Macy's has done this for a while with certain items. I've noticed what they call "everyday pricing" on some of the clothing basics.

I think it is a good idea for JCPenney's to try, but I will be glad when they stop broadcasting the commercials of the people screaming. About 5 seconds into the commercial - which they are running a lot - I have to scramble for the TV remote to lower the sound.

I've been waiting on a price drop/sale for their linden street slipcovers. In the last 3 mos. they continue to increase and of course with less options. Love the slipcovers and have bought two sets, but that was a year ago and there were half the price showing up now. Would love to know if they have an outlet. If they state lower prices, I suspect they will increase prices then drop just to think we are getting something at a great price. Of course they could easily change all the brands, get rid of what they were known for. They are irritating me beyond, have never bought anything else from them.

I think it is a great idea, if it is honest. I feel foolish buying things that aren't on sale or without a coupon, and apparently I am not alone if only 0.2 percent of sales are full price. What... they didn't notice this years ago? I have always hated the hoops they make us jump through with coupons and phony sales.

I can't grab the remote fast enough when their over-the-top, irritating ads come on!!! I thought Target's Christmas ads were bad, but these are the worst I've ever seen!

Me too natal. I can't figure out why all the people are screaming, but I can't wait to turn it off.

What irritates me the most is getting a flyer in the paper every day or the mail. Since we are about 85-90 percent Hispanic now, there is very little to tempt me even going there. they cater to them almost exclusively.

I heard this on the radio the other day. It is an interesting idea. I don't buy there often, but I have bought curtains there which I liked a lot.

I will definitely be checking prices on some furniture once this starts.

I sent an email to JCP to comment on their offensive (to me) ad. I keep the remote handy at all times so I can hit mute real fast! Looking forward to seeing if (and how) they respond to my note.

Kohls is like this also. Nothing is every sold at full price, full price is a joke.

Didn't Sears try this a few years ago-making everyday prices cheaper and doing fewer sales? I don't think it worked out well.

I've mentioned it here before but I will mention it again. There are laws regarding advertising an item as 'on sale'.
Here is part of the law from my state:

b) the former (regular) price is equal to or below the price(s) at which the
seller offered the product for a reasonably substantial period of time in the recent regular course of its business, openly and actively and in good faith,
with an intent to sell the product at that price(s).

So Pennys says ". . . only 0.2 percent of sales came from full price items."

Sounds like manipulative pricing practices to me.

And I like Pennys for their tall department, but geesh!

Here is a link that might be useful: IL Attorney General

I think it is interesting, but not sure how I feel about it's chances for success. I'm pretty much a bottom line shopper, but so many people seem to be motivated by how much they "save" or the have to get it now while it's on sale.

Stein Mart annoys me because they have coupons I don't seem to be getting any more and then they have those one day sales on days when we are out of town, hosting a marching competition -- never a day when I can shop, so I don't go there very often because I feel like I should have gotten a better price.

And those 2 and 4 hour deals I'm getting in emails from other stores? Sorry -- I don't live at the computer and don't want to increase the time I am here.

Lascatx - you can print coupons off Steinmart's website.

"And I like Pennys for their tall department, but geesh!"

Your Penney's has a tall DEPARTMENT??
Lucky you!

I am lucky to find anything tall there....

LuAnn, they have a lot of tall online. I still wear a brown blazer I bought years ago (and it's washable and packable too!)

I'm curious to see how this ends up.

The commercials...I heard the screams the other day and wondered what in the world??

The main thing I seem to buy from JCP is curtains because they're more in my price range. However, if I had an Ikea near me, I'd drop them (curtains) like a hot potato. Too bad Ikea doesn't ship. I have bought some bath towels and a few small rugs from JCP but that's about it.

I'm tired of needing special coupons for everything. I'm not a coupon person. I'll dig to find one when there's something specific and pricey that I want but I find it annoying. Please just put the stuff on sale and be done with it.

Slightly off topic, but I also just love (sarcasm) those little cards that take up space on my keychain. Again, put the stuff on sale and be done with it!

natal and marti, I am dealing with a wicked head cold. The screaming is killing me. No matter how quiet the TV is on, that screaming starts, I want to scream too.

ugh

Am I the only one who hates JC Penny? I have never found anything there I like.

Do you want it on sale or for a fair price? Is there such a thing as both anymore?

I know there's times I'll consider an item just because it has such a large markdown. I probably never would have given it a second glance otherwise.

I wish I could explain my own illogical shopping behavior when I do this, but sometimes I just baffle myself.

Penney's quality isn't what it once was. Dh wears talls and for years he was able to buy great shirts and pants from Penney's. Now the things he picks up are similar in quality to Walmart. I'm no longer impressed.

Just the other day I was feeling a bit nostalgic about the old days when the only sales in most stores were end of season ones. There was a real "thrill of the hunt" feel about those sales. "Will they have what I want in the color I want in my size?" If you found something you really wanted before the sales you had to decide whether or not to buy it at full price or take the chance on them still having it at sale time. Those were the days! lol

flower, re: "What irritates me the most is getting a flyer in the paper every day or the mail. Since we are about 85-90 percent Hispanic now, there is very little to tempt me even going there. they cater to them almost exclusively."

