J.C. Penny's "fair & square" pricing...the results are in

[nunzia]

Because what many companies including disney and the airlines have found out that coupons condition people to expect unsustainable prices.

It's called the Walmart mentality.

For example Disney is also trying to wean it's consumers off of discounts (supposedly). You can see it in the quality. the quality in their product (food, mousekeeping) has nose dived. very few people feel the the quality of the food is what it was 5 years ago yet since visitors are so conditioned to pins, pin codes and free dining in order to make a profit (and yes, disney has shareholders that come before it's customers) they have to cut corners.

Retail stores are facing the same problem, in order to keep customers coming in, they have to deeply discount the merchandise, unfortunately you can't sustain a business like that. Ironically the stores who have made a profit growth during the recession are high end stores that normally have sales every once in a while. Not every other day.

You see it in the airline industry. We all want a flight from Philly to Orlando for $9.99 so in order to do that and still make a profit, airlines are herding more seats into the plan and "feeing" folks to death. Now some airlines are charging parents to have a guaranteed seat next to their kids.

I stopped shopping kohls not because of the pricing but because I find their merchandise to be sloppy, crappy and cheap. Rarely do I expect any thing I buy from there to last more than a few months at best. Alot of consumers are returning to the practice of paying more but having it last a lot longer.

I was never a huge JCpenny shopper so Ive no real feelings either way but I do wish disney would stop the free dining and offer better food. I'd gladly pay more for the ability to say "Wow, that was a great meal".

A coupon is great if I get value from the item. Having kohls cash and then having to return 5 shirts after 1 washing (and yes, I know how to correctly wash) because they shrink and the color fades, is a lousy discount.

Just my opinion.

I do also agree with this..I even wrote a letter to the CEO of Kohls after many experiences with their quality. I can only shop online so can't really see an item until after purchase. The amount of clothes that have buttons barely sewn on, poor seams, material that actually ripped when I bent my elbow and socks that wore out on the toe at first wearing had me reconsider my purchases there. However, I stil find their kids clothes pretty nice and a good deal at sale prices with 30% codes and free shipping. Everyobne always touts quality, but I don't see many of the pricier clothing brands to have much better quality than lower priced stuff for the most part. I put Penneys a touch above WalMart..their tshirts look mishapen even brand new.

 

[shortbun]

I get that you might prefer JCP's strategy if you aren't a sale shopper, but if you are, it just doesn't make sense to shop at JCP anymore. Yes, the Kohl's price was higher on those shorts, but I never shop at Kohl's without at least a 20% off coupon which would have made Kohl's a better deal for me.

I just think the whole idea is misguided - at this price point in this economy, more shoppers are going to be looking for deals in the form of coupons and sales. For the most part, the "not a sale shopper" crowd isn't choosing JCP in the first place.

What doesn't make sense is that smart people allow marketing campaigns to lead them to stores just because they THINK they are getting a good deal. Coupons, sales and promotions have to be paid for somehow...YOU do the math. Why would you allow these marketing things like coupons, sales fliers, conceptual promotions to guide your spending? To me, it's akin to saying,'I must be out of money because I'm out of checks.' Buy what you need, NOT what's a 'good deal'. Penny's is giving you their lowest price, everyday, all the time. Waiting for coupons to get the same price someplace else makes no sense. Personally, I didn't shop JCP before and my MIL actually worked there for years. I do shop there now because I don't have to face poorly merchandised aisle, crazy shoppers grabbing and throwing clothes while searching for 'the deal' or read every sign/tag/end cap to again, find the best deal. It's all there, straightforward and simple. Simple is good.

 

[jcemom]

For someone who previously shopped sales and using coupons, the current prices are NOT the lowest prices. I was surprised at how high their regular prices are now, compared to what I'm used to paying with a sale and coupon. However, I did not go in and buy a truckload of stuff that I didn't need. I went in because what I wanted/needed was on sale and I had a coupon.

 

[Lizzy2]

My mother and I worked in retail for many years, her specifically at JCP. According to her, items came in with the pink "clearance" tags from the warehouse and never hit the sales floor at full price. Believe me, coupons and big sales are part of the overall budget of these big box retailers. Yes, they make you "feel" like you are getting a deal but that is all that it is- a feeling. Even with markdowns and coupons, they sold it to you at the price they intended to sell the item(s) at.
I personally like the new pricing at JCP not because I feel like I am getting a better deal but because I don't get penalized if I can't find the coupon or miss the sale date. It cuts all that hassle out for me.

