An open letter of disappointment

Dear American shopper,

I am disappointed in you.

I majored in marketing, with a minor in psychology. I am fascinated at the psychology used in marketing. So I've been following the JC Penney "social experiment" for some time now.

I totally get why they did what they did with the everyday low pricing "experiment". When you are in a constant sale frenzy, as JCP was, and Kohls still is, the associates spend nearly all of their time running around the store removing sale signs and putting up new sale signs. Store buyers, speaking from experience since I was one myself, spend tons of time planning sale timing and inputting the price changes into the computers. So, instead of time spent helping customers, the time is spent coming up with new and different sale pitches which are really just different ways to convince you, the customer, that you are getting a great deal. A bargain. A SALE.

So, JCP decided to do something new and novel. To ditch the relentless sale mongering and just offer the items at the price that they would eventually reach with all of that sale silliness, eliminating the need for constant signs up and down and direct mail pieces falling all over themselves to reach you in time to cash in on the next two day sale.

And, what did we do? We hated them. We stopped shopping there. Despite the fact that the merchandise was still the same, and the store looked so much cleaner and crisper, we decided that not getting a "deal" really pissed us off. Sales plummeted, the store hit the "most hated companies" list, and the CEO was ousted. And now, I see that JCP has issued an apology letter.

To apologize to us, the American consumer. And for what?

They are apologizing for trying to be straight with us and no longer dupe us with frivolous sales, and we are therefore smoothing our ruffled feathers back down and saying that we'll think about shopping there again with a sniff of our nose.

America, aren't we smarter than this? Why are we choosing to be fooled and be played by all of those sale games? Can't we just admit we know better than this? I feel for that CEO who thought that America was ready for this, and I picture him just truly miffed that it went up in flames like it did.

I'm sorry, guy. Better luck next time. We just aren't ready quite yet.

Sigh.