Evan Schuman's StorefrontBacktalk

JCPenney is testing the Australian waters a bit with an online push. The retailers has a local URL and an Australian company handling all operations, but it’s still shipping merchandise from the States and asking Australian shoppers to wait “12 to 14 working days. This “request” prompted one Australian publication to ask “whether Australians would be prepared to wait two weeks to receive something purchased online, especially when goods shipped from Amazon in the U.S. generally arrive within a week if in stock.”

But any online attention is a good thing, that story said, given “the ambivalence shown to online shopping by Myer, Target (Australia) and David Jones.” Sharon Hooker, operations manager of JCPIC Australia, said global currency fluctuations may prove helpful: “All prices on the JCPenney Australia site are shown in Australian dollars. With many items priced comparatively lower in the United States, buyers are in for some very pleasant surprises.”