Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire JC Penney files Chapter 11

I think Amazon has killed a lot of business. I still have my wingtip shoes from 1973 or so. I couldn't afford to buy shoes like those today.

Back in the past if I needed to get dressed up and my size had changed, it only took a visit to the nice ladies at JCP in men's ware. They would fix you up.

Yep, but typical.

In the nearest town to have a JCP near me, they shot themselves in the foot. They totally forgot small town, rural America. "Our" store has NO work clothing, no boots, no durable outerwear.
I took the grandsons in there a year ago, and in the kids back to school clothes section, it appeared that JCP's decision makers decided that little kids need to wear gangsta threads to school. I ended up taking them to the Carhartt store. Let JCP die, and good riddance.

You are right, from a modern, efficient, business perspective.

I F'n hate that perspective.
Today, if I want something that isn't going to turn over in a couple days,
it has to be ordered over the internet. This is the Wal-Mart plan.

Go to Wal-Mart, buy a 220v air conditioner.
They are tickled to take your Benjamin's on a quick turn over product.
Now, try to buy a receptacle to match the plug on your new A/C.

No dam way Wally has a bin of them taking up $$ and space.
They don't sell fast enough.

There were two items that during my working years were almost a commodity for me that I bought from JCP - button down pinpoint dress shirts and underwear. The shirts fit well and came out of the wash looking nice, and were at least as good as other similarly priced brands. Lands End pinpoints, despite all their hype, never did iron without wrinkles. I could count on JCP tighty whiteys fitting well and lasting a reasonable time. Like I said, for me a commodity that I could count on.

Fast forward into retirement. Went to JCP to buy a dress shirt. Weird colors and styles (for millennials), junk material. No longer have the medium rise briefs, but either very low rise or really high, neither of which fit me well.

On top of all that they have a weird pricing system. If you want a three pack of briefs, or one shirt, you have to pay an inflated price. They now price most things so to get a decent price (50% off the second), you have to buy two. Clever, those bean counters. I usually don't want two, so what to do?

So, I've had little reason to shop the "new" JCP. Too bad things didn't work out for them.

Paul

The department store concept was cutting edge brilliance - in 1955.

My family lived in JCP underware as a kid.
They weren't the cheapest, but they wore like iron.
I never even realized that underware didn't always last
a year or more, until I got married.

My wife's family thought of Penney's as upscale, and she
started buying my Hanes and Fruit of the Loom, from Wally.
Schiddy elastic, crotch seams that came undone, holes in
two month old underware... that cheap stuff cost a lot more
to wear than Penney's stuff.

Over the past 30 years, I have been involved with 5 buy outs / down sizings / RIF's / "Say Goodbye to Employees". For hourly and mid-range salaried workers, the least generous of these was 1 week of pay for each year of service. The most generous was a base amount plus 2 weeks of pay for each year of service. For the latter, a couple 20-25 year members picked up about 1 year of salary as they went out the door. No where NEAR the "millions" being thrown at the executives at JCP. Jill Soltau, the CEO who is putting the last nail in JCP's coffin: Last year's base salary was a little over $400,000. Bonus was $6,000,000. That's right, bonus was 15X her salary. And then stock options worth $9,000,000 added on top of that. $16 Million dollar total comp (40X base salary), for sticking with a sinking ship...

In my best Justin Wilson voice: I GUARANTEE that no hourly employees will be receiving 40X their base annual salary for being a "good soldier" and sticking with the company until they are shown the door...

Hearing a rumor that Amazon might buy them.

We have a brick and mortar stand alone JC Penny where I live. Wife ordered some stuff online for Christmas last year for store pickup. I went in with her and there were about 3 people in that whole store at Christmas time that didn't work there. I haven't seen more than a few cars in the parking lot of it for years and years. After being in there week before Christmas and it was a ghost town i figured it would close after the holidays but its still kicking. I think its a front for the mob or something.




Our JC Penny is the exact opposite. They don't have a damn thing in the store anyone under 65 would be caught dead wearing.

my wife is 5'10" tall and 145 lbs. JCP had a line of clothes for big/tall women. she bought most of her clothes there. the new ceo decided to get rid of that line and concentrate on goth or some such bs.
a tall woman has a hard time getting clothes that fit.

armpit trousers lol

Slum,

Is the Pennies where you get your Dickie onesies that have the built in built with metal clasps?