Posted on 12/16/2018 11:06:01 PM PST by Impala64ssa
Dicks serves as another warning for why people have been saying ‘Get Woke Go Broke’.
Ever since going political, their sales have been kind of … limp.
Just as the now-infamous school shooting in Florida was beginning its transition from “Horrific Crime against the Defenseless” to “Vehicle of the Left’s Political Agenda” Dick’s Sporting Goods made a decision.
Dick’s Sporting Goods made the decision to blame the tool rather than the killer or the many layers of protection that WOULD have disqualified the young killer from owning firearms in the first place.
Did kissing the activists’ ring help or hurt their cause?
It really depends on what their goal was. If they were trying to embolden the Gun Control crowd, mission accomplished. They made possible the activist careers of the David Hoggs of the world. But if they were looking to build their brand? It wasn’t such a great plan.
Their CEO, Edward Stack, made that decision. What’s happened since?
Sales dropped off, and they’re closing 35 stores in 18 states.
Back in March, Fortune went out if its way to say that it had nothing to do with their gun stance.
Only weeks after winning accolades from gun-control advocates for ending sales of assault rifles at its Field & Stream stores, Dick’s posted a deeper-than-expected sales decline. Its stock sank the most in four months Tuesday in the wake of the quarterly report, which reflected struggles with excess inventory and deep discounting. Source: Fortune
But now, even the CEO is admitting the obvious. It WAS their gun sales that hurt them.
The CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods told investors in September that gun-purchasing restrictions the company imposed earlier this year have negatively affected its sales to a point where it may be forced to close its Field & Stream outlets.
In remarks made to the Goldman Sachs Retailing Conference and first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, CEO Edward Stack explained that the 3.9 percent decline in the company’s sales during the third quarter could be partially attributed to its ban on the sale of assault-style rifles and on the sale of all firearms to customers under 21 years old — both of which were implemented in the wake of the Parkland shooting in February.
…In addition to the firearm-purchasing restrictions, Dick’s also hired a number of Washington, D.C. lobbyists in May to advocate for more-stringent gun-control regulations. Taken together, the restrictions and the lobbying effort led the National Shooting Sports Foundation to expel Dick’s and caused a number of major gun manufacturers to sever ties with the retailer — developments that Stack admitted were detrimental to its third-quarter performance. Source: National Review
But, hey look on the bright side; maybe the anti-American lunatics who run Ben & Jerry's will name a special, liberal "flavor of the month" ice cream after them.
I'm starting a contest here on FR to help them out:
What do you think Ben & Jerry should name the ice cream, celebrating "DICKS" demise, and what should be its main ingredients?
And how many commies started shopping there, thanks to dick’s support?
Zero.
And this during the peak hunting and Christmas seasons...
Leftists never learn: “Don’t be a Dick”
“Dicks never sold assault rifles. Those scary looking (AR15) black rifles are single shot semi automatic rifles.”
Wasting your time. Average suburbanites just know it looks ugly and scary. They’re idiots.....
My wife and I finally moved our banking out of Bank of America. I had used them and their affiliates for banking for 40+ years.
I have known they are Leftist for some time, but moving heavily entrenched finances is a significant effort, and my wife is not as political as I am.
But when Bank of America made their foray into gun politics in April 2018, saying they planned to stop lending to manufacturers of “military-style firearms” used by civilians, that was it for me.
I wrote the CEO of Bank of America a politely worded letter (sent via snail mail) with no anger or profanity (but spelling out my displeasure with their stance) and received a bland form letter in response. When I mentioned how much I disliked doing business with Bank of America to my wife who is non-political, she was willing to move because their customer service was crap.
We began the process back in August, and this past Saturday, went to their branch office and closed out our accounts. When asked why, I told her factually and without anger why we chose as we did.
I don’t mind giving my money to any business that delivers a product. I don’t care if it is owned by whites, blacks, women, or any ethic minority. If they deliver a product, do it well, at a good cost, I will give them my patronage.
But when they become activists AGAINST my interests, I have no inclination to business with them, period.
So it is with Bank of America, Dick’s Sporting Goods, JC Penney, Target, Ben and Jerry’s, General Mills, Coca Cola, and so on that I refuse to do business with There are many places I can give my money to, why give it to a corporate entity that wants to figuratively cut my throat?
Sure. Places like Dick’s Sporting Goods and JC Penney may get a temporary uptick from Leftists who want to reward their social justice stances, but those are fleeting profits. Leftists as individuals generally have no principles or staying power, and they may go in and buy an item, but...they aren’t long term customers. Conservatives for the most part are, and once they decide they are done, they are done. They aren’t coming back.
Any company that wants to commit hari-kari instead of making money is to stupid to have our business.
No way i go in to a dick’s or a target.
They can shove their political correct bull crap up their wazoo’s.
Excellent write up. If you’re so inclined you should send that in as an op-ed to whoever you think will take it.
Any public board that those companies use to accept comments would be better but they might just delete it. I don’t know if something like yelp would delete it.
Cabala’s did not exist near me for most of my life. I’d never heard of them until about 10 years ago. Dicks was near where I worked and I bought ammo there.
Dicks is dead to me now, and with Cabala’s all over the place, I don’t know why I’d ever go to a Dicks. And for ammo there are also all the small places.
Why anybody would patronize dicks if there is an Acadamy sports available is beyond me. dicks like REI is just plain ‘ol overpriced.
Reminds me of target versus Walmart.
Dick’s is a private company. They can sell or not sell anything they want, but when they hire lobbyists to campaign against the rights of American’s to own certain items which are Constitutionally protected, that’s it. Last straw.
I live in a sporting desert. There’s a couple Dick’s stores within 10 miles, besides that Bass Pro and Cabela’s are 50 miles in either direction plus $8 in tolls.
Too bad, that’s where I go.
When all their executives have a convention, or meeting, do they call them “Dickheads”? /s
Except that it's not the "gun sales," per se, but that every American who loves their 2nd Amendment freedoms isn't buying anything from Dick's. No hunting equipment, fishing equipment, camping equipment, athletic equipment ... nothing. Dick's is dead to me.
That’s really the point. Dicks management underestimated the revenue risk beyond firearm sales. They failed to understand their customers. Their focus on athletic wear would also seem a losing strategy with intense competition where lowest price (lowest margin) usually wins.
Shop Academy, far superior as a sporting goods store.
Dicks is a shareholder owned company. It’s stock is openly traded to anyone. It most definitely not a private (stock is owne privately) company. As a publicly traded company, it must behave in the best interests of the shareholders or it can be sued and ....
They have failed. It wasn’t just a bad decision on management styles. They intentionally, not just once but 3 time. Heaven forbid if some gets killed with a golf club. They will have nothing to sell.
Private as in not government owned. They don’t have the same Constitutional limitations the Government does and can thus sell or not sell whatever they want.
True, they answer to the shareholders, but not to the people. That’s a critical difference.
I believe the people are speaking. It’s up to the shareholders and Board of Directors to choose whether to listen or to commit corporate suicide.
Published: Nov 29, 2018
Tomi Kilgore
Shares of Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. DKS, +1.29% took a 7.9% dive in morning trade Thursday, wiping out the previous session’s gains following an upbeat earnings report, after J.P. Morgan analyst Christopher Horvers backed away from his year-long bullish stance given a “more uncertain earnings outlook.”
Awww, didn't you hear? Right after the Dick's announcement, Chicago's Rahm Emmanuel did a media photo op of purchasing a pair of running shoes to show his support. I'm sure that really helped.
The only reason I go Target is to go into the women’s restroom and leave all the toilet seats up. ;o)
Dicks Cream?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.