JCPenney Lost Me as a Customer Today

[kcrew]

I guess it is all in the mentality. I just returned a swim suit that I had bought the end of March for $20. They retagged it for $35 in line with their decision to reintroduce "sales". So currently there is a 20% off coupon out which brings the swim suit to $28. Apparently the majority of shoppers consider a sale at $28 to be better than a "fair and square" price of $20? The prices were sooo much lower under the new policy, yet I guess shoppers just couldn't wrap their minds around payer sticker price? No wonder JCP Corporate is confused....doesn't make sense!! Don't blame JCP, blame dumb consumers for the price increases!

 

[maxiesmom]

I guess it is all in the mentality. I just returned a swim suit that I had bought the end of March for $20. They retagged it for $35 in line with their decision to reintroduce "sales". So currently there is a 20% off coupon out which brings the swim suit to $28. Apparently the majority of shoppers consider a sale at $28 to be better than a "fair and square" price of $20? The prices were sooo much lower under the new policy, yet I guess shoppers just couldn't wrap their minds around payer sticker price? No wonder JCP Corporate is confused....doesn't make sense!! Don't blame JCP, blame dumb consumers for the price increases!

I for one, miss the buy one get one sales they used to have. But not having them is not why I stopped shopping JCP. The selection and the quality went down, along with their prices. Consumers are not dumb. They know a lower price along with lower quality does not equal a good buy.

 

[disneychrista]

Yes, that's true, but this is the first time I have ever seen higher prices tags being stuck over much lower prices on a significantly large selection of merchandise.

Stores do this all the time. Next time you shop at Kohl's and see a white sticker on the tag, it usually means they marked it up. Usually so it can go "on sale" the next week.

 

[maxiesmom]

Stores do this all the time. Next time you shop at Kohl's and see a white sticker on the tag, it usually means they marked it up. Usually so it can go "on sale" the next week.

I've seen people make this complaint about many stores. Go in a week later. If the price on the tag is still the same, they have done nothing wrong. None of us like higher prices, but every store marks things up from time to time.

Look at it this way: Do you ever see enough help in stores that they could send people around marking stuff up, then marking it down again?

 

[lvillotta1]

I have never cares for Pennys. I always thought their clothes were pricey. The same goes fro Kohls. I do a lot of my shopping online from Gymboree, Crazy8, Childrens place. I have never paid more than $2-4 for shirts, 5-7 for shorts and dresses 8-10. I shop twice a year usually in Late FEb to buy for the next winter. I also am albe to score the extra 20% of coupons that I get in magazines with free shipping. I am a digger in the close out bins at all stores and get good socks for less than 99cents. I will buy as many pairs as I can. Same for underwear. I have 2 girls 5&9. I take them with me so they can pick out what they want. I am super frugal.

 

[VroomVroomLightning]

I am a JcPenney shopper as well, but last week was very disappointed in them. I browsed online, and found some clothes I liked, but wanted to try them on first. I went to the store, and tried them on. I liked the clothes, but noticed the prices were different from what it said online. I then noticed the covered up prices as well. The original prices were on the tag, but were covered up with a higher price. I asked at the the checkout, and was told "Our prices in store and online are different". What sense does that make? I decided to go home, and buy the items online at the lower price along with the 20% off coupon. So I was confused why it was such a higher price in store!

 

[ktrask]

Stores do this all the time. Next time you shop at Kohl's and see a white sticker on the tag, it usually means they marked it up. Usually so it can go "on sale" the next week.

In MA Kohls was sited by the AG for deceptive sales practices. There are laws in MA that to count something as on sale it must be sold at retail for a certain amount of time.

I've seen items at Kohls where their "on sale" price is the same standard retail price at stores like walmart and target.

 

[Mel522]

Yes, that's true, but this is the first time I have ever seen higher prices tags being stuck over much lower prices on a significantly large selection of merchandise.

This might also be the first time a company of this size switched from coupon/sale pricing to fixed price and then back again. The prices are raised to allow for the sales and coupons. Customers pay for all the sales and coupons they get. So a company may decide they need to sell a shirt for an average of $8 a piece to make an acceptable profit. JCP fixed price just charged you this price. Now they are going to offer sales and coupons, so they raise the original price. The items sale price will fluctuate. Sometimes it will be 20%, 40%, doorbuster, or whatever, but in the end JCP will still be getting an average of $8 a piece. Some people pay more than $8 so that someone else can pay less than that on a better sale.

