New gun restrictions are a win for Walmart and Dick’s

Public perception of Walmart (WMT) and Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) improved after both retailers imposed new restrictions on gun sales, in the aftermath of the Feb. 14 high-school shooting in Florida that left 17 dead.

A new survey of consumers by research firm YouGov BrandIndex shows that the “buzz score” for Walmart jumped 7 points after Walmart changed its gun policy on Feb. 27, from 13 to 20. The score for Dick’s surged from 2 to 18. YouGov computes scores by asking survey respondents whether they’ve heard anything about a given brand recently, and whether it was positive or negative. The worst possible score is -100 (totally negative) while the best is 100 (totally positive).

Both stores still sell guns. But each recently changed its policies, taking assault-style weapons off the shelves completely and requiring all buyers to be at least 21. Walmart is the nation’s biggest seller of firearms, while Dick’s is the biggest sporting-goods retailer.

Not surprisingly, impressions of the changes at both retailers varied by political persuasion. Democrats and Independents led the push behind Walmart’s rise in perception, while Republicans’ perception of the retail giant fell slightly. Democrats were also responsible for the boost for Dick’s, while Republicans and Independents stayed the same on the store.


Source : Yahoo