An Open Letter To JC Penney's Corporate Office, Or

Dear JC Penney Corporate Office: "Twas the Tuesday before Christmas, And over at JC Penney, I looked for a sales person, but couldn?t find any. Frustrated almost to the point of tears, I left there and found a sales person at Sears"??On Tuesday, December 20, I was looking for Christmas presents for my wife, among them a black sweater. I went to JC Penney at Highland Mall in Austin since I could also visit other stores nearby. As you know, your women?s departments take up more than half of the ground floor. Four days before Christmas, I could not find a single sales person in any of the clothing departments. I walked over to the jewelry department and asked an associate to call someone. She did, barely. Just a generic request that, "A customer needs help on the Airport (Blvd) side of the store." I waited ten minutes. Still no help. At last! I see two employees evidently restocking merchandise. I walk up to one, a Hispanic lady. I ask her where I can find the sweaters. She waves to one entire side of the store, says "Es over there." I turn in the direction she?s waving, when I turn back to ask her "where, over there," she?s gone. I watch the two employees for a few minutes. Their only focus is on the merchandise. They never look to see if customers need assistance. Finally, I make one last pass through the store. Aha! I find sweaters. I select one in the right size. I go back to the cashier and pay for it. I just want to get the heck out of the store. I am no longer interested in buying anything else for my wife there. Ever. The cashier rings up the sale. I find out that the sweater is on sale for 50% off the regular price. Well, that makes me feel slightly better, but I have to wonder where the point of sale advertising was. You see, I don?t read your ads in newspapers. I respond to your point of sale advertising. At Christmas you have legions of shoppers like me who have to go boldly into stores and departments with which they are not familiar. (See my earlier post on this topic.) We, the clueless ones, need the help of experienced sales associates to make the right decisions. Does this quote sound familiar to you: "So far as the Penney Company is concerned, our first consideration is due to our customers. For without their confidence, we should soon find ourselves playing a losing game." That would be a quote from your founder, Mr. Penney, which I found on your Web site. Obviously you have strayed from your founder?s vision and I believe it is costing you money. I?d like to make the following recommendations: 1. Change your business strategy to focus on your customers, not on your merchandise. Let me be specific. You are a sales organization. You can merchandise all you want to, but merchandise will only take you so far. You must have extraordinary sales people whose skills match your merchandise. 2. Then revamp your HR department so that it identifies the competencies you need to field a best-of-class sales team. For example, part of the hiring process might take a prospect out on the floor where he or she must demonstrate the ability to match colors and accessorize. This competency leads to cross selling and up selling. 3. If this crimps your ability to restock during your busiest season, hire part time help to do that. They don?t need as much training as your sales team. Free your experienced sales staff to assist customers. 4. Reward your star performers with bonuses, recognition, and see that their successful practices are publicized throughout your chain. 5. Many people park outside your stores and walk through to get to the mall. How?s your point of sale advertising? Could you learn a lesson from Wal-Mart and have greeters who might point out sales? Years ago, my mother worked at Davison?s a department store in Atlanta. She was a genius at helping men who were shopping for their wives or girl friends. She would help them select the item they were looking for, then find accessories to match it. Her boss?s made it clear that her first priority was sales; her second priority was restocking merchandise and only when there were no customers needing assistance. Two final points: Later I went to Sears at Hancock Center. Every rack of merchandise had point of sale advertising. Penney?s Highland Mall did not. Second, both Sears and Kohl?s had sales people on the floor that helped me with my purchases. I thank those hard working sales people for their assistance. I will return to shop there when I know I need assistance. Actually, I?ll return to shop there even when I know I don?t need assistance. It?s about creating a positive experience for your customers, so that they want to come back; so that they brag about you to their friends. You can?t do that when your primary focus is on cost-cutting or on your merchandise. But wait-- your founder said it best: " The store that sells its wares for less but pays little attention to the service it renders does not meet with the success of the store with courteous employees. The public is not greatly interested in saving a little money on a purchase at the expense of service. Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement." Regards, Glenn

PS: This blog is NOT affiliated in any way, shape, or form with JC Penney. I am a customer, not an employee. While you are welcome to comment or email me, please don't do so thinking you're contacting anyone at Penney's.