$*$ Respond to two peer posts to "Industry Analysis" and pick one of their force assessments. Do you agree with your peer's assessment of the strength of the force in Macy's industry? Justify.$$

Macy's was the first company to utilize its suppliers to create different sizes that revolutionized the way clothes are sold even to this day. This tactic holds true especially today as there are a wide diversity of different sizes among potential customers. Despite rivalry among other department stores such as Nordstrom and JC Penny they have remained the top dog among the $3$ by avoiding the pitfalls of bad leadership and overall resilience during both the $2008$ financial crisis and the Covid pandemic. Even as new competitors such as Walmart with competitive pricing and Costco with its revolutionary bulk sales appealing to the American mindset, Macy's has prevailed and adapted offering online purchases and introducing new lines. It didn't fall for the tantalizing appeal of chasing the high class customer which would have risked alienating other buyers. With a combination of capitalizing on the increasing market of online shopping while revamping the in store experience, they completely bounced back from their temporary decrease in overall revenue. They also completely updated their supply chain to match these changing times, even in the wake of Covid. Their technological advancements in infrastructure helped modernize the image of a company that is nearly a century old while creating a more pleasant and easy experience for the consumer.$$

Macy's operates in the department store segment of the retail industry$\mathrm{.}1.$ Threat of new entrants: From my point of view, we have a moderate strength here since this industry has moderate threats from new entrants due to brand loyalty and capital requirements$\mathrm{.}2.$ Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Here, we can see a moderate$-$low strength. That is$,$ Macy's is a company that, due to its size, makes it easier for it to negotiate better terms with its range of suppliers, which in turn diminishes their power. On the other hand, it is also important to mention that depending on the type of supplier, it can be noted who has a little more power in the negotiation, for example, those dedicated to jewelry$\mathrm{.}3.$ Bargaining Power of Buyers: At this point, we can see a very high strength, since this company has different departments, which offer many available alternatives, as well as low costs. Macy's offers options both in its physical stores and online, where its customers have considerable bargaining power; that is why Macy's needs to offer discounts to retain its customers since the consumer is the one who has the option to compare products with the competition and thus decide whether to stay or not$\mathrm{.}4.$ Threat of Substitute Products or Services: Its strength is medium; this industry tends to be very susceptible to the threat of substitute products or services. For example, online sales platforms such as Amazon, this alternative can offer convenience and affordable prices, which places it at risk of substitution$\mathrm{.}5.$ Industry rivalry: Since this industry is very competitive, it can be said that its strength is very high. Its need to retain market share drives it to have a very aggressive market strategy such as the Polaris Strategy.I believe that rivalry could be its strongest force, since Macy's needs to be constantly innovating, adopting new strategies, and being able to be effective in its costs to remain current in the market and at the same time be able to have this profitability. This is because this industry has a lot of competition and consumers have many alternative options for their market share