Community Chat

[chiclet]

Of all the stores that could close J C Penney makes me the saddest.  I can remember as a child going there with my mother and we were poor but that store was like magic to me.  Even through the years I have never tired of shopping there.  When I get that 10.00 coupon I cannot wait to go use it. 

[ID2]

I was an avid Penneys shopper when I was newly married some 35+ years ago, I loved shopping with them. But I haven't stepped foot into a store in about 20 years. They never kept up with the times. All other departments stores were in competition with each other but Penneys just kept doing the same boring, out-of-date stuff. Well now the proof is in the pudding. 

[happycat]

We have had a local JCPenney for years. There was a time when I bought the majority of my handbags there. Leather, stylish (or anyway I thought they were) just nice bags. Now, they ones in my small JCPenney store mainly feel like plastic, or are woven. Fine, but not what I"m looking for.

Also, I use to get the majority of my linens there. The one close to me did a remodel and now, what linens they have are very, very limited.

And shoes....cheap, cheap, cheap.

I went to buy my neice clothing there a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't believe all the disney toys. Another customer commented to the salesperson that she t didn't want disney toys, she was looking for clothes for her child.

Its sad, but in my location, its just not what it use to be at all. I won't be surprised if it is one of the ones to close.

[just bee]

The mall near our home in Albuquerque opened in 1996 -- a year after we moved here.  Now it's being described as a ghost town.  We lost Mervyn's, Foley's, Montgomery Ward and now Macy's.

I wonder if JCP is next.

I haven't shopped at the mall in years so I just checked their website to see what's left there.  I noticed that Wednesday is "Shop With Your Pet Day."

I actually have this Wednesday off.  I wonder if I can talk Better-half and the dog into going there to see it before it all disappears.

[azgal]

I went to Penny's a couple of times in the past few weeks. The first experience, I was waiting in a long line to check out.( This particular store is a stand alone home store across the street from the mall store.) A gentleman comes up the the cashier and asked if he can get help with sheets. She said she was the only one there and would get to him when she can. I bet that never happened.

Friday I went to another Penny's and went upstairs to the home department. I hear this man yelling hello, hello. I thought is he talking to me? He found me and asked if anyone was working. Finally we found someone to help him. He said he was trying to find somone for awhile.

I think if we make an effort to go to a B&M store, they should have more than 1 cashier to help. 

[gidgetgh]

I rarely shop there, but stopped in the day after Thanksgiving to buy a basic blanket for our bed that I'd seen advertised in the paper on Thanksgiving. 

Found the blanket and walked.....and walked...to find somewhere, anywhere, to pay for it. What I found was one check out location for the entire floor, with a line snaked down the floor with people lined up like they were buying Springsteen tickets or something. Went to the first level, carrying the blanket. Same thing. 

I put the blanket down and left. Never again. 

I walked down to Macys and found a great Martha Stewart blanket on sale for $15. Checkout was right there in the linens department. I think there were only three people in line ahead of me and 4 associates checking people out. Paid and was done. 

Penney's has lost their way. 

[Othereeeen]

Remember when Sears and Penneys used to send the big catalogs?

Check out what they're going for on E-bay. I wish I'd saved the ones I tossed!!!!

(Just kidding!) I guess people want to remember thier youth.....

Today it's malls. Soon-it'll be home shopping channels.....

We'll all be on other types of sites writing "remember QCV? HSN? Evine? ShopNBC?

seems like only yesterday......."

We'll only have to "think" about what we want and voila it's delivered by drone the next day!

[Spurt]

The CEO's that they are hiring know nothing about the retail industry.....Sears was destroyed by a real estate mogul who is more interested in the location of the stores for future ventures rather than saving the company (and to partner up with another company going under, K-Mart, didn't even make sense-but he did it anyway).....  The CEO that destroyed JCP and took it to it's downhill path was a former Apple CEO.....they got rid of him, but it looks like it's too little too late with more stores closing....It seems the discount chains are the ones thriving (TJ Maxx/Home Goods/Marshalls)...

http://www.investors.com/news/tjx-reports-fourth-quarter-earnings/

[Spurt]

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@Pandalady wrote:

Another of my favorite places is closing after 85 years....Family Christian stores which used to be Zondervan's.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2017/02/23/retail-chain-family-christian-plans-after-85...

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@Pandalady

That is sad, for some reasons their stores in our city started getting very messy and disorganized ........  Lifeway doesnt carry as much of a variety in books and merchandise...

[Spurt]

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@nomless wrote:

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@chlema wrote:

JCP was one of my favorite stores.  I could always find what I wanted and their curtain selection was great, as were the towels and sheets.  I could always find decently priced clothing there also.  Not so today, last time I went there I found very little merchandise and what I found was not up to their previous quality.  They had only a few sales people on the floor and just two check out areas on the first floor, one on bottom floor.  I noticed a change some years ago when a new CEO took over and decided to make some changes, obviously not for the better.  Sad.

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 My two JCPS went way downhill for awhile (after a new CEO took over), but shortly after another CEO took the helm (one they had before, IIRC) they revamped the stores. They're very nice now, with lots of new great products, the return of old favorites (St. Johns Bay, for example), new lighting, many clerks to help. A great change from the time when there were not many products, lots of empty space in the stores, and not many clerks.It sounds like maybe they didn't redo all the stores. Maybe those are the ones that will close. Maybe it wasn'the cost effective to redo all the stores? Just speculation on my part. 

I prefer to shop B&M so I can see, touch and compare products before purchasing. I hope B&Ms figure out a way to survive.

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@nomless

I know the JCP thats in a shopping center doesnt have near the merchandise in the different departments....but I do love their bed/bath and curtains/drapes......hardly any kitchen merchandise.....and Sephora moved inside the store.....They still have some decent clothes....and nice jewelry......

A relative who worked in the retail business as store manager and later a district manager and then buyer said, JCP was making a big mistake when it moved it's home goods/furniture to separate stores and not even in the same mall or shopping center..and all that extra rent for a separate store.......then they did away with the furniture and moved homegoods back......bad decisions......And JCP moved in to what we like to call "The Gucci Mall" all high end store, Saks, Niemans, boutique type stores....JCP doesn't really fit in with that retail mix....and I bet the rent is high for that mall too....seems just bad mistakes after bad mistakes.....