How J.C. Penney Is Trying To Make A Comeback 

I used to think of the 70’s and 80’s as the good ol’ days. Now the good ol’ days are last February.

If you're going to make a comeback now, then start selling masks and toilet paper.

Here's the issue, out of touch old CEOs.

This should be called "How JCPenny is trying to make a penny.

I can almost hear my grandma saying “Let’s go get our family pictures taken at Penny’s” lol

Every CEO plan: redesign the stores and focus on customer experience. Lol

The JCPenney here is full of clearance merchandise. Almost half the store is literally clearance. The sad thing is that even with the discounts, nobody wants to buy the merch because it's outdated styles and just not very good quality.

There are several issues - Locations - most are in lower end malls with miniscule foot traffic. Interior: Store spaces are cluttered with too much merchandise in older buildings lacking proper maintenance, lighting, decor, and overall atmosphere. Product: Most products sold are poor quality with high markup. There needs to be focused on quality products, but also proper marketing to give customers the feeling they have scored a great deal.

3 months later: How JC Penney went bankrupt

They won't come back, especially not this year.

Of course the CEO from Apple didn't know about coupons. Have you ever seen an apple product discounted? They don't even discount them for schools.

The last I went in the JCP here it looked like the Sears store just before it croaked. I used to think that JCP was a little better than Sears.

Not gonna lie, I thought this place was already closed. This is news to me that it is still open.

i've been working at jcp since september of 2019. i love my job, almost no complaints about it. my coworkers are amazing, and the feeling of being able to help someone out... you just can't beat it. i was furloughed last month. i hope i have the chance to go back :(

Since the stores are closed now. They should offer free shipping period, until stores are opened again.

I'm 71 years old- when I was a kid J.C.PENNEYS was a blue collar store- but somewhere they got greedy and TRIED to cater to the upper class ( which is almost gone now) but couldn't compete with Macys , Kohls etc. I've said it before -you become greedy you can become needy I won't miss them .

Imagine getting paid tens of millions of dollars to help run a company into the ground. Hell, I would do it for $100,000, maybe less, if they offered.

After being trapped in their homes for a month or two, maybe people will appreciate in-person shopping again. The trouble with shopping for clothes on-line is that you can't try them on. So unless you're buying another of something you already bought, you need to be in a physical store. Ultimately, the clothing market is dominated by fit, style and price. And people don't want to go in dumpy stores. If JC Penny can hire the right designers, get the price right and keep their stores clean, it won't matter what Wal-Mart does. Stores win when they stop trying to compete in areas they have no leverage. If people can just as easily get a piece of clothing somewhere else, then don't waste your shelf space with it. There's a huge market for sharp looking business casual wear. And people looking for that style aren't going to Wal-Mart.

Ron Johnson the CEO from 2011- 2013 is single handedly the man who causes JCPenney’s demise.

JCP strayed too far from James Cash Penney's original idea.

Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart and Costco are the only options for our Future,

It's over for JC Penney and many other retailers.

Coronavirus:*exist* World economy: i'm in danger

I’m a millennial and miss JCP. Great deals and variety, was my one stop shop.

In conclusion: R.I.P. JC Penney ... they’ll never come back after COVID-19.

I worked at JCP for a couple months, I can tell you right now they aren't coming back lol

Sad to see JCPENNEY struggling. If I can offer one advice from my years of going there, it was the sale/ promotions. I would usually go price shopping at Macy's, Sears, Nordstrom and deciding on JCPENNEY because of the better deal. Store appearance and service was second to my saving. Brands at competitive prices. It's a basic concept.

To hell with walmart clothing. I'd gladly spend a few bucks more plus drive 30 minutes more to shop at penney's. The clothes hold up, more variety, more fashionable and stylish. With walmart it all "falls-a-part"

JCPenney's is still packed in Houston. That being said, though the products are of good quality, their merch is entiiiiiirely too expensive. Why are Arizona jeans $70? Why is a slip dress over $100? You're not a boutique. You're a chain shopping mall.

JCP never recovered from RonJohnson's misadventures...

You can always tell how good a business is doing by the amount of CEOs in a decade. The more, the worse. It's not looking good for J.C. Penny....

I will never understand why anyone would choose Walmart over.....any other store.

They need to focus on cheap closeouts like TJ Max and Marshals for Back to School!

Love these rise and fall videos!

