[Sir Napsalot]

(more excerpt) "At best you could say that Johnson, who used to work for Target, has succeeded in making the stores a bit more like Target. He’s brought in Target-style special collections like the Cosabella Amore line of lingerie (oddly placed on the floor with children’s clothes rather than near apparel for grown women) and launched advertisements that seem geared to a cooler, younger, more urban audience than JCPenney’s traditional client base of somewhat square, lower-middle-class moms.

But to what end? There’s already a Target and an H&M in the same mall for those seeking a slightly hipper experience. ...."

This is not to BASH JCPenny, maybe it is the norm nowadays for retail in general. Even Barnes and Noble is in trouble, they can't compete with Amazon. But I think there should be a lesson somewhere in there, regarding JC Penny.

[riri]

I can count the number of things I have ever bought at JCP on both hands and have some fingers left over.

[Perdogg]

Retailers I feel that are trouble:

1. Best Buy
2. JC Penny
3. Lord and Taylor
4. Sears
5. B&N

[dforest]

The best way to sell clothing is the Kohls model. Those sales and perks draw the customers in.

[concerned about politics]

This is not to BASH JCPenny, maybe it is the norm nowadays for retail in general.

JC Penny used to be a family oriented store. Parents would go there to buy their children school clothes, and the home department was great. But JC Penny decided to join the homosexual activists and started a pro-homosexual ad campaign. Parents were disgusted, and stopped doing business with the chain.
Since then, JC Penny hasn't been able to repair the damage. They've become, if you will, an abomination in the eyes of American families.

No one shops at Pennys anymore. I wouldn't shop there.

[OpusatFR]

Penny’s violated the first principle in business:

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS

[Steely Tom]

Earlier. 80+ comments.

[ctdonath2]

“JCPenney made a big splash in the retail world by hiring Ron Johnson, mastermind of Apple’s retail operations, as CEO.”

He was pushed out of Apple for a reason.

Yes, pushed. Hard & abrupt.

[Joe 6-pack]

"...and imported Apple concepts, most notably a “no discounting” policy geared around convincing customers that the everyday price is a great price."

That model may work well for Apple who has a cult following, and whose devotees are willing to stand in line for days before a new product release, and would happily pay well in excess of the "everyday price," to have the latest.

For a clothing retailer, not so much.

[Joe 6-pack]

"...and imported Apple concepts, most notably a “no discounting” policy geared around convincing customers that the everyday price is a great price."

That model may work well for Apple who has a cult following, and whose devotees are willing to stand in line for days before a new product release, and would happily pay well in excess of the "everyday price," to have the latest.

For a clothing retailer, not so much.

[WashingtonSource]

Didn’t Matthew Yglesias trash Bob Woodward? Why would anyone read his drivel?

[CatherineofAragon]

I used to enjoy getting those $10 coupons from JCP. I would use them to buy a pair of pjs for a buck or so, something like that.

Recently I walked through Penneys for the first time in a long time. There was little inventory, not much selection, and few customers. Plus, for some strange reason, parts of the sales floor previously reserved for merchandise had been changed into bright white “salon” areas, with all-white tables and modern swivel chairs that reminded me of the furniture I used to have in my childhood Barbie house. LOL, really, JCP?

[fatnotlazy]

We used to have five Barnes & Noble stores in this area. Now there is only one. People use those tablets now or if they want an actual book, they buy it online or go to a discounter like Half Price Books.

Online sales are killing other retailers too. We have a Macys that once occupied 12 floors. Now it's down to 7. Departments were eliminated and the ones which remain are lumped together. Kmart looks more upscale.

I myself don't do much shopping in a brick and mortar store. I buy a lot online. Some of the reason is that I can't get around like I used to. And I guess I miss the customer service. At one time, every department had friendly, knowledgeable and helpful sales staff with cashiers to ring up the sales. Now with most retailers, you have to hunt all over the store for assistance. Good luck finding it. If I have to do it all myself, I'd rather save the trip and get on the computer. So many online retailers offer free shipping, it's cheaper to shop online than to spend the money on gas, bus fare and sometimes parking to go to an actual store.

[hinckley buzzard]

I stopped at a JCPenney just a couple weeks ago, to see what it as like, hadn't been in one in years, but a new one opened up nearby. The sense of disorganized chaos is real. The aisles were obstructed with a series of poorly positioned mannequins placed squarely in the middle of the road.

I picked up a couple things, and the checkout was done on some weird handheld instrument that barely worked, instead of a cash register. To use my credit card I had to try to sign my name with my finger(really) on the handheld in a screen the size of an old small cell phone. The traditional VeriSign terminal sat there unused. The prices were decent enough, but nothing special. Just no reason to ever go back.

[P.O.E.]

It’s a classic retail conundrum - do you try to move upscale or downscale?

Not many of the “in-the-middle” stores have survived. Sears and Woolworth’s were once in the DJIA as recently as the 1990’s. Now it’s Walmart.

[Twinkie]

I used to like Penney’s. I realize they’re trying to “update” and be PC; and if they depended on old fogies like me to keep them in business they’d be out of luck.

Last time I was in there, the racks and racks of cheap polyester imports overwhelmed me. Now, I mostly buy natural fiber clothes made in the US as much as I can. I buy an occasional leather handbag from Penneys. - Mostly, I mix and match, wear what I’ve got as long as it holds together and let the chips fall where they may. I’ve noticed local ads done by Ellen Degeneres haven’t been on here at least lately. I don’t begrude ED being in Penneys ads; but they need to recognize that not all, at least yet, of their customers are homosexuals.

[discostu]

The lesson is that every company in the world is no more than 5 bad decisions away from insolvency.

[Oatka]

“At best you could say that Johnson, who used to work for Target,”

These Target retreads are a loose cannon in the retail industry. A few years ago I hired on at Wal-Mart to earn some beer money. About that time they hired a bunch of these middle management Target ejecta, who immediately did away with the old blue vests that were paid for by W-M, replacing them with mandatory dress code of slacks and a T-shirts, paid for by the employees. W-M’s bottom line must have jumped at least 50 cents, while costing their employees some hard-earned dollars.

Just like liberal Californians moving to another state, these Target refugees try and implement their failed strategies in a new environment, again screwing things up in the process.

[Newbomb Turk]

I don't begrudge homosexuals and Ellen Degeneres their place in the the world. If your every fiber is wrapped up in your sexual orientation I think you have a sad existance.

J.C. Pennys management put themselves out of business and no change of leadership will help them now.

Just like Sears the high minded business school graduates don't have a clue who their real customer base was and their every move pushed more cash spending customers out the door.

J.C. Penny selection, advertisement methods, store decor and pricing put the final nails in their coffin

I used to buy Levis 501's from them but I can buy them cheaper online and J.C Pennys never had the size I wanted anyway forcing me to visit 3 or more locations.

[roamer_1]

All my years growing up, I wore JCP clothes, more than any other - As a contractor, for most of my career, JCP 'Big Mac' flannel shirts were a staple thing - Same for socks, work boots, jeans, coats... EVERYTHING.

But it's been many years since I bought there - Their working man stuff is crap.

Anyone out there that needs that sort of stuff, let me turn you on to Duluth Trading Company. Cost seems expensive the first go around, but you simply won't believe the difference in quality and engineering. The stuff just lasts and lasts (and lasts sommore).

[urtax$@work]

Johnson, who used to work for Target, has succeeded in making the stores a bit more like Target. He’s brought in Target-style special collection

I worked retail at Mont.Wards after being laid off for a couple of years back in the 80s. At that time, they dumped their old model of salesmen & services for the Target model.

MW no longer exists.