I haven't checked out the Semi-Annual Sale yet --- today, because it's currently like the Winter Olympics outside with everything frozen over and no one here is looking to break a hip.
It is so bad, that even the mall closed early yesterday --- but I have been reading on social postings from those who have shopped the sale and their perceptions of it.
One particular point that was made was the Pricing on the Bring Backs. Fail.
Well before Christmas, shoppers have been talking about the upcoming SAS and what they are getting...even while shopping the BIG DAYS $4.95 body care sales. They were hoping when these new fragrances were released, they would be set along the same price points.
It didn't happen.
Will there be days of stalled sales as shoppers wait for the reduction next week as workers push to make their daily sales goals?
Will there be days of price adjustments when they finally do drop --- or will stores not allow them (to keep the sales goals).
Will the powers that be give the customers what they want, when they expect it?
To be determined.
After reading so many posts, I am left with the thoughts of one of my favorite stores (from years ago) that felt that change was a good thing (remember ELLEN's screaming commercial???) ...and today's article published on TheStreet still reminds of me of the small mistakes made then, and the lingering effect it still has on the brand.
When out of town recently I went to a ghost mall and walked the aisles of that JCPenny's where I spent all of my money at one time on everything from Home to Fashion. There was one person on the floor, not at a register and only found on my way out of the building after wandering the vastness of unstocked aisles.
The silence of the store was loud. The offerings were unlike any I have ever seen, and I noticed just how low the quality fell with the "change for the better." A once bustling with customers and staff store, with customers standing in long lines to check out in with products they waited for the weekly sale to get, has become a -- sad chapter in history.
I am not a CEO of anything except those things I am in charge of in my life. Heavy IS the head that wears that crown and change is not always perceived as a good thing...for a reason. A great idea may not always work, but there will always be another that can. Like building that original tree icon of the brand we must look for a path that is part of the journey.
Hiring celebrity "influencers" for a SAS ad was interesting...and expected. I understand the demographic that's in the crosshairs of the brand currently --- which is not me. I am one of those customers who were with this brand supporting it from its very roots at the beginning and is expected to continue to support with its growth...while the new branches of this tree reach out to attract the next generations to sustain it.
My hope is that one of my favorite brands does not follow the path of one of my other favorite brands before them -- by leaving the tree to wither to another sad chapter in history.
What went wrong with JCPenney
Analysts attribute JCPenney's decline to a major rebranding effort in 2011 under the then-newly appointed CEO, Ron Johnson, who introduced a new logo and redesigned stores to promote a more modern department store concept.
At the same time, JCPenney abandoned its long-standing promotional pricing strategy, replacing frequent sales and coupons with everyday low pricing. It also reduced its private-label offerings to focus on national brands.
The change failed to resonate with its core customers and instead created a perception of higher prices.
"For the JCPenney shopper, the brand experience wasn't just about the final price paid," said Marketing Expert Roy Harmon. "It was about the psychological thrill of the hunt. Customers loved the sense of 'winning' by stacking coupons and catching a great sale. By removing the discounts, Johnson removed a key source of perceived value and delight. Customers, confused and alienated by the new approach, fled in droves."