Forget the explanations from Wall Street analysts and retail industry experts about why J.C. Penney is having so many problems since Ron Johnson took over at the chain. Poor sales have nothing to do with confusion over Penney's new pricing strategy, ineffective advertising, tepid reaction to its product selection and low morale among employees.
No, Al Lewis a columnist for Dow Jones Newswires writing on The Wall Street Journal website says Penney is hurting because of its open embrace and support of gays. Firstly, the retailer hired former J.C. Penney clerk and current megastar Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson. Then it began using same-sex couples and their kids in ads and catalogs.
The ultra-conservative One Million Moms (40,000 actual members) called for a boycott of Penney when Ms. DeGeneres was first named spokesperson, but the group abandoned the effort shortly thereafter when its leadership realized the effort was going nowhere.
Now comes Mr. Lewis to say that J.C. Penney's values do not reflect those of its shoppers. He writes, "I have never actually met an openly gay person who openly shops at J.C. Penney."
There was no indication in his column as to how many openly gay people Mr. Lewis knows in his private life or the number of conversations he may have had with them on their shopping habits. Similarly, Mr. Lewis does not reveal how much time he has spent at J.C. Penney stores around the country surveying shoppers on their sexuality.