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JCP had some long standing, solid brands that were full of the basic items that their customers depended on for their homes and wardrobes. When those went away it threw things for a loop and JCP may never recover. I personally have been wearing St Johns Bay tall jeans and pants for as long as I can remember and turned to ebay to grab as many as I could once I realized they were NOT coming back in stock online. Today my mom (in her 80's) went to buy some undergarments that she's been wearing for 25 years...nope, all gone.
I do think JCP needed updating and modernizing but not at the expense of their bread and butter products. This guy was a arrogant tool IMO. I could care less about coupons and sales if they still had the items I wanted, but they don't. At least St Johns Bay is making a minor comeback, I don't know if their extended sizes (tall, petite, woman's, big and tall for men) will be included though. And I bought a few bath towels at Nordstrom and Costco rather than Penney's since they didn't have any good ones when I went to look.
Yes, the "bread and butter" clothing lines people depended on were the first casualty of Johnson's changes at Penney's. His kill the bread and butter so we don't make any money plan did a lot of bad things for Penney's.
My biggest beef with JC Penneys is where they are located. Both locations near me are out of my way and really not near other stores I would go to.
The malls they are located in here in my area are in declining areas and I wish they would try some more visible locations in better, newer areas. I think this has also hurt them.
Years ago, when I went to this particular mall, I did visit JC Penney but they are out of the way now.
I actually thought their recent line of clothing was very cute and if I was teens/20's, I would buy it.
The biggest reason JCP has alienated its longtime customers (let us be honest those longtime customers were no longer able to support a healthy profit margin for the company) and were unable to attract newer customers was due to their abandoning of sales and coupons so that everything would be low-priced.
No sales or coupons was what the older crowd was used to and appreciated as well as their longtime signature brands such as St. John's Bay.
Younger shoppers on the other hand do not want to be weighed down with having to hunt sales or carry coupons in the era of cheap chic so Penney's changed their model accordingly but their mistake with this segment was branding. A simple change from Penney's to JCP (Kentucky Fried Chicken did the same in the '90s and is now just KFC) was not enough to make it seem hip or cool. In order to do that they would have to change their locations from anchors to middle-of-the-mall and get rid of most of their other items that are not clothes.
So we have a case of a hydra with too many heads wanting to do too many things at once. Whatever is next for Penney's I doubt it is going to make a return to the golden years because that is an outdated model. It is a miracle they made it this far as a general merchandiser a la Montgomery Wards whose whole model is based on their start as a catalog order company over a hundred years ago.
The great American mid tier department store is gone. Growing up my family went to nordstroms, Marshall's, Ross, TJ maxx, target and Kmart. And Montgomery wards. And emporium. I know. We were confused apparently. I remember it being penny's. Jcp is way easier to type from your phone.
I always find it a #fail when I go there. I'll be on a mission for a basic like a cardigan or a pencil skirt and the material will be thin. Last summer I was looking for a dress for a wedding. I only had one simple requirement. I tried on a dozen dresses and the fit was either horrible or the fabric too thin when it fit.
Maybe the penny's nearby are crappy? I don't know. I always have better luck at kohls and unintentionally buy stuff at target. I tend to get tops or dresses at target and they hold up pretty well. Especially for the price.
I did go to Jcp for the joe fresh collection. I love joe fresh but the stuff I liked most was a repeat of what I own. I did end up buying a top from worthington. I ended up getting loads of compliments on it.
I might have to go look at Target clothes again -- the last time was years ago and the t shirt material was so thin it was nearly sheer, I had to wear a cami under it (but the color was ASTOUNDING!) and sleeves were SO long I had to cut and rehem them -- which is usually a mistake... the whole thing looked lettuced in four months -- so stretched out it was just a mess. There was no spring back like you usually find in a jersey knit.
And the socks I bought about three months ago -- I've already darned two pair. (I will fix tiny holes.... but big ones get the sock tossed)...
Frankly -- in the past few years when cotton went up so high, most companies did everything they could to hold their price points -- and quality suffered. Even Lands End.... they are making "modal" and cotton t-shirts -- thin thin thin.
It wasn't too long ago I was paying 8 bucks a yard for quality quilting material, and now it's usually 13.
Great point, the price of cotton is rising. Most cheap chic deals in blends and synthetics. I always look for 100% cotton and am happy when I can find it especially if on sale!
I don't think he was all bad. JCP was losing market share hand over fist to Kohls and Target.
To be honest, I wouldn't have set foot in JCP without the changes he made, but I am definitely a regular at the other similar tier department stores.
But even with the high profile and fashion forward partnerships, I found JCP apparel was pretty low quality and over priced for the quality level. I have had a poor experieince with everything I have purchased there over the past 15 years. Which encourages me to avoid it all together. H&M stuff lasts longer.
