Word: penney
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Over the next six decades, the explosion of merchandise catalogs was so immense that competition from more specialized retailers finally demolished one of its originators: in 1985 Montgomery Ward left the catalog business. Today's big sellers include J.C. Penney, L.L. Bean, Lands' End and Sears. In 1989 Bean, the famous Maine purveyor of outdoor gear, took in almost 90% of its $600 million net sales from the 116 million catalogs it mailed. Wisconsin's Lands' End sold $545 million worth of clothing and domestic items last year through its 90 million catalogs. "It's always fun to have them...
Increased consumer caution will have its victims. Lenders will have fewer eager borrowers. Automakers and retailers will suffer from slower sales as customers make do with what they have. Last week major retailers reported dismal revenues for the month of October. One hard-hit firm, J.C. Penney, said its sales fell 6.3% from the same month in 1989. Shoppers are particularly avoiding such discretionary items as clothing and furniture. At a time like this, consumers are apparently finding that the thrill of shopping is nothing compared with the satisfaction of paying off some debt on an overburdened credit card...
...untold thousands of abandoned or orphaned children, salvation lies in adoption or foster care. Among those who try to find families for these children is a most unlikely outfit: a J.C. Penney store. Last March in New Orleans, for the sixth year, the store made available an unorthodox forum to bring kids and prospective parents together...
Joined this year by a second Penney's outlet, the store invited the state's department of social services to select children who were willing and able to take a gamble. They were brought to the stores, decked out in the latest spring fashions, given tips on modeling and sent onstage. The audience, including an invited group of prospective parents, got a chance to size up the kids and obtain information on the applications and processing...
Social worker Kerry Ermon contends that the fashion shows have been an extremely productive way to find new homes for youngsters who would otherwise be hard to place. Already, prospective parents have made serious inquiries about more than half the children who participated. But some critics say that Penney's method is offensively reminiscent of an auction. To which Ermon replies, "I would love it if we didn't need to recruit for foster and adoptive families. But the reality is we have more children than we have families...