The glamorous shopping experience and vibrant social atmosphere that once defined department stores have nearly faded into history. Yet, **Boscov’s** continues to offer shoppers a rare glimpse of that bygone magic.

In their heyday, department stores stood at the heart of retail, housed in grand, opulent buildings and boasting an extensive array of products ranging from fine fragrances to kitchen appliances. Today, most department stores are mere shadows of the retail glory they enjoyed throughout the 20th century.

But inside the Boscov's Christiana location, the store is alive and bustling with shoppers zig-zagging between displays, their arms filled with Boscov's shopping bags.

The store is a vibrant shopping destination; far from the vacant aisles and cold florescent lighting some might think of when visualizing the dying department store.

![Shoppers take advantage of Black Friday sales at the Boscov's in Christiana on November 28, 2025.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/12/01/PWIL/87550739007-christiana-boscovs-6.jpg)

The 107-year-old, **family-owned Boscov's chain** is keeping the department charm alive by offering specialized services, creating an environment for socialization, offering a wide variety of products and, above all else, providing **good customer service**.

“Listening to our customers and having the flexibility of being family-owned makes a difference,” said Boscov's Christiana location store manager Zora Swayer.

While other department stores have downsized in recent years, this strategy seems to be working for Boscov's, which has maintained a stream of loyal customers and steadily opened new locations.

## The Decline of Department Stores

Shoppers are unlikely to find the extravagant window displays, fashion shows and in-store restaurants in today’s department stores that once made these stores stewards of taste and social connections.

“Department stores were pacesetters for fashion,” said consumer historian Jan Whitaker, who has written two books about department stores. “They had these big auditoriums where they would have fashion shows and lectures. They had music. Some of them had their own bands. They were much more than a store.”

Modern departments stores are experiencing declining sales, mass layoffs and closings as they face obstacles, including competition from discount stores and e-commerce business, as well as waning interest from younger generations.

The rise of discount stores dominating the market has led to the slow demise of departments stores, which traditionally stock higher-end products and name-brand clothing, according to Whitaker.

“People really got into being able to buy things cheaper,” Whitaker said. “And they stopped wanting the frills.”

As shoppers flock to Walmart and Amazon, department stores are taking the hit. JCPenney has closed more than 200 locations across the country since the retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020. Macy’s plans to shut down 150 "underproductive" stores by 2026. Kohl’s slashed about 10% of its corporate workforce and closed 27 stores in early 2025. Saks Off 5th, the discount retailer of its sister store Saks Fifth Avenue, announced in November it will close nine stores in 2026.

While Delaware hasn't lost any of its JCPenney, Macy's or Kohl's locations, Delaware's last Sears and Kmart stores closed in 2020. Its Saks Off 5th location also closed in 2019.

![The sign for Boscov's at its site in Christiana as seen on Nov. 28, 2025.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/12/01/PWIL/87550737007-christiana-boscovs-3.jpg)

But while other department stores are closing locations, Boscov’s opened its 51st location in October in a mall near Rochester, New York. It opened inside a former Burlington location and is filling the department store need after the mall’s Macy’s closed in April.

Whitaker noted the fall of malls, where department stores often operate as an anchor, has also facilitated the death of the department store.

But even in the Concord Mall and the Dover Mall, which have both seen a decline in retailers since the pandemic, Boscov’s has maintained a steady stream of customers.

## Over 100 Years as a Family-Owned Business

Boscov’s was founded in 1918 in Reading, Pennsylvania by Russian immigrant Solomon Boscov. Solomon grew the store from a dry goods store into a full department store as it is thought of today.

Solomon’s son Albert Boscov took over as president in 1969 and under his leadership, opened Boscov’s first location outside Pennsylvania at the Dover Mall in 1982. The Concord Mall location opened a couple years later in 1987 and the chain’s third Delaware location in Christiana opened in September 2001.

![Shoppers take advantage of Black Friday sales at the Boscov's in Christiana on Nov. 28, 2025.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/12/01/PWIL/87550743007-christiana-boscovs-5.jpg)

Albert retired in 2006, but after a 2008 bankruptcy threatened the company, he retook the reins and bought Boscov’s assets out of bankruptcy court for $300 million.