To be honest, I don't know anyone my age or slightly older who shops at JCP. Most people don't even know it exists. It just isn't all that relevant for people under 45 or so.
They lost their way a long time ago.
If you are under the age of 45 and have kids you may have been in a Penneys. Now that my oldest no longer wears kids's sizes anymore we don't go in there quite as often. Frankly some of the clothes in Penneys aimed at the teenage demographic are made of thin fabrics, cut too revealing or too tight. But I don't find Penneys that different than other stores in that regard. At one time though, I bet I bought close to 50% of their clothes from Penneys.
I don't mind Target but I personally don't find much as far as clothing that I like there.
Things like not having the big catalog anymore have totally alienated many of the older shoppers.
I might have to go look at Target clothes again -- the last time was years ago and the t shirt material was so thin it was nearly sheer, I had to wear a cami under it (but the color was ASTOUNDING!) and sleeves were SO long I had to cut and rehem them -- which is usually a mistake... the whole thing looked lettuced in four months -- so stretched out it was just a mess. There was no spring back like you usually find in a jersey knit.
And the socks I bought about three months ago -- I've already darned two pair. (I will fix tiny holes.... but big ones get the sock tossed)...
Frankly -- in the past few years when cotton went up so high, most companies did everything they could to hold their price points -- and quality suffered. Even Lands End.... they are making "modal" and cotton t-shirts -- thin thin thin.
It wasn't too long ago I was paying 8 bucks a yard for quality quilting material, and now it's usually 13.
So many shirts are suck low quality and so thin. I think it is a fake way to increase profit margins and call it on trend and "sheer."
So annoying.
I do love the microrib target tank tops from Mossimo. They seem to last a while. They are cheap. And they hold their shape. Typically $8-10 and they go on sale. 58% cotton/modal for the rest. Really soft and stretchy.
I use them for layering and the gym. I have probably a dozen of them. All are looking great shape and colorwise. I had a few that I didn't notice had poorly stitched seams, so the bottom one fell out. But again, they are $8. I don't expect them to be perfect. I have lost some to random oil stains (fail!) and those just get re-purposed for house cleaning.
They are also one of the few tanks I have found these days that are thick enough for me to wear a wacky colored bra (with seams even) and not have it show through.
So many shirts are suck low quality and so thin. I think it is a fake way to increase profit margins and call it on trend and "sheer."
So annoying.
I do love the microrib target tank tops from Mossimo. They seem to last a while. They are cheap. And they hold their shape. Typically $8-10 and they go on sale. 58% cotton/modal for the rest. Really soft and stretchy.
I use them for layering and the gym. I have probably a dozen of them. All are looking great shape and colorwise. I had a few that I didn't notice had poorly stitched seams, so the bottom one fell out. But again, they are $8. I don't expect them to be perfect. I have lost some to random oil stains (fail!) and those just get re-purposed for house cleaning.
They are also one of the few tanks I have found these days that are thick enough for me to wear a wacky colored bra (with seams even) and not have it show through.
Poorly stitched seams.... oh man. I'm a large woman, and I sometimes go into Lane Bryant. Man. Talk about BAD.
When I was looking for a dress for my nephews wedding, I tried on a stretchy dress from LB. It was cut to fit slim against the body, and from a giving knit that was made to stretch. Unfortunately, the person sewing the seams wasn't given that information and proceeded to sew with a standard stitch. Which didn't have any give.
I could hear the stitches popping as it went over my head. I could hear more stitches popping as I took it off. I told the clerk the dress was made wrong, and the seams were ripping and she SO didn't care. It went back on the rack.
It was 75 - 80 bucks.
Of course, this was the place that measured me for a bra OVER all my clothes (including a fleece jacket) with her hand in the tape measure so it was included in the measurements.
I think I'm going to practice sewing darts today....
Poorly stitched seams.... oh man. I'm a large woman, and I sometimes go into Lane Bryant. Man. Talk about BAD.
When I was looking for a dress for my nephews wedding, I tried on a stretchy dress from LB. It was cut to fit slim against the body, and from a giving knit that was made to stretch. Unfortunately, the person sewing the seams wasn't given that information and proceeded to sew with a standard stitch. Which didn't have any give.
I could hear the stitches popping as it went over my head. I could hear more stitches popping as I took it off. I told the clerk the dress was made wrong, and the seams were ripping and she SO didn't care. It went back on the rack.
It was 75 - 80 bucks.
Of course, this was the place that measured me for a bra OVER all my clothes (including a fleece jacket) with her hand in the tape measure so it was included in the measurements.
I think I'm going to practice sewing darts today....
Clothing quality is terrible these days. You practically have to go home and redo the buttons on anything you buy, before it falls off on the way home. It makes me want to learn how to sew! I can only handle buttons. And a really basic hem.
I am thinking about making a tote bag as a side project.
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J C Penneys - locations
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