JC Penney to eliminate cash registers

[NotUrsula]

It would work a bit better than the grocery model if they use RFID tags. Grocers and hardware stores use a barcode in conjunction with a registered weight to try to keep down theft, and of course, it doesn't work all that well.

RFID tags alarm if they go through portals without being discharged, so you would have that to help keep loss down. However, a RFID tag small enough to put on a clothing tag has to be a touch-proximity tag; so there will have to be a station where you touch the tag to the station sensor to discharge it. Presumably the bags will be at the station as well. (Also, it isn't that difficult to buy a portable RFID cloner. A good thief could easily take one of those into a dressing room and desensitize a whole slew of tags.)

So, would it succeed? No. As an option it's great, but as the sole option it stinks.

 

[Nature Mom]

If JCP were a tv show, I would say with this move they have officially jumped the shark.

If I go to a department store, I am going for customer service as much as I am good quality at a good price. I stopped shopping JCP when they went to this one price system after seeing so many comparisons written up of how things went up in price there with the new pricing model, now this is another reason I won't be going back. RIP JCP, I remember you when you were still a good place to shop.

 

[AngieMouse86]

But really, there's no self checkout at Apple...

Actually Apple has an app which allows you to purchase accessories and such from inside a brick & mortar Apple store. You scan the item on your phone and pay for it through your phone.

 

[Southernmiss]

Will we have to be frisked on the way out? How are they going to deter shoplifters?

At our local Walmart, we had the self check outs, but they were removed because of too many five finger deals.

 

[veraletta]

I hate self-checkout

 

[Pigeon]

I still shop at JCP occasionally, much less than before they "improved" things.

I don't do self-checkout, period. The day the grocery store sends me a check is the day I'll give them free labor. And sometimes I do want to pay with cash.

I would stop shopping at JCP completely if it were self checkout only.

 

[Zhoen]

I stopped shopping JCP when they stopped having sales. Their "one low price all the time" came off too much as "we picked a price, deal with it!!"

When I was a newlywed, my MIL bought me all the towels for my guest bathroom as a Christmas gift our first Christmas. I have been buying those towels ever since... every apartment, every house... loved the color selections and the quality. Most recently, they were about $7 per towel regular, $4 on sale frequently, and $2.99 doorbuster on Black Friday. Now under their "fair prices", they offer towels for $4 all the time. They are not the same ones, they are poor quality, but this is their "fair price." I disagree and am looking for where I will buy our new towels as the last set I bought a few years back are starting to wear.

I loved the sales at Penneys, but I would never have paid their "full prices" in the past, and their "fair" prices now... not so much.

 

[bdcp]

I was just in our JC Penney this morning. They are doing some renovations, but the thing I found the funniest was what was written on several signs : "Companies coming" Huh? If they mean "Company is coming" then it should be Company's. I can't figure out what else they might have meant, but it's just a strange sign to begin with and was posted on the temporary walls put up around the work being done. I'd love to know who approved those signs.

LOL, even Google wants to change it to Company's when I search. I came up with nothing except stories about the "Company".

 

[budbeerlady]

I think my biggest issue with this is the loss of jobs. That will make me step away from JcPenny.

I am actually saving more the few times I stopped in to JcPenny than I used to with the new pricing thing. The store is a ghost town, really not sure how it can stay open selling $4 T-shirts in the kids section.

 

[livndisney]

A store getting rid of cash registers. Brilliant! Just about on track with some of the other "brilliant" ideas they have come up with lately.

Good bye Jc Penny!

 

[usnuzuloose]

This is one reason I never use the self check out. It will prompt business to cut jobs. I don't shop there anyway. But it is disturbing to know people will be out of jobs.

 

[bdcp]

I also never use self-checkout. Besides the fact, it can be a pain, what we pay for groceries also goes towards the salaries of those checking us out. If they want me to use the self-checkout, then give me a discount.

 

[arthuruscg]

Don't worry in a few years all of the malls will be closed. It is a PIA to get to the mall and don't forget about finding parking.

I prefer to buy everything online and not deal with the people. The only time I shop in a store is when the wife drags me along and when I need something faster then 2nd day.

 

[luvmy3]

I also never use self-checkout. Besides the fact, it can be a pain, what we pay for groceries also goes towards the salaries of those checking us out. If they want me to use the self-checkout, then give me a discount.

