The weak traffic and sales trends at Macy's and other department stores has led to fierce discounting to ensure apparel and other goods don't sit on shelves too long. That's been problematic for some of the brands that stock their goods in those stores. Luxury brands leaving This week, Ralph Lauren (RL), Coach (COH) and Michael Kors (KORS) all reported declining sales at the wholesale channel for their latest quarterly results. And the fierce discounting is forcing all of them to confront their own strategic pivot to rely less on department stores, because discounting hurts the aspirational luxury image that those brands are all aiming to cultivate. Coach earlier this week made the most drastic move by announcing it would pull the company's handbags and leather goods out of about 250 department stores across North America. The company also intends to reduce the markdowns that Coach will allow department stores to take in that channel. Michael Kors struck a similar tone.