The chain is now headed by Albert’s nephew, Jim Boscov. Under Jim’s leadership, Boscov’s opened two Connecticut stores, one in Ohio, another in West Virginia and the most recent location in New York.

Today, Boscov’s is the largest family-owned department store in the nation, with over a billion dollars in sales.

The chain has stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Ohio and West Virginia.

## Customer Service That Sells

Being a family-owned business translates to how the chain approaches customer service.

“When you have a family-owned business, it becomes like a family in the store," Swayer said.

![Zora Sawyer, Store Manager at the Boscov's in Christiana, rings up a customer on Nov. 28, 2025.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/12/01/PWIL/87550732007-christiana-boscovs-16.jpg)

The Christiana location has customers that have been shopping there since it opened, with some coming to the store every day, Swayer said.

Christiana Boscov’s employees attribute the store’s loyal customer base and sustained success to their **customer service**.

“Our regulars come to have conversations, spend time with you,” Swayer said. “You know their name; they know your name.”

This is achieved through attentive customer service. By having a helpful staff, Swayer said, customers develop relationships with staff and continue coming back to the store for conversation.

Swayer lights up when she talks about Boscov's customers and the personal connections staff members makes with regulars. And she practices what she preaches. As the manager, Swayer was still out of the floor helping ring up customers on Black Friday and she was chatting with families as she ran the Grinch photo session the weekend before Thanksgiving.

![The Godwin brothers, Ayden, 7, and EJ, 9, pose for a photo with the Grinch inside Boscov’s department store during a Grinch event held in Christiana on Nov. 22, 2025.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/11/26/PWIL/87474119007-p-02-boscovs-shopping.jpg)

Another thing that sets Boscov’s apart from other stores, according to Cash Office Manager Hugh Thompson, is having sales associates and checkout stations in each department of the store to assist customers, opposed to only having front-end checkout.

“When you’re walking through a department shopping, there’s always somebody there that can help you or guide you, whereas a lot of other places, whether you’re going to a grocery store or whatever, have self-checkout,” Thompson said. “People go there, buy their stuff and leave. Here, you still have contact.”

Wilmington resident Marlene Eckendorf, 81, has been shopping at Boscov’s for decades and said the connections she's made there are what keep her coming back.

Eckendorf was first a loyal shopper and later worked at the Christiana location’s candy department in 2011. It was while working at Boscov's that Eckendorf met her second husband, who was working in Boscov's security department at the time.

“Boscov’s carries a lot of good memories, a lot of history and I can’t say enough about it,” Eckendorf said. “I’m glad they’re here.”

## 'A Place for Social Events, Not a Just a Store'

With the option to buy every product online now, Swayer wants to make the in-store shopping experience something special.

“We’re trying to create more of an experience because you can buy something anywhere, but we have to make it special to come to a store,” she said.

![The home section is seen inside Boscov’s department store in Christiana on Nov. 22, 2025.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/11/26/PWIL/87474124007-p-13-boscovs-shopping.jpg)

For the Christiana Boscov's, this means offering unique in-store services and hosting events to draw customers into the store.

The Christiana Boscov’s offers bra fittings in their clothing department, interior design assistance in their furniture department and has special senior shopping days where the store opens outside of normal hours so residents of senior centers can have a quieter shopping experience with more one-on-one attention from staff.

Other Boscov’s locations offer hair salons, optical shops and travel services.

“There’s all these little things that we do," Swayer said, "and you can’t find that kind of service anywhere else."

These services were once a staple of department stores, Whitaker said.

“Department stores had a lot of services,” Whitaker said. “You could pay your utility bills, they did repairs, they did alterations.”

By keeping these services in-store, Boscov’s has been able to maintain the allure of the traditional department store.

When the location opened in 2001, the Christiana Boscov’s had an auditorium for hosting events, and while the auditorium is gone, Swayer said they are still trying to keep Boscov’s an event location.

