JCPenney Is Quietly Firing More Store Employees After A 'Secret Broadcast'

[Sherman A1]

JCPenney is quietly eliminating more positions in its stores company-wide, sources familiar with the matter told us.

Store managers watched a "secret broadcast" on Tuesday afternoon, where they were informed that stores must prepare to "work harder with less" in 2013.

"Service Leaders," "administrative assistants," and "office/cash room associates" are being cut from the hierarchy, effective on April 5, sources told us.

There's no word yet on exactly how many people the cuts will affect, and there has been no official announcement from JCPenney. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/jcpenney-quietly-firing-more-store-140801863.html

[joeybee12]

1. They need to get rid of the guy at the top

Who has made this mess.

[RockaFowler]

3. Yep

He has destroyed that store

Not sure how many of you have gone into a JCP lately, but the aisles are flooded with merchandise. How do they expect people to move around there?? They haven't messed with my JCP Salon yet, but I have a feeling they may soon. Not sure what was so broken with JCPenney before this idiot took over

[kcass1954]

23. And the one I go to in Ft Lauderdale is the opposite.

The aisles are not crowded. There is usually someone in most departments for assistance. So much better than before. And I'm good without the fake sales.

So far, the salon is not changed. They did lower the prices some last year. My haircut went from $42 to $36. (I very briefly considered lowering my tip, then changed my mind. I don't know if my hairdresser's pay went down as a result, but figured that I could well afford the extra buck or two.)

[Ikonoklast]

6. He didn't make the mess...but, he is making it worse.

The theory that CEO's are 'plug-ins' to any type of business is ridiculous.

Ron Johnson knows squat about retail, JCP doesn't have legions of gullible fanbois anxiously awaiting the release of their every new toy.

[HiPointDem]

9. you might consider the theory that they're deliberately destroying the company.

Looting: The Economic Underworld of Bankruptcy for Profit

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=227162

[KamaAina]

10. Time for Mittwit to swoop in

[Sherman A1]

16. Precisely

JCP was suffering from many of the same pressures that other Retailers are suffering. Nevertheless he did not help the situation at all with his plan.

[Beacool]

7. Bingo!!!

The CEO is the one who should be axed.

As usual, it's the employees who have to pay for the mistakes of their management team, just like in Wall Street.

[dr.strangelove]

8. I think he had a fantastic idea, but people are too dumb and he failed to realize how dumb we are

His notion to eliminate fake discounts and be upfront with customers worked on me. I stopped shopping at JCP years ago but went back last year when he stopped all the fake discount BS. I loved it.

He priced a men's dress shirt at $25. Not $35 and every week on sale for 25% off and on super sales 35% off (which nets tehm an average of $25 per shirt), he just set the actual price they expected to sell and cut out the bullshit. Turns out people would rather be told they are getting a $35 shirt for $28 or $25 when in fact that shirt has never once been sold for $35. I liked the idea, but I was one of the few. The shirts are back up to $35 and 30% off.

[JDPriestly]

11. Yes. I hate the fake discount deals.

I priced the single per item cost of a certain type of clothing at another store that had a sale of buy-two-get-one-free with J.C. Penney's price for just one item. It was the same. And I only wanted one of the item. J.C. Penney's had the better deal.

But then I shopped at Penney's at Christmas and could not find what I wanted at all. I was not impressed.

They have a good, fundamental idea and were cash-rich when this new guy took over (as I recall), but they aren't doing the right things. And I don't think they are advertising as much as they should or as effectively as they should.

Good place to buy from on-line in my opinion.

[sendero]

14. Nobody ever lost money..

.... underestimating the intelligence of the American public.

I agree with you - the phoney pricing model is just irritating but it works well on morons who cannot figure out what an item is actually worth.

[JI7]

17. i use to work at a place where we didn't sell a top at regular price but

i raised the price of the item and put it on some sale rack and ended up selling it . i actually raised the price enough so that the sale price would be more than what we had it at regular price just to see what would happen.

jc penney also use to send out some gift card thing around people's birthdays. not worth much but since there was no minimum people would go feeling they wont have to spend anything but of course most people end up finding other things they like or more expensive things so they end up spending more. without the coupon they might never have gone there.

[dr.strangelove]

21. retail fashion !!!

I worked retail in high school and was amazed at how dumb people are. We once got a few boxes of these velour shirts at $5 per shirt. The store listed them at $40 per shirt, marked down to $25 per shirt and marked them off on clearance to 2 for $25 or $15 each. We sold out in a day. Has we just put the shirts out for $10 per shirt, I bet we would never have sold out.

[upaloopa]

2. How much CEO compensation and upper management bonus and salaries

will be cut?

[Angry Dragon]

4. Your post belongs in the Humor Forum

[marybourg]

5. They ought to fire their website designer.

If you order something, instead of listing the size(s) of the item you ordered, it states "one size" even when the item comes in multiple sizes. This happened twice, and caused me to not complete my order and never order again, although I have been buying household linen from them for many years. It's easy enough to make a mistake when ordering online, without the merchant encouraging it.

[KittyWampus]

12. was going to say- have used JCP for home linens, curtains, bedding for years. It's their strong suit

IMO

[marybourg]

15. Yes, I still use their bed linens and towels bought 20+

years ago. But, between no longer selling "open Stock" bed linen (who knew that bed linen WAS open stock when you bought a flat sheet) and not telling you what size item you're going to receive, they've dug their own grave. I'm now buying linens at off price retailers like Beall's and Tuesday Morning and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

[JaneyVee]

13. And of course the private sector will reward the CEOs terrible performance with a golden parachute.

[Octafish]

18. They have no customers is the problem.

Fewer and fewer people have the scratch to buy stuff anymore. Those few that do have money, don't shop there.

[FarCenter]

19. Unlike Steve Jobs, CEOs rarely make a large positive contribution, but they can really screw up

CEO pay bonuses should not be tied to increases in corporate profitability, since it is very rare that something a CEO does will have a big positive effect on a corporation. They can set a standard of excellence for middle management and employees, but that takes years to mature and for the managers and employees to attain excellence.

On the other hand, CEOs should be penalized substantially whenever a corporation takes a big hit in profitability or has to report an extraordinary loss. These are often the result of something a CEO has done wrong -- a big reorganization or relocation, a major change in a product or service, a merger or acquisition gone wrong, etc.

[Zax2me]

20. Doesn't look like they are going to make it.

More on the unemployment line.
sad.

[SoCalDem]

22. JCP forgot what they were..

They were always an alternative..a lower cost alternative to the higher priced department stores.

They were the gap between the discount stores, and the upper crusty stores.

They were replaced by Target/Kmart

When Mainstreet was the marketplace Sears/Wards/Penneys were the places where ordinary folks shopped. People in the outlying areas could use the catalog feature to shop at home (now we go online). Locals could browse the stores.

These days there is really no "need" for middle/lower priced department stores. Everybody has everything these days and there are outlets & TJMaxx style stores everywhere.

Wards bellied up, and Sears partnered with Kmart (lowering standards that were on their way down already), and now JCP is nearing the end of its useful life-cycle..

In the "olden days" ordinary people could get credit from Sears/Wards/Penneys when no one else would issue them credit.. Now 18 yr old kids & aged seniors with little or no income can get a credit card that's usable anywhere..

It;s just the end of their "life".