Man I used to love shopping at JC Penney. Still, to this day, if a mall (do they still have those?) has a Penney’s I park outside it, no matter where I’m going in the mall, so I don’t forget where I parked!

Today I learned JC Penny's was named after a person, who's middle name was "Cash" all these years since childhood thought it was named that way, because it was a discount store.

The store in my town is always busy. Every register has a line.

when you're a company that's located in malls, that sells walmart quality clothing, but at the same price as old navy and the gap, i wonder why they're in financial trouble

JCPanny shoes 50$= Walmart 25$ same quality less $$

I pray that the company makes a come back 🙏🏾 so that people won't lose their jobs

I need to try on clothes to buy them. Penney's is my favorite store since Emporium closed. Can't stand Sears...are they even open now? I really don't want to give Bezos any business if I can buy local.

This is so sad. I used to shop at this store since the 80's. Up until 2014, I began shopping using their website as I was already familiar with their brands and knew what I liked best. After 2016, I felt that everytime I went into the stores there had been a huge change, finding clothes was not as easy and I could never find anything I wanted ... I hope they are able to stay in business, even if they need to rely on online shoppers.

I work(ed) for JCP salon and i was furloughed starting April 2. we never got any type of relief pay, and after being off of work for 2 weeks, a tornado in Jonesboro destroyed our shopping mall and gave significant damage to our local JCPenney store. still no relief pay and will now be off work longer than expected. Rip

I gotta admit.. James Cash Penney is a dope ass name.

God I feel old. While perhaps not jc penny catalog, I remember my very young years ordering from a catalog, adding tax, s & H, and using a calculator. Mom would write a check. Man so long ago, most would never experience that.

My first job was with JCP back in 2012, straight out of HS. They just got a new CEO and the changes were MASSIVE and IMMEDIATE. Instead of having coupons, they just marked everything down. That cute $25 shirt was now $12.50. With my 25% discount, I paid $10. I LOVED this job during that time. But... JCP lost customers because they weren't getting their coupons anymore. The new CEO was replaced with the previous CEO and pricing went back to "normal" almost overnight. Seriously, we had stockers change the price of most items OVERNIGHT. That same shirt is now $20 with an employee discount, DOUBLE what I paid for. Yet, we increased in customers due to temporary sales. Gotta love coupons... After that, I realized JCP is a mess and I found another job. I never purchased anything from them again.

Whoa Mervyns? Theres a name i haven’t heard in a million years!

I still love the aromas while walking through a department store.

I still love JCPenneys

I was born in 1993. I still do almost all of my shopping outside of electronics in brick and mortar stores. I just like going out. Growing up I always hated when my mom took to me to JC Penny's, Kohls, Dillards, etc. Anything that looked like it. They were just so boring and stuffy. To this day I still won't go there.

JCPenney: "We're still here." Coronavirus: *_Economic turmoil._*

I've worked for all those companies mentioned; Sears/Kmart, J.C.Penny and Walmart. Walmart had a huge law suit either while I worked there or just after where they discovered shadey practices such as falsifying time clock records. Had a co-worker there that while she was pregnant had to get up on a ladder to pull down a T.V. if I remember correctly. There was one time when the whole truck crew seemingly quit. Sears/Kmart was a train wreck. A few good co-workers, but highly stressful and city throat environment. Got me so bad, I felt a rage deep down in my soul that unleashed itself on kicking boxes in the warehouse a few times. One manager was so infuriating, that I took to wearing rubber bands on my wrist to self flagellate in hopes that I wouldn't lose my cool on the floor for all to see. Had to multitask way too many jobs at once all the time, got behind on projects I was specifically supposed to work on because of it. My supervisors got yelled at from corporate and then took it out on us. One of the biggest problems of corporate is that it feels like these people have no experience on the floor what so ever. They're just born into the wealth and trying to run things they really don't understand. Now I may be wrong because of course I don't know any of them personally, highest I've climbed the ladder was as a key carrier which unofficially felt like one rung below assistant manager. It's not fun to be in charge even at that level, do your best and ya still get haters, the worse of which may be those above you who feel threatened somehow. Got fired a week after having paid vacation for finally boiling over and cursing out my misogynistic assistant manager over the phone from the service desk. J.C. Penny isn't all bad, but it's a far cry from the wholesome company it's founder dreamed of. I feel like the credit card companies have definitely ruined it. They don't use yellow safety box cutters, that's something that is non-negotiable, because I'm pretty damn sure it's the law. It needs a good balance of in person customer service and technology because that's just the way. It's probably time for the vampire to be staked. Just let me get my stuff out my locker first.

anyone else remember Emporium? Service Merchandise? We don't even have Micro Center anymore and Fry's is dead.