![Shoppers take advantage of Black Friday sales at the Boscov's in Christiana on Nov. 28, 2025.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/12/01/PWIL/87550733007-christiana-boscovs-17.jpg)

The Christiana Boscov’s offers hot dog sales almost every Saturday and hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookie sales on major shopping days like Black Friday. Swayer said providing shoppers with food and refreshments while they walk around the store adds to the experience.

The location also draws people into the store with events such as pictures with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. In the spring, the Christiana Boscov’s hosts an African violet showcase in their seasonal department where botanists compete and exhibit their flowers.

“We’re trying to create a place for social events, not a just a store,” Swayer said.

Making a store a social destination is a byproduct of the old department stores, Whitaker said. Department stores were places to meet friends, grab lunch, take a class or watch a show.

While Boscov’s doesn’t provide the same extravaganza and type of services as department stores of old, Swayer still claims it is a place people come to connect and socialize.

## Offering a Diverse Selection of Products

Department stores aren’t the multi-story, shopping emporiums they were in the 20th Century where shoppers could find almost anything they needed inside, but Boscov’s is closer than most by maintaining a large variety of stock.

Most department stores have adapted to the modern shopping age by focusing on clothing, accessories and perfumes, according to Whitaker, but Boscov’s still carries candy, toys, kitchen wares, home décor and furniture.

![The watch stands are seen inside Boscov’s department store in Christiana on Nov. 22, 2025.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/11/26/PWIL/87474127007-p-09-boscovs-shopping.jpg)

Shoppers can find tea kettles in every color of the rainbow at Boscov's, and the home decor department is larger than most downtown boutiques. The famed candy counter, a staple of Boscov's, feels like a walking into a confectionery shop with its variety of fudge, brittle and chocolate-dipped pretzels.

Thompson said customers appreciate the variety and being a one-stop-shop to find everything they need.

Tammy Griffin, 64, from Chestertown, Maryland agrees: “They have everything I need here. And now that it’s Christmas time, I can come here for everything in terms of gifts.”

Boscov’s often has the perception of being the stores for mothers and grandmothers, but Swayer said Boscov's is adapting its merchandise to attract younger shoppers as well.

In 2020, fleece-lined hoodies were flying of Boscov’s shelves. When the company looked into why, it found young people were posting TikTok videos of themselves dancing while wearing the sweatshirt.

Swayer said this inspired the company to invest in younger customers and it now carries more casual clothing and brands younger people are interested in.

“We’re trying to target not just grandmother, but the daughter and the granddaughter,” Swayer said. “We’re trying to target that audience, get them to come in and get to know the store.”

## Fostering Family in the Store

Even as a chain department store, Swayer said Boscov's still feels like a tight-knit, family-owned business and the good relationships between employees transfers into quality customer service, which ultimately fosters the company's success.

![A family waits in the long queue to take photos with the Grinch inside Boscov’s department store during a Grinch event held in Christiana on Nov. 22, 2025.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/11/26/PWIL/87474113007-p-17-boscovs-shopping.jpg)

"I've been with Boscov's for 10 years after having owned my own business and when I looked for where to work next, I wanted someone that cared and I wasn't just a number," Swayer said. "They do make you feel like they care here."

Thompson has been at the Christiana Boscov's since it opened and said there has always been an effort to foster relationships among the staff.

“It’s a hard job and your hours are always crazy but the camaraderie we have, regardless of whatever comes at us, we’re always able to kind of group together and get things done.”

When employees are like a family and customers feel they are a part of that family, it's a recipe for success, Swayer said, adding that, “We work hard, but we have a lot of fun together."

Boscov's is keeping the department charm alive by inviting socialization, offering diverse products and providing quality customer service.

Boscov's Secret Sauce: How This Family-Owned Department Store Thrives While Others Fail

## Nationwide's $100M AI Investment in Claims Efficiency

When an insurance giant like **Nationwide** undertakes a major revamp of its claims operation with **artificial intelligence** and new technology, there are significant implications for both the company and its customers.

The Columbus, Ohio-based insurance and financial services company, which offers a range of products including auto, home, life, and business insurance, holds an A+ rating from both A.M. Best and S&P. The Fortune 100 company with more than 24,000 employees promotes itself as having a **strong focus on customer service**. The company began offering 24-hour claims service in 1960, reportedly the first carrier to do so.

