Would a Kohl’s buyout really mean anything to New Jersey shoppers? (opinion)

An announcement was recently made that directly affects two of New Jersey's larger retailers. According to Market Watch, the owners of JCPenney have put out an offer to buy Kohl's for $8.6 billion.

Now some might be thinking about what this means for their shopping experience in the Garden State. Does it mean store closures? Does it mean re-branding?

For the most part, it won't really mean a lot. Most of the changes would take place behind the scenes anyway, and it's not going to change shopping habits all that much.

Think about it with past mergers and buyouts. When Amazon took over operations of Whole Foods, did people suddenly stop shopping there? No, they didn't.

Now, people around the Garden State did talk about that new partnership with concerns. Would the products get cheaper? Would the stores change in appearance? What am I going to do once the new ownership takes hold? Will the stores change their name?

And you know what? We ended up being OK. The store is still called Whole Foods, prices actually got better, and quality didn't suffer. As a result, New Jersey lived on to see another day without a major disruption in their shopping routine.

The same thing would probably happen if Kohl's and JCPenney merge. It's already been announced that if this joining of forces does happen that both brands would continue to operate under the names they have now.

What's more, it'll probably become more efficient and streamlined. And with that comes a better shopping experience, and sometimes, better prices for the consumer.

Yes, there's quite a bit of chatter right now on social media about this, including right here in New Jersey. But the simple fact remains the same. It's business, and mergers happen all the time.

Perhaps merger isn't the right word to use here. Think of it more like a new partnership for the two brands. Yes, they would operate under the same umbrella, but aside from that, New Jersey would still move on to see another day with the stores and brands they love.

So if you're a frequent Kohl's or JCPenney shopper, you most likely have nothing to worry about. More likely than not, your shopping experience will only get better if Kohl's accepts the offer from JCPenney.

Speaking of getting better, let's look beyond retail for a moment. Yes, change happens all the time as we move forward. Sometimes change is good. And other times, not so much.

With the summer season right around the corner, it's time to start looking thinking about summer fun, and how we can change things for the better. Let's start with outdated rules at the beach.

Check out these beach rules that would probably be better off left in the past. Number five, in particular, should've been eliminated years ago.