JCPenny is expensive tbh. My mom signed up for a JCPenny gift card years ago and they charged her a lot that she has some outstanding bills that she’s unable to pay off.

I’ve had a JC Penny near me for over 20 years. Still they’ve seen less than $100 of my dollars in those 20 years. JC Penny struggles to rebrand, it also struggles to choose the correct brands. Sephora is probably its best attempt but it’s too little too late.

The CEO really killed it by making a big change without testing. If you have a bright idea, test it out small. Just one location and demographic. Fail faster is the motto of Millennial business developers that simply know what they're doing.

When JC Penneys dies, so will a part of my personal history'' Very Sad

I truly loved JCPenney as a child and young adult. For me, the problem I have is that the store near me is well quite frankly very messy and old. Items tossed all over the place, display shelves that have been chipped, broken and dirty torn carpet etc. It breaks my heart. I would love to see a turn around and see at least one success in the decline of this type of stores..

It was my favorite store when I used to work next to the mall. I used jcpenney as a shortcut to get to my job for 9 years of my life. When they closed that store I was more sad than when I quit my job lol. I'm a nurse now so if they start selling scrubs they'd definitely get my money 😅

The problem with these department stores in America are they are failing to adapt to your customer! If you noticed in European department stores such as Selfridges and Harrods are approaching a different method for shoppers with providing more high end and low end designers with captivating pop up shop design. This is why art and design are important because no one wants to shop in a boring setup with bad customer service!

Isn't this just another example of poor management of long running companies?

How to succeed in business. Know your customer. Know what they want. Listen to your staff. Set yourself apart. Don’t compete with your competition. It’s that simple.

Our house got all three catalogs: Sears, Montgomery Ward and JC Penny.

Nice, good to have a CEO from Jo-Ann Fabric to rebuild the JC Penny Brand. Lol

JC Penney is dead already!

I quit working there last year. Was an assistant manager in merchandising.... boy oh boy does this company have major flaws. In my time of working there, I have seen the decrease of what they sell... rather that be brands they are discontinuing, appliances they don’t sell anymore and the services they don’t do anymore... and truthfully I think they are stuck in their old ways of catering just to older generations.... don’t get me wrong, when Black Friday hits and Christmas hits the stores are PACKED and you can see they still have a lot of business but as a 23 year old women, I am not as willing to shop there because it doesn’t appeal to me and isn’t created to appeal to me. Btw I’m not saying the older generation should get cut out completely. There is LOYAL ass customers who have been there since they were younger themselves and love that store... but they need to be in touch with the new times too and start trying to appeal to newer generations so they can keep that loyalty throughout each generation. I mean sure they have stuff for preteens and mid teens like the Arizona brand that does pretty decent.... but people who are young adults all the way up to their 30s.. idk. The clothes they have doesn’t fit us well. It’s like they jump straight from young teens in their fashion to older generations with their fashion tastes. Not much left for the in between and if there is it’s a rare find. Just my opinion. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m still willing to shop there but not for myself. I will buy my baby clothes from there though because I know how to get good coupons and how to wait for the right timing to get the best deals. Thankfully that’s the one thing good out of being in merchandising management while being there. Edit: I’ve also worked at 3 different stores, all different sized ... and also have worked in 2 different states within that company. It’s legit the same in every store no matter what... so no it wasn’t just me gathering my thoughts from one store. I have seen the company in many different lights at this point and it’s just not cutting it for me.

you can tell this was recorded at home lol

The idea that JC Penny is still stable over Sears, K-Mart or even Mervyn’s from those collapses after five years is stunning. Underpaid employees with overpriced materials without the capacity to reboot its business in online services or grocer-outlet stores after Walmart and Target on their endurances.

Can’t remember the last time I went into JC penny

To be honest, I feel like JCPenney is doing all right in terms of customer service! Many have Instyle Salons, and Photography centers as well as Sephora’s in there!!! I am part of those many people that still love the experience stores like Sears, Kohl’s, and Carson’s gave! And no, I’m not a boomer, not a millennial, I’m a zoomer with a love for the experience of shopping in actual physical stores!

