They’re at it again — JCP announces more changes
This isn’t exactly breaking news, but it is a topic I know gets many of you going: the constant changes at JC Penney. At the end of January the retailer announced more news for shoppers.
First, they’re bringing back sales. Second, on price tags and in the ad you’ll start to see competitor’s pricing on products (like the price tags at TJ Maxx and Marshalls).
The retailer is also making an effort to let shoppers know the quality of its merchandise can still compete with the more expensive merchandise at other retailers. A recent AP article says JCP has even involved its legal team in this process.
Before these changes JCP already brought back clearance merchandise and dropped its pricing structure, which involved specific markdown dates for merchandise, monthly deals and “best prices.”
There’s still no indication that coupons will be returning, disappointing many former JCP shoppers.
So, it’s that time again. How do you feel about the retailer now that sales are back?
February 26, 2013 - 11:59 AM
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The same as when they initially made the changes – they’re on a road to bankruptcy and I’ll never visit there again. It’s pretty funny that they need to consult with their legal department to try and use the proper semantics and criteria to pretend their quality hasn’t decreased significantly.
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As I said on here previously, just because the label says Izod, doesn’t mean every Izod shirt is of the same quality. Not just fabric, but stitching, dye, buttons, buttonholes, many factors go into quality that can be ignored by confined criteria and naive customers. Nobody in retailing provides truly equal quality product to the consumer at a 40% discount to the market.
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For the record, JCP stock was at 42 when they made their announcements one year ago. It’s now at about 20. Even with all of their backtracking from their initial vision, they’ve delivered a fatal blow to a once proud company.
Just wish they would make up their minds. i have been disappointed with the last change let alone another one. i price shop anyway so do not need this addition. also, if you have been in their store lately at Tanglewood Mall it looks like they are reducing their stock and not ordering as much as they did in seasons past. Hope they can rebound. I really like their merchandise but knowing what price i am going to pay and then getting to the register is another thing. prices are very confusing.
I am still holding on to my no JCP rule after the whole 1 pair of boots at the Black Friday price episode. I’m still bitter and it will take a lot more than a new price tag to change my mind.
I have noticed that they have started putting ads back in the Sunday paper, which I promptly toss aside, so not sure if those ads are like normal or still their un-informational book format.
I did take the time read the article in the paper this past Sunday about transforming the houseware department into something new and better. The whole time I am reading it I was shaking my head and laughing. If that department is going to be new and better like the rest of the store than it too will fail. An overpriced toaster with a fancy name on it is not going to help bring me back.
I was in a Richmond store in early October that had already moved into the “shops” model. (Not sure if the Roanoke store has moved into this model since I have not been back since Black Friday.) I was looking for one thing and quickly gave up when I realized I would have to go to 10 different “shops” trying to find it rather than just one department. I went to Macy’s, went to the department I needed and quickly found what I was looking for, on sale and was able to use a coupon with it to top it off.
I think they are bringing the sales back too late, housewares is not a market they need to get into, and they will lose the last bit of customers still hanging on if they don’t hurry up and bring back the coupons.
When you have stores like Belk and Macy’s that have sales that you can use coupons on top of, why would you go somewhere that didn’t offer that option.
It’s sad to see a store I use to enjoy shopping at dying a slow death because the CEO won’t suck up his pride and admit his mistakes and beg for forgiveness.
Penney’s needs to 1. Fire the guy who started all of this. 2. Go back to the way they were before it all started. 3- Have a big ad campaign apologizing for such a screw up and asking their customers to return.
I used to go to JCP all the time, I have been once in the past year. On that visit I found the available selections very sparse and the prices high. I agree with many previous posters on other stories they made a huge mistake getting rid of St John’s Bay.
When JCP goes out of business they better not try to blame the economy, it will be 100% their fault.
Penny should be able to drop prices. Every time you go in there you can hardly find anyone to check you out. They need to get some help.
jcp is nothing more than a glorified walmart….haven’t been in the store in ages….
I liked the store at Tanglewood the way it was, I liked the promotions the old way and the Rewards coupons just the way they were. Then it all changed. The service is bare bones as the number of checkouts have been cut in half and they are usually only staffed by one person each. Pathetic. The merchandise selection in many categories has been badly butchered and some types of clothing are found in far flung areas of the store. Furthermore, I do not like this whole “JCP” thing. JC Penney has committed retail suicide.
JCP is a mere shadow of the store it once was. I remember my grandmother thumbing through the massive catalogs, picking out shirts and pants and skirts and shoes and linens and toys for us grandkids. Then she’d pick up the phone, use her JCP credit card, spend more money than she should and everything was shipped to her doorstep. Now their “catalog” is horrible. No sizes, no way to order, no respect for their previously loyal older customers or those without access to a computer or transportation. This past Christmas I bought from JCP only because of their holiday buttons. Honestly, I only spent maybe $10, but I got probably 10 T-shirts and a jacket. I still have a $500 gift certificate that I won but am struggling to find anything to buy there. The items I got over Christmas are very low quality; I have to wear tanktops under the T’s because they’re so thin and the jacket is worn as a shirt because it, too, is super thin. JCP’s quality has diminished to that of Ross or TJMaxx. The “shops” are incredibly confusing and have made any shopping attempts frustrating. My grandmother requested two white St. John’s Bay mock turtle necks for my grandfather for Christmas – something she has been buying him for years. Of course, they did not have St. John’s Bay anymore and when I asked about mock turtle necks, associates were very rude. After three stores, I finally found two shirts. They weren’t exactly what she wanted, but she took them … still feeling that JCP has some quality in her 88-year-old mind. It’s very sad what has been done to this store. Taking away coupons is one thing, taking away years of name-recognized quality is another. I just hope I can find something to spend this $500 on before they shut the doors.
