JCPenney wtf?

[CaseyMiller]

So, for the first time, in a long time, I go on-line at JCPenney.com to try and buy a few dress shirts.

The first two selections I made for a purchase were out of stock. I finally placed an order for three shirts using a CC. I received no confirmation email but my CC was charged. Perhaps I just missed email but don't think so.

The shirts were to be delivered to the store in four days. Five days go by and nothing. I log into JCPenney.com and there is no history of my order. I call customer service and get some type of vague non answer about the order is on its way. Okay, I wait another five days and still nothing. I log back on and still no order history or record of purchase.

I again call customer service and I am told they are having a problem with orders not being linked to on-line accounts. I am also told the shirts are at the store and are ready for pick up.

JCPenney is my favorite clothing store so I hope this is an isolated incident but it doesn't feel like it. I'll try them one more time but unless the transaction goes flawlessly, I won't try again.

[CathyA]

JCP seems to be having lots of problems, ever since they changed their management and set-up. They got rid of my favorite low-cost jeans there. Seems like lots of people were complaining about lots of problems there.
Then I heard they were trying to back-pedal. So I don't know what to tell you. Its been a mess for awhile. :(

[iris lily]

I always liked JC Penney's though I seldom buy new clothes any more.

I admired their experiment in "no Sales--EVER!" but am sorry that the American public seem to be such sheep that they couldn't jump on board with that. Shoppers like to think they are getting a deal.

Recently DH and I went in to buy some Docker type pants for him. He wears a size 34 waist. The sales guy said "these 34's beware, they run small." Sure enough, they did, DH needed a "36." I probably can't blame this on JC Penney since it's likely happening every place where cheap garments are sold, but for heaven's sake--the one constant in clothing was men's sizes, they were labeled as they were. And then in the JC Penney store one type of men's shirt was so very sleazy and it actually looked to me as though it was sewed wrong, it just wasn't--straight. That is something I'd expect to see in one of the big box stores, it was like a sleazy 'Mart shirt.

Still I will continue to shop at JC PEnney's because they are the only department store outsdie of downtown that still resides in my city. I like them, I reward stores that stay in my city.

[goldensmom]

I haven't shopped jcpenney.com is some time because the few things I want are out of stock when I click 'add-to-bag'. I've even tried adding assorted sizes/colors just to check availability and they were all out of stock so why list it as if it were available???? Also, no confirmation e-mail and difficult to find/track. I stopped by a JC Penney's store recently because I had a coupon (first time in 2 years) and there were no other customers and cold (as in temperature). And another thing, my last purchase was a set of sheets, same brand, same everything as I purchased 5-6 years ago and the fitted sheet was too big and the flat sheet was narrower/shorter. JC Penney has lost my business.

[pinkytoe]

I haven't shopped jcpenney.com is some time because most everything that I want (which are few) is out of stock when I click 'add-to-bag'.
Gee I thought this only happened to me. I stopped trying.

[SteveinMN]

Gee I thought this only happened to me.
Same experience here. I tried to use an electronic gift card someone had given me and it was a royal pain you-know-where. Going to the store is much more efficient in its own weird way; at least you know if they have what you want and you get it right then (or you don't). I fear JCP is circling the drain....

[artist]

That's strange. I haven't heard any complaints about dot.com order issues from customers at the JCP location I work at.

[Wildflower]

I read an article about JCP recently and it said they were on their last leg, possibly facing bankruptcy and permanent closure. I'm not surprised. It's definitely NOT the store it used to be. Last time I was there after they changed management, the clothes I looked at were a Walmart/Kmart type quality. Cheap fabrics, lousy sewing. I will not shop there again. Sad, because years ago it was my go to store. I bought alot of my DDs clothes there when they were little ones.

[goldensmom]

That's strange. I haven't heard any complaints about dot.com order issues from customers at the JCP location I work at.
Maybe customers don't say anything to store employees about their online experience because they know there is nothing you can do about it. I told a store employee about my online experience and the response was that the website is in the midst of change and 'there was nothing they could do about it' so why waste the employees time and exacerbate the customers experience.

[Simplemind]

I used to be able to find things there when I had exhausted the other stores. I also liked their furniture store and bought several pieces there. In the past couple of years I haven't seen anything I liked but one pair of shoes. Sad.......

[gimmethesimplelife]

I remember not too long ago back in Fall of 2011 JCPenny had this coupon sometimes on the cover of the Arizona Republic for ten dollars off an order of twenty five dollars or more, so one time I went there to pick up some bath towels, and with coupon and the sale the towels were on, it was a pretty good deal. (Bath towels are one thing personally I will not buy secondhand). So I get to the register and the clerk there voluntarily waves another coupon and takes yet more money off the total, something I did not know would happen and was certainly not expecting. Gotta say this Penny's I miss.....I've been at one recently and it seemed like a morgue, there was hardly anyone there and I didn't care for the rearranging and reorganization of the store. I am thinking personally that Penny's, Sears, Kmart, Radio Shack, and Best Buy are all circling the drain, and in the case of Sears, Radio Shack, and Best Buy - I've had issues with all three - I say good riddance. Though a shame to see Sears crumble if it goes under - though it is a shadow of what it once was, what a storied American retailer! Rob

[CaseyMiller]

I admired their experiment in "no Sales--EVER!" but am sorry that the American public seem to be such sheep that they couldn't jump on board with that. Shoppers like to think they are getting a deal.