Maybe make leveraged buyouts illegal. Maybe the CEO would decide to invest in their company instead of stock buybacks.

I worked at JCPENNEY until the Covid furlough, right before that they got rid of all of their human resources positions in the stores

They're 100% gonna fail. And nothing of value was lost.

The problem with Penney's is that it does not sell aspirational merchandise. People want to look high-end and, at the same time, they want to feel like they are getting a bargain. That is why stores like Zara and H&M and Uniqlo are so successful - they take inspiration directly from the runways and sell them cheaply. Or, in the case of Uniqlo, they can charge slightly higher prices, but they also make sure to highlight the fact that the garments are made of high quality fabrics. By shopping at JCP today, you are basically getting what you pay for and the looks are Basic (with a capital B) and nobody wants to be basic anymore.

JCPenny will disappear as a giant retailers store like Kmart and Sear.Amazon,Walmart and Target will be the only one going to survive as giant retailers stores.

The closing of Montgomery Ward was the beginning of the fall for these stores. 2007 was the peak for these stores when Sears stock sold for $120 per share.

It seems like they've been trying to "make a come back" for years now. Its honestly hard to see especially now...

I have high hopes for JCPenny! My girlfriend got me flannel shirts there for Christmas recently, and they’re so soft and warm!

Need to focus on new GOOD QUALITY fashion trends and home goods with an onus on quick delivery....”if you build it they will come”

I was wondering why last year they literally always had coupons to spend less, and receive more. Coupons like $10 off $20 purchase, while the clothes were already discounted. I literally bought $65 worth of work clothes for $20 one time.

If they had better products, I would buy from them more.

I live in New Jersey and the store on the Black Horse Pike is where my parents always shopped for school clothes and christmas. It was a wonderful store. They closed and got rid of the shopping center as a hole and now houses a Walmart. It was THE best store to shop in.

I’m here because I just quit JCP not too long ago 😂😂

Forgot to mention their non official employee policy of forcing all employees to push customers to apply for the crappy JCP credit card. Employees are stressed trying to make credit card sales, and customers hate the constant harrassment. Yet another reason we avoid going into the store.

They have a GREAT array of fragrances and cosmetics, but the clothing is so expensive.

I am rooting for JCP. Its always been a great store.

As a foreigner. I love Jc Pennys .☹I really hope they make a comeback

I feel like the real reason what happening is that people don’t go shop anymore. Most people just shop online and call it a day.

These CEO’s lurch from one flailing company to another draining them of resources. Yet they keep getting hired. 🤷‍♀️

When I was growing up in the 90s, my mom would hand me the catalog and I'd pick out a handful of outfits. She'd call and order, and then I would wear those 10 or so pieces repeatedly for the entire school year. Now, I'm lucky to get two months worth of wear out of an item before it looks bad. Similarly, my mom has had the same set of JC Penney bath towels my whole life. When I moved out, I bought a set and they don't dry well and look worn out already.That's what is wrong with JC Penney: they sacrificed quality in order to keep prices low.

Their history of CEO's is a parade of failures.

"Young bra getting fans like A/C And girls I keep a bunch like Brady And collect every Penny like J.C." *Sage The Gemini*

Everybody's at H&M......A lot of JCPenneys clothing is way out of touch. They need to get with vendors that are fresh and hip if they want a comeback. Nobody's wearing St. Johns bay and Arizona amymore......

JC Penny can forget it, a come back just not happening. Nowadays ppl like online shopping better, it’s more convenient. The days of fighting through traffic, trying to find things in a crowded mall ( stores) are just over

When I was a child in the 1960's JCPennys was one of very few stores that was air conditioned. When you walked in the smell of real leather from their American made shoes was the first thing to hit your senses. How everything's from CHY-NA. GOOD BYE!

The reason why I’ve stopped shopping at JCPenney is simply because of the prices, they’ve gotten ridiculously higher for the product. And when there is customers the lines are too long which makes people frustrated and want to leave.

JCP is on LIFE support 🔥

Walmart clothes are crap. I find nice things at penneys for same or less than walmart. Most perceive Penneys as expensive. The company needs to change this image.

It's a shame - they're starting to offer some nice clothes to wear to work.

That catalog was a powerful thing! You put the store in a consumer’s hands. It’s like their timing and promotion was just totally off when it came to online or an iPhone app store. My parents still have a J.C. Penny microwave. Use to get my haircut there when I was a child.