Here is the latest conversation I had with money manager Andrew Horowitz…. new insights for anyone who invests in anything.
Click here for non-Flash version.click ► to listen:
Right click here and select ‘Save Link As…’ to download the mp3 file.
Click here for non-Flash version.click ► to listen:
Right click here and select ‘Save Link As…’ to download the mp3 file.
Under the Maybe category: Based on latest financial disclosure J C Penney Company Inc has Probability Of Bankruptcy of 45.01%. This is 42.12% higher than that of Services sector, and 91.13% higher than that of Department Stores industry, The Probability Of Bankruptcy for all stocks is 33.24% lower than the firm.
I haven’t much need to go shopping at Sears, J C Penney or like lately. Maybe I should go to get last look or shop? Can’t understand why J C Penney can’t beat a Sears, KMART or the like?
I still recall shopping at Montgomery Wards (1872-2000).
To me, IMHO, modern Management is so sophisticated, it is no more effective of a “cure” then a Ancient Bloodletting ritual!
IMHO, all too often it seems, once those who built/grew an organization have moved on for one reason or another, (Apple, Fairchild Semi, Atari) modern Management and spreadsheets move in to exploit, feast on the carcass until it is never-more.
Founders seem to have a focused and demonstrated talent for growing a brand, whereas MBA only know how to grow profits.
One is a farmer, the other is fertilizer and we all know what too much fertilizer does!
Ewww. JC Penny has always been creepy. I never liked being dragged in there as a kid; Though one excursion was fun as my sister and I had discovered that there was a dude could be seen behind the mirrors that lined the escalators — That’s the first time I had ever encoundered a ‘2-way’ mirror or realized that those star thingys on the ceiling were sprinklers. We were running around playing tag while stopping to make faces at the guy. He stormed out fuming and I found the secret tunnel that let me circumnavigate the store and spy on my little sister running around hiding and looking for me.
Mannequins are creepy, anyways. I really don’t have any recollection of them except Penny’s and occasionally Sears. It seemed like the eyes were watching you. I guess, I was correct–
“”An Italian firm selling mannequins that secretly monitor the age, race and gender of customers using facial recognition software has come under fire from privacy groups.
“”And the manufacturer now plans to add audio recording to the dummies’ capabilities, listening in on customers’ discussions about their clients’ products.
http://telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9702683/Store-mannequins-spy-on-customers-with-hidden-cameras.html
Ah yes, another “do you remember the time when I was little” brought to by JC Penny clock radios. When nostalgia isn’t enough and you have to wake up to your fav reverberations.
And now, the lovely little toe tapper, Let’s Get in Line….╟☺1♂1☺11☺▬2m6! <–none of that looks like music symbols… Dammit, bobbo.
They missed an opportunity to bring the stores into the 21st century and also a major lead-in for their marketing.
They needed to do the flat pricing, as they did, but, add kiosks and mobile apps that let you scan the item and do direct price comparisons to competitors.
So, you’d see a coffee pot at 14$, you scan it, and their app lists the price at Target, Sears, Macy’s, and perhaps a couple of online stores and Walmart. They could also have the app work from anywhere, so you could immediately do a price check at any competitor. If the competitor price is provably lower (picture, for instance) they give you an immediate price match coupon.
This would have been a treasure trove for their marketing folks, as they could start targeting pricing specifically to cause competitor problems. And I imagine ladies checking brand name items constantly, looking for the best deal while in the store or walking straight out of a competitor and running to the local Pennies.
But they squandered the opportunity and wasted all the money on non-targeted store changes. Too bad.