I loved the idea too. I'm surprised it was greeted with such disdain.

[bUU]

JC Penney used to provide service far exceeding the typical service provided by retailers of its type and at its price point. Now it provides service as per the typical service provided by retailers of its type and at its price point.

[sweetana3]

I still find it crazy that when I want to buy something the hardest thing to find is a person to buy it from. I have to wander around and look up for a sign.

[bUU]

Perhaps JC Penney doesn't want to admit it to themselves, but they probably need to restructure their stores like Sears, with a single, large bank of cash registers at the intersection of several departments, and no more deference to the old department store model.

[SteveinMN]

Maybe customers don't say anything to store employees about their online experience because they know there is nothing you can do about it. I told a store employee about my online experience and the response was that the website is in the midst of change and 'there was nothing they could do about it'
Unfortunately, too many companies treat their Web sites as almost completely separate from their brick-and-mortar stores -- especially, and not surprisingly, the companies Rob mentioned, like Best Buy and Sears (the worst offenders IME). They haven't yet figured out that their Web site really is another storefront, one that is open 7x24 throughout the world (if the company dreams that big). If I see an item on your Web site, I want to be able to buy it in your store. I don't want to hear that the site that shares your name and trade dress and (most of) your inventory is no better integrated to your business than your competitor.

[pinkytoe]

I am old enough to remember (pre-shopping malls) when going to a department store was a treat especially the large ones downtown. Customer service was key and retail wasn't a dirty word. Actual salespeople to answer your questions, help you select things and wrap your purchase in tissue paper. Quality was so much better too. There has been a gradual decline and no doubt, brick and mortar will one day disappear altogether. Kind of sad...

[Gregg]

I am old enough to remember (pre-shopping malls) when going to a department store was a treat especially the large ones downtown. Customer service was key and retail wasn't a dirty word. Actual salespeople to answer your questions, help you select things and wrap your purchase in tissue paper. Quality was so much better too. There has been a gradual decline and no doubt, brick and mortar will one day disappear altogether. Kind of sad...

DW loves Nordstroms because they still offer that kind of service. I'm just happy the closest one is 3 1/2 hours away.

[JaneV2.0]

I've never shopped at JC Penney. It wasn't until recently when they partnered with Liz Claiborne (and, by extension, Tim Gunn) that I could muster any interest in them at all. Not enough, however, to actually shop there.

[Ruffian]

The store here seems to be busy all the time. I too, have had a lot of problems finding clothes in stock online. I shop tall sizes and Penneys USED to be my go to store. I recently bought a couple of pair of dress pants @ the brick & mortar and they seem to be ok. Had to really LOOK for them, tho. I also bought some new drapes for my living room, and both times I shopped that department before purchase, there were knowledgable, friendly sales people. I couldn't seem to find them in any other department I looked in, however.

Change is always difficult. I'm not sure they'll survive it.

[Gingerella72]

I loved the idea too. I'm surprised it was greeted with such disdain.

Because they touted low prices in lieu of sales, and the prices were definitely NOT low. At least not as low as the sales prices used to be. It used to be my go-to store too but I don't like the feel of it now. And the marketing campaigns they started just look cheesy, like a glorified Target ad. They should have just not fixed what wasn't broken.

[bUU]

I think the typical consumer's misconception of what is a low price is the corrupting factor in all this. There are two dentists nearby. They charge radically different prices for what is, at least on paper, the same service. Now there could be a really big disconnection on one side or the other, but there isn't. One dentist has twenty years of experience, and was top of his class. The other dentist is really an office where what can best be described as dentist-transients work - licensed professionals with little experience, less educations and no distinction. If you think that you can always pay less for something and get the same as what you'd get paying more, you really have an unwarranted prejudicial opinion of your neighbors who pay the premium.

So what JC Penney did is try to offer something better, but still offer relatively low prices for the level of service they were offering. The problem is that, when you compare the advertising circulars side-by-side, so many consumers won't care about the service-related differences. So for months after JC Penney started that no sale approach their stores were empty. Everyday low prices means, for too many consumers, no bargains. No bargains means, for too many consumers, no sale. Like any publicly-owned for-profit business, as sales declined, costs had to be cut. And JC Penney fell into the typical consumer marketplace death spiral that has claimed so many other retailers. There are only two ways to go, these days: Either sell a lifestyle, and thereby get people to buy stuff at a price far in excess of what they're buying is actually worth (under such a system, you actually can afford to offer a moderately better product, because costs of the product don't matter as much given that the profit margin is so high), or sell bargains, and join the "rush to the bottom" with your competitors.