Our grocery store has the handheld scanners and they do give you coupons based on what you buy. You scan your item, put it in a bag and use the self checkout so you are essentially doing all the work, it is nice to get a little perk for it. Not saying it is for everyone, I happen to love it, even without the coupons.
I would not want to shop that way at a dept. store though.

 

[bdcp]

Don't worry in a few years all of the malls will be closed. It is a PIA to get to the mall and don't forget about finding parking.

I prefer to buy everything online and not deal with the people. The only time I shop in a store is when the wife drags me along and when I need something faster then 2nd day.

Parking is only an issue at the mall when it's close to the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas). I like going to the mall, but I don't like the way Penney's is going. I personally think they're on their last breath and this is another gimmick to extend their life.

 

[arthuruscg]

Parking and driving to the Annapolis mall is terrible year round. I guess I could drive out of my way to the Waldorf or Bowie mall and get shot in the parking lot.

 

[bdcp]

Parking and driving to the Annapolis mall is terrible year round. I guess I could drive out of my way to the Waldorf or Bowie mall and get shot in the parking lot.

I know Annapolis Mall well.

I still think JC Penney is making a big mistake. People argue with cashiers all the time now, how's that going to work with a machine?

The reason most people shop at large department stores is customer service. They're effectively eliminating that which means they will lose LOTS of shoppers.

 

[sk!mom]

I'm all for technology but I'm realistic enough to know that 60% of the people out there are not,I have an aunt who I've tried to convince to stop using checks at the grocery store.I see progress but she's clearly the type of person that if she walked into JC Penney and encountered this would probably put the merchandise back and never step foot in the store again.

Just curious, where did you get your percentages?

I have no problem with self-checkout. It seems fine at a store where you do not need much customer service. It doesn't seem like a very good plan for a clothing store, however.

JCP is struggling to stay profitable in a difficult economy. I actually liked Penney's clothing for myself because it seemed that they had good deals. I'm not a shopper though. I head to the mall for myself maybe twice a year when I actually need something. I would go to JCP every time I had one of their $10 of $10 coupons though. Since they quit sending them, I haven't been to the store.

To me the greater problem for Penneys is they do not sell merchandise that anyone I know really wants. They used to be seen as a place to get a good deal but the new pricing backfired and they aren't attracting customers. Their deals attracted customers...their merchandise does not.

My DD16 and all the teens I know would not ever go in Penneys. They do like to shop but do not see Penneys as an attractive store. I don't know any recreational shoppers who consider Penneys "THE" place to shop.

 

[Kathi OD]

Its been at least 20 years since I've carried enough cash to actually pay for anything. I'm lucky if I have $10 on me at any given time. I have never had a problem anywhere paying by debit or credit card or check.

Cash? What's that?
Funny thing, I worked in a bank for 8 years & still never had cash on me.

I use self-check out at Home Depot almost 90% of the time. And when I need the military discount applied, they still need to get involved to do it anyway. No other stores in our area that I visit have self-check out. No at a new grocery store & no at a new Walmart. I used to be a cashier, so ringing up my own stuff is no big deal.

You know, I also use my debit or credit card almost exclusively. I also was a cashier, although I don't necessarily think that's a pre-requisite for knowing how to use a self-checkout.

However, there have been times when I have been in a store and the computers go down. No credit cards or debit cards could be used, only cash or checks. What happens in the JCPenney stores when there is a similar problem, and it's system-wide?

Also, it's been my observation that many Penney's shoppers are an older demographic, many of whom may not be so comfortable using a debit or credit card for everything.

Just because it works (and think it will always work) for you, doesn't mean that what works for you, will work well for everyone else. That's where JCP is making their biggest mistake.

 

[DOOM1001]

Just curious, where did you get your percentages?.

Obviously my figure was a rough estimate but here's an article about how over 1/3 of the population does not use the Internet at all,how can you get by without it in today's world I have no idea.My point is that a bigger percentage of people out there than you would think still live in a give or take 70's-80's tech world.In fact truly tech savvy people are probably no more than 5% of the population.I say bring on technology but I'm also pretty certain you make things more complicated than they need to be you just might lose them.


Over a third of people in the United States do not access broadband at home, and nearly the same percentage "do not use the Internet anywhere," according to a new survey released by the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration. That's "not anywhere" as in not at home or work—no Facebook, no texting, no tweets, no e-mail, nothing. It's a six percent drop from two years ago, but still a big chunk of America.