I know I will never again shop because of the gay ads. And I am fairly certain I am not alone.
That was it for me. I was not too pleased about the “nothing ever on sale” strategy, had been there a couple times looking for clearance racks, etc., (which is how I shop). But then later, when they put out the gay ads, I decided I would not go back for any reason, and have not gone since.
Yeah, but how much were you really going to buy at Penney's anyway? I know for us, pretty much anything we'd have bought at JCP twenty years ago, we now buy at BJ's, Costco, Target, or Walmart when we're doing the grocery shopping or else we'll stay home altogether and get it on the internet. Unfortunately for stores at the JCP price point, the business model is a dying one.
I think Kohls has had some success because of their location in strip malls, the easy front of the store registers, and their extended hours (when compared to a traditional mall store).