Okay -- anybody got a report on Bon Ton stores?

[Philostopher]

All the 'responsible consumerism' links I've made either have no listing for Bon Ton department stores, or report 'no political donations' records. Bon Ton (a Pennsylvania-based company) bought out the last handful of SW Ohio Elder-Beerman stores, and I get my hair cut there. I also spend a few bucks there, if they're having a sale or have something I need, especially clothing-wise. If they don't donate politically at all, I can hang with that -- and because the hair salon in the store is a franchise, and the woman who cuts my hair essentially 'rents the stall' there to do her business, even if Bon Ton is a big Republican donor, I have such an awful time finding somebody who can actually cut my hair right, I probably wouldn't bail on the styling salon.

Anyway, before I drop any more dimes at the Elder-Beerman/Bon Ton, other than getting my hair done, I would like to know if anybody has any kind of information on the chain. Because if it's not the right color, I'll pass and do my clothes shopping online from Eddie Bauer and Lands' End from now on, since they seem to be at least tolerable, according to most of the 'responsible shopping' sites.

[kayell]

1. How about doing the research and adding it to the Progressive Pages?

fudge stripe cookays posted some nice instructions here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=255x464#551

[Philostopher]

3. Well, I ran the top handful of folks on ...

Fundrace, Open Secrets and Newsmeat and found nothing; not only that, but no PAC or soft money on Open Secrets for the corporate, either. Looks like they're clean, and they do United Way and have a corporate based volunteer program, as well. They definitely look like a 'do no harm' sort, so I don't feel bad about going there, now!

I dropped the 'no known' info into Progressive Pages.

[mdmc]

2. Bon Ton specializes in economically depressed areas

we just got one in Newburgh, NY last year or so...

No other info, but they seem to be kosher.

[Philostopher]

4. They bought a local department store chain that was going under.

Not so much economically depressed area as economically depressed retailer, in that situation! Still, they did a service for the area Elder-Beerman served.

As I think I noted above, I didn't find anything either way -- which is fine with me. They certainly don't seem to be going overboard with changes to the way E-B used to do business. Elder-Beerman had two divisions -- retail shopping and furniture. The retail shopping division largely seems to cater to older shoppers and working women, at lesat judging from their apparel inventory; the furniture division is just a regular middle-class priced furniture store (nothing too ridiculous, nothing too cheap). I'm glad somebody bought them, really -- you wind up with no choice but Target or Kohl's, and both Target and Kohl's really pander to the very young, especially their clothing departments. I have no problem with that, but I'd like to be able to run down the road and buy something I need, especially when it's clothing -- I've spent the last two or three years mail-ordering from assorted L.L. Bean-type companies because I couldn't find anything at Kohl's or Target that didn't make me look like I was going through a midlife crisis!