Mervyn’s Success Wasted on Dayton

Dayton Hudson paid an exceptional price for Mervyn’s when they bought the company some years ago [“Clock Is Ticking on Lackluster Mervyn’s,” Oct. 14.]. At that time the chain was on the verge of becoming a truly national chain, a dream of the founder, Merv Morris.

Many years ago I visited Mervyn’s when they had only three stores. At that time there already existed big plans for growth and expansion. The company philosophy was established and it worked.

After the change of ownership, the “geniuses” at Dayton Hudson, not content with the age-old axiom “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” began to tinker with Mervyn’s. The more they tinkered, the more the concept broke down, until today, as analyst Margaret Gilliam observed in the story, “Mervyn’s doesn’t have an identity, and it doesn’t have a core customer.”

Dayton Hudson should return to the concept and policies of Mervyn’s when the chain was acquired. It would take a bit of time, but the concept is still valid, and the organization could be salvaged.

MARSHALL KLINE

Los Angeles