This Sunday, I'll be going with my children and their father (my ex-husband) to JC Penney. The kids need shoes, and I probably do, too.
In case you haven't heard of the whole JC Penney Shop-In, read Katie's excellent summary of it here. Long-time readers know that I have been seriously disappointed by the response Target gave when it was discovered that the company had contributed vast amounts of money to anti-gay political candidates. I haven't shopped at Target since July 2010.
It makes me happy that JC Penney is standing by Ellen. It makes me sad that there are people that think that Ellen, just by virtue of her being who she is, is somehow threatening their families. I know that my family--as weird as it is, co-parenting with my ex-husband--is only helped by people who are happy with their lives, couples that love each other, families who work together.
I haven't been to JC Penney in years. But I'm going Sunday, and we're going to buy some shoes, and I'll see what else they have. And maybe JC Penney will turn out to be our new family-friendly favorite.
(My secret dream is for Monbdo Guerra to design a line for JC Penney. Don't tell anyone.)
This boycott is a new level of crazy. If you're doubling down in the "culture wars" (barf) and even if you have a lot of strange homophobic feelings... really? ELLEN? Ellen is your hill to die on? Ellen, who is a married person, and runs a pleasant and inoffensive daytime talkshow? So very strange.
Posted by: Cordy | February 10, 2012 at 06:39 PM
Target's got a lot of bad blood on its hands, a lot of stuff on consumerist about crummy working conditions.
I hope JC Penny becomes a better place, Ron Johnson made Apple Retail great, so there's a lot of hope to be had. Unfortunately in CA, Pennies is dumpy.
Posted by: Dave Dash | February 10, 2012 at 06:43 PM
Ellen is an amazing person. I love her & her show. I also really like JC Penney- I discovered that they had a small but good maternity section when I was pregnant, and since then I still go there often for good work shirts! I also got an amazing Black Friday deal on a winter coat there! I'm very intrigued by their new low price, no coupon, etc deal. Anyway, I'll totally be there Sunday!!!
Posted by: eee | February 10, 2012 at 07:28 PM
JC Penney is my go-to place for cute jewelry that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I've lost count of how many compliments my budget buys from JCP have gotten me over the years. Nobody ever believes me when I tell them JCP's the place!
Posted by: hush | February 10, 2012 at 07:38 PM
I also was successful in finding more basic maternity items there than almost any other store in town (including Target). This is perhaps why I am inevitably disappointed at my regular lack of success in finding cute & trendy clothing in the petite section since then.
Ellen or no Ellen, if I can't find anything which fits or suits my style, I won't be spending my clothing budget at JCP.
Posted by: Blanche | February 10, 2012 at 08:21 PM
I hadn't heard about that, but since I love Ellen (and Mondo!), we'll try to make it, too.
Posted by: Casey | February 11, 2012 at 03:39 PM
I'm plus size, and Penney's was about the only place to get maternity clothes. There were only two other options, really.
Posted by: Schwa de Vivre | February 11, 2012 at 07:01 PM
I just placed an order online--got some PJs for the kids. Thanks for helping organize this, Moxie.
Posted by: Laura | February 12, 2012 at 10:24 PM
I applaud the sentiment behind this. But before you go, I think you should read my friend's blog post called "Buying Things is Not Activism." There are more effective ways to stand up against bigots.
http://interestinginteresting.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/buying-things-is-not-activism/
Also, you should know that JCPenney has historically given far more to the right wing. http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cmte=C00042895&cycle=2010
Posted by: Nina | February 13, 2012 at 09:48 AM
I've been a fairly regular shopper at Penney's for years. I'm so happy a store I like, that carries my size, is also an ethical one.
Posted by: Olivia | February 13, 2012 at 01:02 PM
Ellen pointed out that the One Million Moms have 40,000 members on Facebook. That's saying something. I wonder how many moms support her. I know I do. And I will continue to shop at JC Penney.
Posted by: SanFranSarah | February 13, 2012 at 01:56 PM
Thanks so much for participating in this and for spreading the words!
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I'm a great lover of art but galleries and museums are most certainly not the new churches. Can you imagine the Tate Modern setting up soup kitchens for the homeless?
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Posted by: Coach Outlet | March 28, 2012 at 11:38 PM
My closest friends and I baked cookies and breads and made dips and worked tirelessly on our little holiday party menu; we even had an annual ornament exchange. And aren't we cute?
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