 

[shortbun]

I am not a fan of JCP's new pricing and don't shop ...
I also read on here (I'm pretty sure it was here) that the CEO said something to the effect of having to wean consumers off coupons. I happen to like coupons, and don't want to be weaned off them. They help me save money why would anyone want to be weaned from that

Actually, coupons help you spend money. They suggest to you that you 'need' something and it makes you 'want' it because of your mindset about shopping 'bargains.'

Pennys may return to the old way but I hope they don't. They have gotten rid of chaos for simplicity and I hate the chaos of shopping. Life is too short to spend several hours a month clipping, sorting and driving around town just to get 'the best deal' when there is one store that is giving you the best deal in an effortless way.

 

[Angie789]

What doesn't make sense is that smart people allow marketing campaigns to lead them to stores just because they THINK they are getting a good deal. Coupons, sales and promotions have to be paid for somehow...YOU do the math. Why would you allow these marketing things like coupons, sales fliers, conceptual promotions to guide your spending? To me, it's akin to saying,'I must be out of money because I'm out of checks.' Buy what you need, NOT what's a 'good deal'. Penny's is giving you their lowest price, everyday, all the time. Waiting for coupons to get the same price someplace else makes no sense.

AGAIN... JCP is not the lowest price on many, many items. There is another thread going on about Fiestaware right now - JCP's "lowest price" is actually the HIGHEST of the major retailers ($30 for a 4 piece table setting vs. $28.99 at Macy's, $25 at Dillard's and $23.97 at Bon Ton). Their "lowest price" on an 18 pack of Donut Shoppe k-cups is $12 - Walmart sells the same thing for $10.98. Their "lowest price" on Melissa & Doug wooden puzzles is $10 - Kohl's sells them for $8.79. And that is just for the items I've priced in the past couple of days..
If you prefer the new JCP because you don't want to mess with coupons or busy stores, that's fine. But don't fool yourself into thinking that just because they say their prices are the best you are getting a good deal. It's the exact same flawed assumption that the so-called 'bargain hunters' are being accused of... if they tell me it's a good deal, then it must be.

 

[wehavesix]

I like it. Just yesterday I bought my big & tall sized hubby shorts for $25 a pair and polo shirts for $15 each. DD got tanks for $6 each. None of these were so called sale prices. These were their regular prices. Everything is neatly displayed and no more guessing on the prices. I'm a believer.

 

[eliza61]

What doesn't make sense is that smart people allow marketing campaigns to lead them to stores just because they THINK they are getting a good deal. Coupons, sales and promotions have to be paid for somehow...YOU do the math. Why would you allow these marketing things like coupons, sales fliers, conceptual promotions to guide your spending? To me, it's akin to saying,'I must be out of money because I'm out of checks.' Buy what you need, NOT what's a 'good deal'. Penny's is giving you their lowest price, everyday, all the time. Waiting for coupons to get the same price someplace else makes no sense. Personally, I didn't shop JCP before and my MIL actually worked there for years. I do shop there now because I don't have to face poorly merchandised aisle, crazy shoppers grabbing and throwing clothes while searching for 'the deal' or read every sign/tag/end cap to again, find the best deal. It's all there, straightforward and simple. Simple is good.

Shortbun, I hate to tell you but pretty much "smart" people do it each and every day.
Seriously, why do you think companies spending billions with a b on their marketing?

Not only JCPenny's but just about every company on the planet. Why do you think Disney has those annoying prompts at the begininng of a phone call asking you really silly questions.

They study how people shop, they study what colors induce people to spend. Did you know light blue induces "calm" among women which helps them spend more? people research exactly what merchandise to put near the door, what smells women like, what days of the week we will spend more money on.

believe me, shopping is way more emotional as financial.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

I see so many cute clothes in their ad. Went in last week (after seeing such low prices). I think the quality is TERRIBLE. I bought myself 3 tshirts. Took them home and tried on. They were paper thin and not nice at all--- they are going back.

 

[thelionqueen]

AGAIN... JCP is not the lowest price on many, many items. There is another thread going on about Fiestaware right now - JCP's "lowest price" is actually the HIGHEST of the major retailers ($30 for a 4 piece table setting vs. $28.99 at Macy's, $25 at Dillard's and $23.97 at Bon Ton). Their "lowest price" on an 18 pack of Donut Shoppe k-cups is $12 - Walmart sells the same thing for $10.98. Their "lowest price" on Melissa & Doug wooden puzzles is $10 - Kohl's sells them for $8.79. And that is just for the items I've priced in the past couple of days..
If you prefer the new JCP because you don't want to mess with coupons or busy stores, that's fine. But don't fool yourself into thinking that just because they say their prices are the best you are getting a good deal. It's the exact same flawed assumption that the so-called 'bargain hunters' are being accused of... if they tell me it's a good deal, then it must be.

