Saks Fifth Avenue's New York flagship, between 49th and 50th Streets, is one block south of St. Patrick's Cathedral, where the pope said Mass on Saturday morning. Saks was open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday; however, the NYPD limited access to the store's Fifth Avenue and East 50th Street entrances for security reasons. "A large number of our store associates arrived early, given the Midtown traffic restraints," said Suzanne Johnson, senior vice president and general manager of the flagship. "Logistically, it was a bit challenging. However, our 49th Street entrances remained open throughout the day. Traffic was lighter than usual during the earlier part of the day, but then picked up significantly in the afternoon. We had many exhilarated shoppers visiting our store after the Mass."

Tom Cusick, president of the Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District, said the papal visit, like any huge parade along Fifth Avenue, is not an uncommon occurrence in the city. "The pope's visit is unusual, but the circumstances surrounding this type of event aren't," he said, noting the BID distributed a flyer telling retailers about street closings and passed on a recommendation from the police department that the stores stay open.

"It's probable that stores had lighter traffic or lost business," Cusick said. "This happens maybe 10 times a year. When there's a large parade, business falls off. People tend to pay attention to what's going on in the street and others read the newspaper and stay away. I suspect that, from 47th to 53rd Streets, which was the specific closure area, businesses saw their sales go down until about 2 p.m. on Saturday."