, man." In the [[Dennis the Menace (U.S.)|Dennis the Menace]] cartoon strip, the store appears occasionally under the caricature "Deiman-Harcus." In a dig at 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate [[Sarah Palin]]'s expensive campaign wardrobe, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee referred to Palin in a pun as "Neiman [[Marxist]]" in promoting a web site called DressLikePalin.com, where visitors were shown the approximate price of items in the candidate's wardrobe and comparisons to what health care or work-clothing costs the same money could have paid.<ref name="demoro">Rose Ann DeMoro. "[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rose-ann-demoro/hockey-mom-or-neiman-marx_b_138751.html Hockey Mom or Neiman Marxist?]," ''The Huffington Post'', October 29, 2008.</ref> The same week, humorist [[Steve Young (writer)|Steve Young]] posted a satirical fake press-release claiming that Neiman Marcus was in talks to develop a Palinwear clothing line for its stores following the November 4 elections, including various fictitious clothing lines that spoofed the candidate's outdoorsman husband, their unmarried and pregnant [[Bristol Palin|daughter]], and her assertion that Russia's proximity to her home state of Alaska gave her foreign-relations experience.<ref name="young">Steve Young. "[http://steveyoungonpolitics.com/neiman-marcus-set-deal-with-sarah-palin-to-open-clothing-stores-after-election/ Neiman Marcus and Sarah Palin Set Deal For Clothing Line After Election,"] October 24, 2008. (Note that the author designated the post's satirical nature by marking it "Filed Under: 2008 Election, John McCain, Kind of Satire, Sarah Palin."</ref> ===The "Neiman Marcus $250 Cookie Recipe" story=== The store is featured in an [[urban legend]] involving a supposed recipe for its popular chocolate chip [[cookie]].<ref>[http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/cookie.asp Cookie Legend], Snopes.com, Last accessed January 16, 2007.</ref> In the legend, a woman and her daughter enjoy a cookie while shopping at Neiman Marcus in [[Dallas, Texas]], and ask for the recipe. The waiter informs her there will be a "two-fifty" charge, which the woman interprets as $2.50. Upon receiving her [[VISA (credit card)|VISA]] statement, she is shocked to discover she has been charged $250.00 instead. In revenge, she photocopies the recipe and urges her friends to distribute it for free to everyone they know so that the store will make no further profit on its sale. Because the story typically was passed along as a photocopy, it falls in the legend subcategory of [[Xeroxlore]]. Later, with the advent of the Internet, it reemerged as an infamous [[List of internet phenomena|chain e-mail]], Folklorists have pointed out three chief holes in the story: *Prior to the emergence of the legend, the store did not ''have'' a chocolate chip cookie;<ref>[http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/nmcookie.html That's One Expensive Cookie], at breakthechain.org</ref> *A similar story has been around since the 1940s, originally involving a [[red velvet cake]] recipe from the [[Waldorf-Astoria Hotel]]. It wasn't until the 1980s that the story's focus shifted to cookies. The cookie version of the story originally was attached to [[Mrs. Fields]] cookies, causing that company eventually to post disavowals of the notices at all its stores. *Neiman-Marcus for most of its history only accepted its own card and American Express Although the story is untrue, Neiman Marcus [http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nm_cookie_recipe.jhtml published a cookie recipe] to quell rumors. There is also another [http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nmAbout.jhtml#cookie cookie recipe] that is also published on the company's website that is slightly different than the above. Kevin Garvin wrote the recipe in 1995. It is featured on the company's website for free. It also is in the Neiman Marcus Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, $45) by Mr. Garvin and John Harrisson. ==Criticism== Due to the high prices of much of its merchandise, Neiman Marcus is sometimes called "Needless Markup."<ref>[http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/needless_markup_neiman_marcus_nickname/ Listing of four print references to the 'Needless Markup' nickname], including the ''Historical Dictionary of American Slang''</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Portal|Dallas}} {{Commons category}} *[http://www.neimanmarcus.com Neiman Marcus] *[http://www.neimanmarcusgroup.com Neiman Marcus Group] *[http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nm_cookie_recipe.jhtml Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe 1] *[http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nmAbout.jhtml#cookie Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe 2] *[http://www.nmlastcallclearancecenter.com NM Last Call Clearance Centers] [[Category:Companies established in 1907]] [[Category:Luxury department stores of the United States]] [[Category:Department stores of the United States]] [[Category:Clothing retailers of the United States]] [[Category:Companies based in Dallas, Texas]] [[Category:Texas Pacific Group companies]] [[de:Neiman Marcus]] [[es:Neiman Marcus]] [[fa:نیمان مارکوس]] [[fr:Neiman Marcus]] [[it:Neiman Marcus]] [[ja:ニーマン・マーカス]]'