Well written and great research!

 

[Robinrs]

I like it. Just yesterday I bought my big & tall sized hubby shorts for $25 a pair and polo shirts for $15 each. DD got tanks for $6 each. None of these were so called sale prices. These were their regular prices. Everything is neatly displayed and no more guessing on the prices. I'm a believer.

Me, too! Those polo shirts were $39 before.

I love the new pricing!!

 

[jcemom]

I see so many cute clothes in their ad. Went in last week (after seeing such low prices). I think the quality is TERRIBLE. I bought myself 3 tshirts. Took them home and tried on. They were paper thin and not nice at all--- they are going back.

This is the problem I have had. One shirt shrunk so much it would now fit my 9 year old, and I followed the wash instructions on the tag. Another shirt, that I thought washed well (only very slight pilling) and I liked, now has a large hole in the side seam. I have only worn it a handful of times. A third shirt oddly enough stretched. I bought a medium, which looked great at the time. After I wore it, washed it, and wore it again, it now looks like an extra large.

 

[penn19]

My mother and I worked in retail for many years, her specifically at JCP. According to her, items came in with the pink "clearance" tags from the warehouse and never hit the sales floor at full price. Believe me, coupons and big sales are part of the overall budget of these big box retailers. Yes, they make you "feel" like you are getting a deal but that is all that it is- a feeling. Even with markdowns and coupons, they sold it to you at the price they intended to sell the item(s) at.
I personally like the new pricing at JCP not because I feel like I am getting a better deal but because I don't get penalized if I can't find the coupon or miss the sale date. It cuts all that hassle out for me.

How long ago did she work there? I worked there for almost 20 years and in a few different locations. We never did that. It came in at the price marked, and then after a certain amount of time either one of the sales associates marked it down, or in some of the bigger stores they had a person who ran around doing markdowns.
Penneys could not sustain giving the merchandise away for free. No business can.
I hope their new strategy works because if it doesn't a lot of people will be out of work. And I see that there are quite a few people who seem to be rooting for their demise, but wait until all those people lose jobs and how it affects neighborhoods and towns (especially in Texas).

 

[maxiesmom]

I hope their new strategy works because if it doesn't a lot of people will be out of work. And I see that there are quite a few people who seem to be rooting for their demise, but wait until all those people lose jobs and how it affects neighborhoods and towns (especially in Texas).

I'm not rooting for their demise, I'm hoping they come to their senses and stop the supposed low every day price scheme.

 

[sleepymomof4]

How long ago did she work there? I worked there for almost 20 years and in a few different locations. We never did that. It came in at the price marked, and then after a certain amount of time either one of the sales associates marked it down, or in some of the bigger stores they had a person who ran around doing markdowns.
Penneys could not sustain giving the merchandise away for free. No business can.
I hope their new strategy works because if it doesn't a lot of people will be out of work. And I see that there are quite a few people who seem to be rooting for their demise, but wait until all those people lose jobs and how it affects neighborhoods and towns (especially in Texas).

I also worked at JcPenney for many years, specifically in the warehouse and never did we just recieve items already with pink tickets. I worked in 2 different stores in 2 states very far away from each other.

 

[chigirl]

People ARE rooting for jcp's demise. People do not like change and most people have been cajoled into thinking that coupons, etc are the only way to shop...people were INSANE with the coupons at jcp. When people get something for free or low cost, they become entitled, which is what Republicans argue (correctly) happens to people on welfare...and I am a liberal Democrat. Customers at jcp became out of control, especially with the $10 off of $25 coupon. They's grab stacks of them off of counters and demand their purchases get rung up separately, even though the coupons said "one per person per visit". People began to equate cheating the system with good customer service...you MUST do this for me, or YOU are not providing good customer service/

People want to pay NOTHING for an item, yet in the same breath, complain that NOTHING is made in America. People are complaining at jcp about prices still, even though a St Johns Bay womens t-shirt is $7 and a White Stag shirt at Walmart is $9.99...and the jcp one has reinforced seams, etc...you can't have it both ways, people. Yes, everyone wants to save, but businesses still need to turn a profit to employ people, offer them benefits, etc...if you want American-made, shop at American Apparel stores, but be prepared to pay $25 for a t-shirt, not $7.

