The Customer Acquisition Generation Gap Redux

The problem J.C. Penney has (unlike the Apple stores) is that its shopper base is almost exclusively boomers (or older). Unlike a more youth-oriented store (e.g., Apple), doing away with the trappings of old-school retail also meant shooing away the shoppers who were comfortable with that atmosphere. Unfortunately, this change happened before J.C. Penney was able to sell its hoped-for new clientele on how cool it was.