JC Penney to eliminate cash registers

[luvmy3]

I don't think this guy has a clue. I use self check-out all the time at my grocery store and BJ's. I can use coupons at each, and I can pay with cash too.
I also don't like his attitude towards consumers in general, that somehow we need to change the way we have been shopping before he came along.
I've been to JCP a few times since the pricing change, and after this I definitely won't shop there. I don't want my clothes shopping to feel like the same experience my grocery shopping does.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

So they want to stop paying cashiers, and effectively eliminate customer service? That will be the end of JC Penney for me. I want to support them, because I admire their embrace of non traditional families, but I'm not trading customer service for it.

Yep, there goes a bunch of jobs too. No thanks! I don't shop there much in the first place so I won't be missed.

From reading the linked article, I got the idea that not only were they going to a total self-checkout model, but that there would be no cash sales.



I think that's even crazier than only providing self-checkouts.

I agree, especially in light of the new fees that they will start passing on to us soon. I was thinking that more people will be going back to using cash.

I really love self checkouts, but I have a feeling theft will be out of this world.

That is the first thing that I thought too. Well, I guess the only thing left to say about this is good luck JCPenney!

 

[AngieMouse86]

I don't do much shopping at JCP but this is just not sitting well with me.

Self-checkout is fine and all but I enjoy dealing with cashiers, wouldn't want any place to be ALL self-checkout. :/ Not to mention that's a lot of jobs lost.

And they just recently did this whole new pricing thing and now the Month Long Values are gone? I actually found that very straightforward and have gotten DBF a couple things on those sales.

JCP definitely won't be seeing my business anymore. I haven't found anything for myself there in years but it was good for some kids basics and we always found good deals on things for DBF. No more. :/

 

[POOHsie]

Our JCP has pretty much eliminated check-out stations around the store, except beauty dept. There is a bank of cashiers up front -- not self-check-out. It works fine.

I am disabled, and I gave up on self-check-out at the grocery store. Hard to reach buttons. Hard to maneuver well enough to move my stuff along. Would self-check-out involve self-bagging, also?

 

[Buzzsgramma]

I live close to a major mall in the southwest burbs of Chicago...I was a serious JCP shopper...mostly clearance,,but i did use coupons at times....
I rather quickly gave up on the store after the first of the yr..when i noticed a big change happening...
I dont even go in the store anymore and when
i did it was pretty empty...now i read self ck out...I dont do that......i dislike it and i am not totally against the tech world...
Sure hope things turn around for mr johnson and jcp...because at present its going to the dogs...
just because things work in an APPLE store doesnt mean they will in a retail clothing store...
I get how APPLE works i have a relative who works for them...their customer service in unique...

 

[beaucoup]

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.

 

[DOOM1001]

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.

 

[DOOM1001]

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're obviously in the 40% who might not have problems with this plan,that still leaves hundreds of thousands who will not like this plan.This guy coming from Apple is totally off,most of the Apple customers probably would be fine with his plan.JcPenney customers are NOT Apple customers.Myself,I would be fine with it,I use cash and I use debit cards,and I like always having cash on me.

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

Majority of my department store purchases are done at Back to School and Christmas. I have cash envelopes for each event so that I keep to a budget, and I am not going to make one of my month's short with the extra purchases.

I am not willing to use my debit card for these purchases. I don't have a credit card.

So, apparently, Penney's no longer wants my business.

Oh well, I'm sure Kohls will welcome me with open arms!


I'm so sorry for the people who work at Penney's right now. They will need to polish their resumes ASAP because they will be out of a job, one way or another.

 

[Brancaneve]

A few years ago, one credit card was stolen out of my wallet and hundreds of dollars were charged in a few hours. They shopped at places that used self checkout: Walmart and Home Depot!

 

[sissy_ib]

No way this will work in JC Penny. Simply because so many items are priced WRONG! I have gotten a few things in there latley where the tag said something like $8 and the system rang it up as full price. The attendant can automatically over ride the system. What I am supposed to do at self checkout, wait for the one person who is over seeing 8 registers? This will be a nightmare.

 

[bumbershoot]

...most of the Apple customers probably would be fine with his plan.JcPenney customers are NOT Apple customers.

Hmm. I was at the Apple store twice in the last few months, and everyone in there was wearing clothes. You're saying that b/c you like Apple computers you don't shop for your clothes at JCP? Honestly, to afford the Apple many of us *have to* buy our clothes at discounted places like JCP!

But really, there's no self checkout at Apple, so this is coming from somewhere else in his brain. Getting my refurb macbook, and then having something silly on it fixed a couple months later, has been THE most employee-intense shopping experience I've had in quite awhile! I think I dealt with 7 separate people with those two trips to the Apple store...