Lately, Nationwide has been putting substantial resources into **AI and updating its claims operations**. The company announced a $1.5 billion investment through 2028 in technology innovation initiatives, with **$100 million earmarked for advancing AI each year for the next three years**.

To understand these changes, Claims Journal spoke with **Guru Vasudeva**, senior vice president and chief technology officer of property/casualty technology at Nationwide.

![Guru Vasudeva](https://www.claimsjournal.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Vasudeva_Guru-150x150.jpg)

*Guru Vasudeva*

## Key AI Implementations in Claims Processing

Vasudeva explained that Nationwide has been building on their investments in the **Guidewire claim center** and recently migrated all contact centers to **Genesis Cloud**, which provides better voice recognition and natural language processing capabilities.

One of the most significant implementations is what they call **Claims Log Notes summarization** using **generative AI**. This technology addresses a critical pain point in the claims process.

"When a customer calls the call center and asks for a status or information about their claim, the **CSR (claims service representative) has to read all these log notes** from all the various interactions that the customer has had with Nationwide," Vasudeva explained. "That takes time—maybe three to four minutes—and it's frustrating for the customer who has to wait."

With the Claims Log Notes summarization, **generative AI creates an ongoing summary** of all customer interactions. Every time a CSR looks up a customer, they instantly see a comprehensive summary of what has happened across all log notes.

"That is an incredibly good use-case of using **generative AI** and we already put that in production," Vasudeva said. "It's highly leveraged by our CSRs; they love the speed. It also helps customers because now they can get answers quicker."

## Benefits Beyond Speed

The technology isn't just about faster processing times. Vasudeva emphasized that it's **empowering CSRs to focus on the empathy aspect** of customer service.

"We're using generative AI with a **human in the loop** and that's the key part," he said. "We've got another effort, which is Call Transcript Summary, where we leverage transcripts after a call to pre-populate some of the information about the call."

Nationwide is also working on **document interpretation using generative AI** instead of traditional OCR technology. This reduces manual work for CSRs by quickly interpreting incoming documents, mapping them to the right fields, and ingesting them into the system.

## Employee Adoption and Skepticism

When first implementing the Claims Log Notes summarization, Vasudeva acknowledged there was **significant skepticism among employees**.

"Our employees have a lot of pride in their work. They want to make sure they're really reading through everything and answering questions accurately," he said. "We engaged the employees in this process. This is not an expense-reduction play—it is more of a focus on **customer experience and speed-to-answer**."

The company asked employees to continue their normal work while also reading the AI-generated summaries, gradually building trust in the system. "While there was some skepticism, we definitely have **good adoption of this capability** now," Vasudeva reported.

## Measuring Success

When asked about metrics for success, Vasudeva highlighted several key indicators:

- **Average handle time** in call center portions of claims
- **Customer experience improvements**
- **After-survey results** measuring customer satisfaction
- **Accuracy metrics** for specific tools like claims estimation software

"Our focus is more on those kinds of metrics," Vasudeva said. "The big outcome that we are looking for is, is it resulting in **better customer experience**?"

## The Future of AI in Insurance Claims

Vasudeva sees generative AI as fundamentally different from traditional AI that Nationwide has been using for years.

"Generative AI is going to **democratize knowledge completely**," he said. "It's going to make it easy for everybody to get the insights that they need."

However, he emphasized that **human judgment will always remain central** to the claims process.

"When you have a loss, when you have an accident, that is a pretty serious life moment and we want to make sure that we are doing it with **empathy** and there is a human judgment involved," Vasudeva explained. "We will always leverage these technologies as an aid to our claims associates."

Nationwide continues to focus on creating a **seamless omnichannel experience** across their website, mobile app, call center, and in-person adjuster interactions. The company is constantly evaluating whether to adopt capabilities from partners like Guidewire and Genesis Cloud or build their own solutions for specific needs.

*Salazar is a Claims Journal intern. She's a student at Cal State University Long Beach majoring in journalism. She expects to graduate in June, 2026.*

When an insurance giant like Nationwide undertakes a revamp of its claims operation with artificial intelligence and new technology, there has to be some

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