Christiana sent a message to Marvin R. Ellison – President of J. C. Penney Company Inc.- email address that said:
Dear Mr. Ellison, ( Just listened to your conference in June 2016)
I have an idea for the J.C. Penny’s store, and think you might be the person to get it. Why doesn’t J.C. Penny’s’ put into their retail stores an area (Kiosk’s, station, department) where the customer is assisted by an Associate to order an items for the customer while still in the store? (similar to the former catalog department).
By doing this one thing, J.C. Penny’s will:
v Retain the customer in the store. (Not send the shopper home to surf the web and buy else where—Macy’s, Sears etc.)
v And also make the sale. (Keeping the money in the J.C. Penny store) $$$$$
v And have a happy committed customer. (By not sending them away, frustrated that they have been disappointed with their shopping experience). They have ordered the item, while in the store, and are now committed financially to it.
v Customers are tired of hearing, “We don’t have it in the store, but you can order it on line”, being dismissed by the Associate.
I am emailing you because I have been that frustrated customer as recently as Monday, June 20th, 2016. I use to work for J.C.Penny’s in the salon in the early 1980’s, and actually have an job interview (cashier/customer service) on Friday, June 24th, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. with either Ryan or Amy at the Washington Square Mall location in Beaverton Oregon.
I intended to buy my job interview outfit in that store for my Friday interview. But the store was a mess and no one had the desire to assist me. I walked from one area to another only to be ignored or not seen. (Well, maybe security saw me). The department layout was confusing and unorganized for serious shopping. When a customer needs something quickly, they need to go into the store to actually, touch, try on, decide, and immediate get any item.
That’s right. I walked down to Macy’s and bought my outfit there. Sure Macy’s is a mess too, but I was somewhat waited on there.
J.C.Penny’s has really slide downhill since I worked there from 1981 to 1984. Customer’s time is valuable, un-organized merchandise, invisible staff, confusing department layouts only lead me on a exhausting shopping experience there that day.
Perhaps, someone can study photographs of the store layouts of successful decades past? Follow the layout? Good for you to bring back the appliance/home improvement departments. Maybe the bridal and sewing departments will come back as well? I always thought J.C. Penny’s lost serious revenue when the removed the sewing department in the mid 1980’s. Especially since Quilting took off so well in the 1990’s.
Thank you,
Christiana
