Two months after JCPenney announced it would shutter 138 stores across the country amid falling sales, the company says it is delaying those closings as customers have apparently started shopping with the retailer again. 

CNBC reports that JCPenney is pushing back the end date for the 138 stores earmarked for closing this year by at least a month.

A spokesperson for the company says that the stores on the closing list have recently experienced “better-than-expected sales and traffic” since the February announcement.

“This is not an uncommon response when you announce a store closure,” the rep said. “Local shoppers will come out for a variety of reasons — some out of nostalgia and some who are just looking for a great deal.”

As a result, the retailer says it is “prudent to continue” selling merchandise at the stores at the “current promotional level.”

Instead of commencing liquidation sales next week, the company will begin the closing sales May 22 and shut the stores’ doors around July 31.

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