This is something that most sale/coupon stores do. They charge higher regular prices so they can give you a "deal." The problem for JCP is that the cat is out of the bag. This common tactic is now out and visible and easily comparable to the old pricing. They are doing nothing unusual. Their prices aren't inflated anymore than other companies, but unfortunately for them, it is visible.

I think this could be the final nail in the coffin for them. They spend the last couple of years driving away the coupon/sale people and gaining new customers. Now they are driving away those customers and unfortunately many sale/coupon people have moved on and found other places to shop. Their new customers may leave and the old ones may never return.

 

[chisnpeke]

Yes, that's true, but this is the first time I have ever seen higher prices tags being stuck over much lower prices on a significantly large selection of merchandise.

How else are they supposed to increase the price on things to account for coupons? They aren't going to order all new merchandise or all new tags.

 

[jls886]

I am a JcPenney shopper as well, but last week was very disappointed in them. I browsed online, and found some clothes I liked, but wanted to try them on first. I went to the store, and tried them on. I liked the clothes, but noticed the prices were different from what it said online. I then noticed the covered up prices as well. The original prices were on the tag, but were covered up with a higher price. I asked at the the checkout, and was told "Our prices in store and online are different". What sense does that make? I decided to go home, and buy the items online at the lower price along with the 20% off coupon. So I was confused why it was such a higher price in store!

I know that that is frustrating, but many stores are the same with the online vs. in-store pricing. Many stores will also offer online only sales that are not going on in the store at the same time, and vice versa. Most stores consider their online store to be a completely separate entity from their brick & mortar store. Target used to be this way until this past holiday season when they began price matching in-store to target.com if the price was different...but even then it is only when the consumer knows that it is different and asks for the difference. Consequently I do almost all of my clothes shopping online because it is SO much cheaper but I limit myself to free shipping and free returns either by mail or in-store.

 

[amylevan]

I was a Pennys shopper before the fair and square pricing structure. They had good variety and decent prices.

Not being particularly good at couponing, I actually liked the fair and square pricing. What I didn't like was the lack of variety. I couldn't find much that I liked anymore.

Having said all of that, OP, I hope you never shop at Kohls. Because if you are annoyed at JCP now, Kohls has always marked their stuff up. Their "sale" prices are often the same as somewhere else. You have to really know your prices to shop in there.

 

[tvguy]

I agree. I probably had not shopped at JCPenney in the last 10 years. It didn't really carry merchandise that I was interested in buying. Most of my friends said that it was the type of store that their mothers and grandmothers shopped. I liked the new direction and the new lines and visited the store frequently in the past several months. I have a couple of GCs that I am saving for the new Jonathan Adler line that comes out in May. After that, I'll stop shopping there all together.

This cracked me up. I haven't shopped JCPenney in the last 10 years either because they got AWAY from being the type of store that my mom and grandmother shopped at.
I don't care about designer fashions, I want quality clothing at a fair price. There are a dozen overpriced designer clothing stores in the mall around JCPenney, if you want those clothes, go there. I crew up in Towncraft clothing.

 

[superme80]

This cracked me up. I haven't shopped JCPenney in the last 10 years either because they got AWAY from being the type of store that my mom and grandmother shopped at.
I don't care about designer fashions, I want quality clothing at a fair price. There are a dozen overpriced designer clothing stores in the mall around JCPenney, if you want those clothes, go there. I crew up in Towncraft clothing.

That is why I stopped shopping there. I am not trendy. Trends look stupid on me. I just want basic clothes. I want pretty clothes. Penney's used to sell that. They no longer do, so I left.

 

[jiminy14]

Moderators...please close this thread.

 

[disney1990]

I work retail and yes prices go up. We take off all the old prices and replace with new higher prices, but the end result is the same. I have always loved JCP. It is one of the few places that I can always find something that fits. The old head of JCP was fired for the way things were working or not working. The new person has to step up and make a difference.

Was happy to go to JCP just last week and found some sorts that weren't short shorts. I prefer longer ones and nobody seems to carry them.

 

[disneychrista]

Moderators...please close this thread.

On what ground is there to close this thread. It is on topic. No one is bashing. I don't see any violations in board rules.

 

[disney1990]

On what ground is there to close this thread. It is on topic. No one is bashing. I don't see any violations in board rules.

Me either. Why close?

 

[rachel09985]

JCPenney just fired their CEO so many things will be changing soon.

 

[ManyMinnie]

Moderators...please close this thread.

Why in the world should the thread be closed?

 

[disykat]

The tuxedo I was planning to buy went from $176 to $330 overnight. I guess I should have bought it last week! I have a 20% off coupon, but it's going to get me anywhere near last week's price. GRRR!