Incidentally, JC Penney was broken. If you recall, before the "no sales" thing, JC Penney had exited the catalog business and closed a handful of stores, due to low profits. Compare them to Macy's, or Nordstrom, or Dillards, starting in mid-2009 (i.e., as the economy improved after the crash), JC Penney was flagging badly. For two years, as almost all the other retailers cashed in on the emerging recovery, JC Penney remained pretty flat.

[artist]

Unfortunatly that's true. No coupons or sales ment no deals to the customers. Wish they could have seen the hours that were put into re-pricing things lower that occured when they went to this model.

[rose]

Me too. And I think the prices are fair. I've always wanted a grocery store that didn't have sales but had reasonable prices daily. If I'm at the grocery and green peppers are $3 I just can't pay it when I know down the street they are $1. I would be happy to pay a reasonable price but not exorbitant to make up for the loss leader.

[Mer05]

I really hope they pull out of this slump; it's the last department store I go to, since Sears stocks two racks of clothing in my size and the rest are in malls. In the last year I've had mixed experiences both with in-store and online. As of last month, their online store seemed to work pretty well (I didn't get a ton of out-of-stock results that time), and the in-store pickup worked fine. (So did the in-store return, when I didn't like the color.)

I found some well-priced workout clothes in the store, but for the last month or so the housewares and drapery departments have been tight - they're getting new lines in and remodeling some, and have low stock in the meantime. Overall, I'd be more inclined to order online and pick up in the store, for anything I didn't need to try on first.

[SteveinMN]

Today JCP CEO Ron Johnson was fired (http://adage.com/article/news/ron-johnson-17-months-jc-penney/240772/) and his predecessor (!) re-hired. Are sales back?

[fidgiegirl]

I just moments ago saved $54 on the blinds I'd been holding off on buying until JCP was back to having sales - got a 20% off flyer in the mail last week. ;)

[Kestrel]

I hate to physically shop. For most of my married life we lived in out-of-the-way places where catalog shopping was the only way to shop without having to drive 60 miles over mountainous twistey-windey roads one-way (an hour and a half) maybe once a month, if lucky. So I long ago gave up actually shopping, and shopped Penney's and Sears catalogs. It was reliable, and "size" actually meant something -- you could trust what a "12" or a "10" was. But if it didn't fit, no problem -- just send it back and re-order.

So I do still like Penney's and have no problems with the store in any way, except if they don't have what I want in my size, but that could happen anywhere. I don't have the time or energy to traipse through all the other stores -- Macy's, Dillard's, Kohl's, etc. It's not worth it to me.

I am thinking of going back to catalogs, tho, just because the nuisance of actually shopping is frustrating.

[martha]

I hate to physically shop.

I am thinking of going back to catalogs, tho, just because the nuisance of actually shopping is frustrating.

I too used to live (grew up, actually) in a rural area far from "town," which itself was a small town with one department store. So most of our family's clothes, curtains, linens, etc. came from the Sears catalog. Moving into town for college, then into the state's largest city for work, being young and with lots of energy, shopping was fun for awhile, checking out all the stores, trying everything on.

Not anymore! It's much harder to find clothes that fit, having become a plus size, and schlepping all over town trying to find what I need is an ordeal. Thankfully, I have found 3 or 4 companies whose clothes I like, whose sizes fit me, and from which I can order either from catalogs or online. They have been my go-to stores for 15-20 years now. It's so much simpler and faster! The selection is good rather than overwhelming, it doesn't take long to go through a new catalog, and best of all, I can shop from the couch in my nightgown with my feet propped up. :D

[Tenngal]

I would so love it if the mini sales catalogs started back. Used to keep and order from them until the expiration date.

[CaseyMiller]

Well J.C. Penney is replacing Ron Johnson as CEO. Not surprising. I really liked his idea of not having sales etc.. But, it looked like he lost sight of the needed base execution of selling stuff.

I find it baffling that they would sell things on-line than have no record of that sale in the buyers account. From what I can tell, this problem seemed to have been going on for a very long time. I can only say that if something like that was occurring at my place of employment, no one would go home until the issue was fixed.

In my original post I described the fiasco of buying three shirts on line. I won't bother with the details but the fiasco continued when I went to pick up the shirts. The entire transaction was screwed up for purchase to pick up.

I hope they can turn it around.

[SteveinMN]

Well J.C. Penney is replacing Ron Johnson as CEO. Not surprising. I really liked his idea of not having sales etc.. But, it looked like he lost sight of the needed base execution of selling stuff.
Johnson had a good track record at Target and Apple. Trouble is, both of those companies have long presented themselves as selling more-upscale products at a price that seldom changed. Sure, Target had sales. But they built the company partially on inhabiting the front rank of style/design and partially on the idea that their prices were always low, so a sale was a special deal, not standard operating procedure. Johnson tried to do that at Penney, but they lacked the product lines to do it (nobody is dreaming of buying Stafford) and they didn't understand that selling this way requires a little customer education (not just screaming ads proclaiming that there won't be sales but there will be sales but not the way people were used to them).

[JaneV2.0]

The low regular price thing can work--it does at Costco, Grocery Outlet, and Aldi, to name a few--but it's hard to turn a battleship around and really bad customer service sure doesn't help.