If JCP doesn’t turn things around, and fast, I can see them being a ‘zero’. Then again, there’s usually strong support at $0. LOL
IMO, what REALLY killed them wasn’t so much the gay marriage stuff as it was their stopping coupons going out to customers. My wife used to get great coupons from them all the time, which lead her to often go to their stores. Once the coupons stopped coming, she stopped going back.
I don’t think they need to push “traditional values” either. How about staying the hell away from ALL ‘social issues’, and just being a great store?
If I want to learn about social issues and related matters, I’ll go to church. When I go to a dammed store, I want to BUY STUFF!!! If I wanted to learn about gay marriage, gay people in general, or anything else to do with gayness, I’ll go to San Francisco.... NOT JCP!
Yup, that too. I am told that between the pro-gay and anti-coupon stuff, even fewer people are shopping there now than their already sparse clientele numbered before.
I think you're right. I'm sure the gay thing affected people's decision a bit, but I agree with you that this was the main issue. After all, many companies announce their support of gay marriage but didn't lose half of their worth in half year.
Penney’s hasn’t been a “great” store for over a decade. They have basically gone to the K-mart model: Shop for yourself and bring your items to the check-out stand. But don’t dare ask one of the body-pierced, grunge-attired floor dolts any questions about the merchandise unless you enjoy blank stares.
I agree. It wasn’t the gay stuff, in fact, I think the only people paying attention to it were the people making a big stink over it. What kill JCP was the ‘no more sales’ and ‘everyday low prices’. People like to clip coupons and wait for sales, even if they are artificially created to create business. It makes people feel like they have control.
Also, it was too much change too fast. JCP should of gradually shifted into ‘no more sales’ if they wanted it to even have a chance of being successful. Maybe kept have the store ‘sales’ and the otehr half ‘regular’ to see how people react.
It’s both. The no coupon thing was serious death to them. All the competitor stores in their level have coupons and sales, people need to believe they are getting deals.