Haven’t been to JCP in years....cut up the card long ago, however last month I wanted to get a pair of walking shoes and on-line saw that JC Penney had the particular style New Balance shoes I wanted. So, I drove to the local mall and parked right by the front door (should have been a clue there) and went into the shoe department to purchase a pair. I saw the exact shoes I was looking for and tried them on, however they were too tight so I looked for a half size larger or wider. After several minutes of fumbling through the boxes, I asked an older man wearing a JCP name tag standing around in the area if he could help me find the size I was looking for. He said, “We are out of that size!” and I asked when they would be getting in another pair and he said, “I don’t know.”
Without offering to order me a pair, calling another store to see if they had them in stock or suggesting I buy them on-line, I thanked him and wandered around the mall until I found the shoes I was seeking. After my purchase, I walked back through a near-empty Penney’s to get to my car and glanced over and saw the associate (he was no Al Bundy) still standing around the shoe department and I thought to myself, it’s amazing that this store is even still open.
I had almost exactly the same experience. The only difference is I pushed to see if they would please order a pair of shoes in my size. The clerk replied that they would only order the shoes if I paid for them in advance and asked for my credit card. —My response to that request was “frosty”.