100k+ are employed by jcp. (and only 20% of those are lower-paid cashiers, btw) Over 25k more people are employed by businesses whose main customer is jcp. JCP has been around for 109 years. If collapsing a solid American business that contributes MILLIONS of dollars each year to charity and keeps Americans working and contributing to society means less to you than getting a thrill out of a 30% off coupon at another store, so be it. But then do NOT complain when this continues to happen to other businesses, like SuperValu branded grocery stores, who are being wiped clean by Walmart. I American's zeal to save a buck will turn us into "Wall-E", where there is one game in town, MegaLoMart...does anyone want Walmart to be the only place to get things? Kohls cannot keep up with constant discounting, Macys cannot, either....

plus, people complain about the greed of CEO's, but has anyone stopped to think that all of this corporate greed began right around the time pensions fell to 401ks and the average American had some game in the stock market? Once it started that everyone's future wealth depended on how stocks performed, everyone began demanding more and more profit from companies, and companies began to pinch and Boards began to award CEOs outrageous salaries for performance.

Also amazing that people blame both Obama and Bush for the housing market collapse, but nobody blames themselves. Yes, banks were wrong to lend money to people who could not pay it back, but those people were wrong to take on the loans. People, wanting to keep up with the Joneses, also used their homes like ATM's, just to get stuff to impress their neighbors. Every 25 year old getting married HAD to get a 4,000 square foot house, rather than working up from a starter house to one....greed. We are ALL guilty, and GREED, ignorance, and the inability to accept any view point except one's own is what is bringing down this country.

Now, off soapbox...sorry, I have PMS!

 

[maxiesmom]

People ARE rooting for jcp's demise. People do not like change and most people have been cajoled into thinking that coupons, etc are the only way to shop...people were INSANE with the coupons at jcp. When people get something for free or low cost, they become entitled, which is what Republicans argue (correctly) happens to people on welfare...and I am a liberal Democrat. Customers at jcp became out of control, especially with the $10 off of $25 coupon. They's grab stacks of them off of counters and demand their purchases get rung up separately, even though the coupons said "one per person per visit". People began to equate cheating the system with good customer service...you MUST do this for me, or YOU are not providing good customer service/

People do that coupon/separate order thing everywhere that gives out coupons, not just at JCP. But I do agree with you on the rest, customers think you need to give them whatever they want, darn the rules, or you are not treating them right.

As far as JCP goes, all I know is that I can't tell you the last time I purchased anything from them. And I have been in looking! The prices on what I am looking to buy are not as good as they used to be, and the selection seems to be poorer. I miss the days of Buy 1 get one for $1 tops.

 

[jcemom]

If I had a coupon for JCP, I used only one coupon. I did not use multiples, ask to ring up separately, etc. My issue with them now is that the things I have recently purchased seem to be of poorer quality than they used to be. I also don't feel as if I am paying any less than I used to. So, I am not saving any money but I am getting lower quality merchandise. To be fair, I have only purchased a few things. Maybe I was just unlucky. Whatever the reason, JCP has lost my business, or at least a lot of it. I bought two pairs of shorts and four tees this past week...at Sears. The shorts weren't any cheaper than they'd have been at JCP (levi's) but the tees were on sale and then had an additional percentage off the sale prices. I've only washed one so far, and it still looks like new.

 

[Pigeon]

I'm also not rooting for their demise, but I wonder if the CEO is.

I used to shop there a lot. The sales were a part of that, but so was the fact that they carried extended sizes. My dh is a skinny 6'4" and it was one of the few places that carried clothing for tall men who aren't heavy. They seem to be phasing that out in the stores. My kids also need extended sizes, as does an elderly relative I often shop for.

Personally, we don't want to buy clothing online. We want to try it on before we buy it.

I also used to love them for things like curtains and other window treatments. They offered a better selection of sizes for a good value if you have larger windows. That seems to be going away.

I hate, hate, hate stores that have separate "boutiques" for different brands. If I want to buy a blouse for work, I don't give a hoot about the brands, I want to look at all the dressy blouses in one spot, not hunt around 20 different boutiques. The new CEO blathers on about how "unique" this will be. Sorry, but has he never walked into Macys?

If there is nothing to distinguish them from other stores, and they take merchandising and sales approaches I don't like, there's no reason for me to go there.

 

[ORDisneyfans]

I have not bought a single item since the new pricing structure! I have looked there many times, but selection sucks, prices are higher and no sales! Yuck ! Most of our stores inventory will soon be on clearance! I still won't buy it if it doesn't meet my needs!

I looked for some dressier clothes fo rmy recent class reunion! Nothing! Lots of old lady clothes! Hubby needed some items for a wedding.. nothing caught our eye! I used to always buy my K cups, hair products and lots of clothes for myself, 2 DD's and many gifts! My hair stylist was also there so I was in a lot! She left to do her own thing! She is so much happier, makes more money and works less! Bonus no BS!

Sadly our JCPenney will not survive without sales, coupons or better inventory!