Black Friday 2011: JCPenney Joins Salvation Army in Christian Approach to Consumerism
JCPenney Will Give Part of Black Friday Earnings to Salvation Army to Help Less Fortunate
JCPenney has joined forces with The Salvation Army in promoting the Angel Giving Tree online program, which seeks to give Christmas presents to underprivileged children and the elderly.
According to press release on its corporate website, JCPenney is offering The Salvation Army two generous methods of donation.
JCPenney will donate $25, up to $100,000, to The Salvation Army for every customer who uses Four Square to check in to a JCPenney store between 4 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Black Friday.
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The company will also donate $50, up to $400,000, to The Salvation Army for every "Angel" adopted online prior to Black Friday.
Participants can adopt an "Angel" as individuals or a part of a group. The donations will ensure that the "angel," either an underpriveled child or an elderly person, receives presents on Christmas.
These two generous tactics could result in a $500,000 donation to The Salvation Army.
"In the first year of introducing this program online, nearly 40,000 Angels from across the country were adopted last Christmas," said Thomas M. Nealon, group executive vice president at JCPenney.
"Now, more than ever, customers want to make a difference during the holidays. JCPenney has made it easier for customers to give back in a meaningful way and we feel confident that support for those less fortunate will only continue to grow," he added.
The online Angel Giving Tree program will also serve as another impetus to recruit early shoppers for Black Friday.
James Cash Penney, founder of the JCPenney stores, was the son of a Baptist preacher and is believed to have held his Christian faith close to heart. He named his first stores the "Golden Rule" Stores, later switching the name to JCPenney.
This charitable donation offers an extra boost of motivation to Christian shoppers seeking to give back while they consume on Black Friday.
"As Christian consumers we must control the stores and not let the stores and the spirit of this world control us," CEO of DOersTV, Pastor David Wright, previously told The Christian Post while commenting on Black Friday consumerism.
Others are using a different method to combat the inherent consumerism which accompanies one of the year's biggest shopping days.
The day after Thanksgiving, Friday Nov. 25, has been dubbed by some as "Buy Nothing Day," encouraging Americans to go against the grain and buy nothing on Black Friday to counteract immense consumerism and mall mayhem.
