J.C. Penney cuts an additional 2,200 workers

[Berlin Expat]

16. I think a concept like that

would go over pretty well.

I remember the Sears up in the Vancouver Mall in the early 1980s; they had a restaurant, everything was easy to find, staff was reasonably plentiful. I also recall a Sears store down in Los Angeles in the mid-70s, with their "Bargain Basement" - this was in one of their older, free-standing stores before they moved to the suburban malls - and my folks and I would go there regularly. In the 90s, Meier & Frank up in the northwest had restaurants in quite a few of their stores. The food, as I recall, was quite good. K-Mart also used to have that as well. I remember going to K-Mart with my parents regularly, and dining in the restaurant; they also had something like a deli where you could buy sandwiches as well.

I think a retro store concept as you described, especially in more rural or exurb areas, would be a hit.