 

[minnierocks]

Seriously...RIP JC Penney...this is the beginning of the end and it makes me sad. I used to get the majority of my family's clothing at Penneys, but since they went to the new pricing strategy I have stopped shopping there. With eliminating checkouts, they will not keep many of their loyal customers. Can you imagine the long lines at the self-checkout during the Christmas season? Many of the older generation will not be able to comfortably use the self-checkout. They are just not tech savvy and it will become a source of frustration for them and the many people in line behind them.
I hate the new pricing and it does not save money for me. I have purchased two items there since they switched and paid more than I would have with a coupon. I do not mind self-checkout at the grocery store, but I don't think I would want it at a department store. I want customer service. We are moving more towards a society where we do not have to interact with each other and I really do believe that we lose something with that.

 

[DOOM1001]

Hmm. I was at the Apple store twice in the last few months, and everyone in there was wearing clothes. You're saying that b/c you like Apple computers you don't shop for your clothes at JCP? Honestly, to afford the Apple many of us *have to* buy our clothes at discounted places like JCP!

But really, there's no self checkout at Apple, so this is coming from somewhere else in his brain. Getting my refurb macbook, and then having something silly on it fixed a couple months later, has been THE most employee-intense shopping experience I've had in quite awhile! I think I dealt with 7 separate people with those two trips to the Apple store...

I don't think you understood my point,which is that JcPenney gets a good chunk of its business from older less tech savvy people who will not like the idea of getting rid of registers and employees,obviously there's a cross-over of people that shop at both,I shop at JcPenney and I've bought Apple products before,at Best Buy never at the Apple store.It appears he feels to sell $500 Ipads he understands you need to have a huge staff to help you throughout your entire shopping experience but if you're going to shop for a pair of khakis then you're on your own.

 

[bettymae1121]

I had a wedding to go to a few weeks ago and needed a new dress as I haven't lost all my pregnancy weight yet. I found the PERFECT little black dress on JCP's website, would work for the wedding and any other even I may have until I lose more weight and can fit into my old clothes again. But since my body is still "weird" I didn't know what size to order, so I go to JCP one night after work to try on the dress so I can find the right size.

I get there to find out it's online only. In fact about 85% of the dresses I saw online were not available in stores. And looking around at other departments, they only seemed to have about a half dozen things in each area. JCP used to have a huge variety and now, nothing. I left without buying anything (and didn't wind up going to the wedding for other reasons, so I guess it all worked out in the end).

I love the idea of one low price all the time and no sales/coupons. I can get behind that. But when it comes to clothing I hate ordering online, I need to try stuff on most of the time, unless it's a brand I'm really familure with. But their stores (at least the ones I've been in lately) hardly carry anything!

 

[SaraJayne]

Hmm. I was at the Apple store twice in the last few months, and everyone in there was wearing clothes. You're saying that b/c you like Apple computers you don't shop for your clothes at JCP? Honestly, to afford the Apple many of us *have to* buy our clothes at discounted places like JCP!

But really, there's no self checkout at Apple, so this is coming from somewhere else in his brain. Getting my refurb macbook, and then having something silly on it fixed a couple months later, has been THE most employee-intense shopping experience I've had in quite awhile! I think I dealt with 7 separate people with those two trips to the Apple store...

The Apple demographic and the JCP demographic are two totally separate things.

I'm another that never carries cash, but if this change happens, I won't be shopping at JCP anymore. When service is decreased, I expect a decrease in price, which we all know won't be happening.

I feel bad for all the employees that will be losing their jobs.

 

[gator75]

Wow! Black friday ought to be real interesting this year in the stores that have self check out in place. I won't shop there and its to bad because they had clothes that fit my son really well.

 

[TillyDe]

"Instead, Penney will rely on mobile checkout, which it will start rolling out this fall.

“You'll be able to check out anywhere anytime, from anyone including yourself, because we're going to roll out self-checkout to our stores next year,” he says. “It’s really cool and it's really easy because it's RFID-based. You don't have to scan an item. You just throw it down and there's the price.”

I see an issue here. It states that it is a mobile checkout where you can check out anywhere anytime. Okay so where do you get a bag at for your purchase?

I really doubt if this will last.

 

[Danibelle]

I recently went to ikea. They used to have self checkout and they longer do. Maybe jc Penney should speak to them!

I just visited Ikea in Houston and they had self checkout only. If you wanted help, they just got your started and then walked off. The cashiers were just standing around but not checking anyone out. I don't go there often but it seemed wierd not to have any cashiers working, just standing around.

If Penney's goes self checkout only, I may stop shopping there.

 

[sksjasams]

The self-checkout at a dept store is a bad idea. I use it at the grocery store when I have few items, but it is a whole different thing in a dept store.

I am more bummed about the no more month long values. I came to terms with the fact that they had no more coupons. Kohls has become my main store for my DS now. But I did shop at JCP twice in the last 5 months...for their month long values. I got DS several new pairs of jeans for only $12 each in Feb, and then this spring, I got him lots of nice boys athletic shorts for $6-7 each. I would not have paid "everyday" price for either of these items.