Yeap, a lot of those brands they are getting are “made for”, like another well know Faux upscale store’s “Limited Edition” designer chic throw away clothes, you know posted as MSRP of $1,000, for $100 in JCP, but you can not find the same item with that designer selling at any other store, reason it is “made for”, you read into that what that really means. Wonder how well it will hold up?
Want the real deal, money no object? Go to Nordstorm. At least Nordstorm gives 8 percent commission to their sales people, not so JCP, where do you think you will get better customer service?
Trouble finding anyone on the floor? New way you run down one of them, hoping no one else beats you to them, or person in front of you doesn’t have “issues” as you stand there eyeballs other one to run too. There is a reason for a line queue at a bank. This kind of check out works for high end, pricey Apple products, no discounts, a product line that is boxed and fixed. No so in retailing, one reason coupons had to go, Ron even said so, convolutedly, he likes double talk, “the customer”, it is always the customer who is at fault in Ron’s world and needs to make compromises, would be confused if coupons were used during their new method of checking out. Really, can’t you just scan a coupon with a handheld device? He really said this. There is also issues of those roaming check out people pulling multiduty as a floor walker, restocked, customer help. Ron is basically trying to hire as little people at min wage as he can, give you free cheesy haircut, or coffee as a perk, using the staff to the max via of too many duties, spinning this package as “better customer service”.
This is what Ron is all about, lip stick on a pig, some clever marketing spin on it, The Street, mini shops, just look thru the smoke and mirrors? Why is anyone in their right mind holding JCP stock?
JCP needs to go back to real customer service, line queues for check out so you do not have to run them down, reduce their prices, yes it cost more to shop there, we stopped going, put back cash registers within each department with some staff.
LOL that these are mini shops within a store, most stores have by brand grouping as did the old JCP, calling your aisle “The Street”, thinking people want their lives to revolve around JCP via of hanging out there makes me think you got a middle aged man who either never grew up, or is out of touched and thinks he thinks like a 16 year old running the place. Ron needs to go.
Instead of let’s go hang out at the mall, dude, let’s go hang out at a JCP, dude.
Gee, give me a break. Are there any adults running JCP?
I think they made a big mistake when they did all these changes with the new CEO. While he may have had some good ideas, he has had quite a few bad ones. I used to go to Penneys frequently and now, I get so disgusted with the stores and their new changes that I just leave and shop elsewhere. I have had success with ordering online though and the curtains I go were good. But it’s sad to see another department store doing something absolutely stupid at a time of such uncertainty. It is most certainly increasing their own uncertainty! Let’s hope they wise up and soon. And please bring back the St. Johns Bay brand!
I’m not a loyal JCP shopper, so I can’t comment on the former rewards system or what the store used to be.
However, I am a shopper and I recently found a great dress on clearance at JCP for $14. In fact, as I was holding the dress, another woman asked which rack I got it from.
While I’m glad they’re getting rid of their “best prices” structure because it was confusing to remember what was happening when, I’ve been happy with my recent purchases there. I also know that when I’m only paying so much for the items, that I can only expect so much quality.
So far, the bath towels I’ve bought for $5 each have held up for more than year. Not a bad investment.
And I honestly don’t see any difference between JCP having its “shops” vs. Macy’s having its departments. I do think having a sales counter near each shop would help.
Would my shopping life be ruined if JCP failed and closed? Not really, but until then, I don’t hate it enough to never go there. It’s another place to browse for options. Why would any shopper turn the opportunity down?
You people are ignorant. For example, St. Johns Bay was probably the worst quality brand I have EVER seen at a JCPenney store. The Jeans never fit right, and weren’t ever a true jean color if you even noticed….they looked (and felt) like paper with a jean pattern printed on them. Don’t even get me started on their tops.
Now, I don’t necessarily agree with what this man is doing to jcp, but what he is doing proves how ridiculous the retail world has become. You people wouldn’t care if he blew a big hole in the middle of the store as long as you had your precious coupons. Guess what? Macy’s and Target have coupons because they jack up their prices so much that the “deal” you think you are getting is actually making them a nice big profit. Probably the one strategy jcp is doing that I agree with is their new pricing. They lowered their prices in the store last year to the price that they would have been WITH the stupid coupons they used to do, and still give you credit card holders your reward coupons on top of that.
I guess if you like being made a fool of with coupons and “sales” go ahead and shop at the stores that see you as just a dollar sign. It’s funny…..Macy’s and Target and all of the other stores you aren’t boycotting don’t care at all that they are ripping you off just to make a pretty penny, while JCP is obviously taking a lot of heat…and a lot of loss…… and they still want to make you whiny shoppers happy the most fair way possible.
It’ll be a cold day in he!! before I go back after all the money wasted when they decreased the quality of their merchandise.
I like the changes! I really like the comparison shopping information. I have found that the quality of some of the comparison items is as good or better than the pricier stores. I have been in JCP more in the past three months than I ever have before.
I think the direction that they are headed is where it needs to go.