Who is them?

I wondered the same thing, anele. That certainly struck me as a thinly-veiled racist comment. I hope that's not at all what the poster intended, but I'll admit - I felt a little sick upon reading those words.

The ad is more annoying then the Gieco flying pig!!

Shesharee, if you have a smartphone you can get the KeyRing app and scan all your loyalty cards to your phone.

Maybe THAT is why Costco is so successful! No sales...best price...easy returns....satisfied customers mostly!

AuntJen, I had the same sick feeling. I hope we are wrong.

Gscience - I don't have one but that does sound like a nice feature.

Hiwthi - Hey now, I like that little piggy. :) I know, I know...it makes no sense.

Ack...I agree! So tired of all the promotions. JCP, Sears, Safeway...all of them. Just give me your best price...and if I really value an item, I will buy it. I am so tired of daily coupons in the mail (Macy's, Kohl's)...for the $$$ they spend clogging my mailbox (and email)...they could just offer decent prices, period. And, I don't want to "join" anything...I just want to shop. My favorite (not!) is when you are in a ridiculously long slow-moving line...and the cashier is offering to open a credit account for someone, so that they can save 10% (today only!) Seriously???? Yep, those monthly fees are far more profitable than customer satisfaction...sad!

OK...rant over. Costco and Target still in good standing.

L.

"you can print coupons off Steinmart's website."

I've done that once or twice, but the preferred customer ones I'm supposed to get? It also means I have to plan ahead to go there rather than stopping in while running another errand.

Just received the new Penney's catalog in the mail. Beautiful, like a magazine, but very confusing. I can't imagine how you order something from it.

The screaming ad is annoying, but how many of you knew instantly that it was for JCPenney? That is ALL they care about -- memorability.

I have been saying for years that JCP goes overboard with a new "one day sale" every day. I just bought upholstered window valences there for 70% off, but I didn't "save" 70%, because I wouldn't have paid the outrageous full listed price in the first place.

I too wonder if it will be successful. I know it's irrational, but I often find myself buying something because of the sale. Plus, there's always my justification to DH -- but it was 50% off! Think of all the money I just saved us! Ha!

AuntJen/Anele - I thought the exact same thing about that post. Kept rereading it hoping I would think something else. I do hope we are wrong.

shee, I love pigs, but that one is annoying. LOL

I like this new pricing strategy a lot! I have not bought anything at JCPenney's since year 2007 but that year I bought lamps on sale, sheer curtains, a clock and pictures for my bathroom that I loved. I bought socks but they were very cheap and I gave them away. Their clothes do not fit me well. The last time I went to the store, they had just about no pictures and everything had to be bought from the catalogue. But I prefer shopping at places that I do not have to keep waiting for a sale.

If you think the TV ad is bad...wait til you recieve their email. If their site is going to be this confusing and irritating...I wouldn't be able to figure out how to buy anything. Plus they are going to the "deal of the day" route, which is becoming the norm for a lot of retailers, but also bugs me. Not buying in a day or playing who comes first.

What will they do with all that is on sale now? Will the sale prices become their standard prices?

I want the sales! Give me a choice.

I too found the new catalog very confusing. It gives so little information about the products and the photos are terrible. Clearly it caters to youth, imitating the other "cool" fashion catalogs out there.

The quality of most all clothing has gone down, not just the JCP lines. I used to depend on Lands End for quality, but I notice the difference in quality and finishing between my old LE coats and the current stuff. And other people are seeing the same thing with LLBean clothing according to the on-line reviews.

On the other hand, the LE clothing is less expensive comparatively than it used to be.

I'm reading here and thinking "what screaming commercial are they talking about?". I'm not one of those people who claim they don't watch tv, I do, but I don't know that I've ever seen that commercial. The other night while watching tv, I go into the kitchen during a commercial break and hear all this screaming from the tv. I think "aha! that must be the ad they mean" but I was too late to see it by the time I got back into the LR. If it wasn't that ad then there are multiple, annoying, screaming ads currently airing.

I think I often get up and leave the room during commercials so that must be why I've missed the ad. I'd like to claim to be noble & good and say I get up and exercise during commercial breaks but really I'm probably just refilling my water glass and using the bathroom.

I don't know why but I never think to shop at JCPenney, I'll only shop at Kohl's when they send me the 30% off coupons, and, sadly, I don't have any Costcos nearby so I can't shop there.

auntjen, "thinly veiled?" [snort]
flowergirl70ks, I, too, am curious as to who is "we" and who is "them"? I guess you don't get out much to discover there's something for everyone in pretty much every store. How sad to limit yourself in such a manner.

(More meandering thoughts..)
I have the TV on all day long and have no idea what the screaming ads are. I'm in the Washington, DC area, so maybe it's regional? I am not fond of the wheeeeeeee pig of Geico, but it is rather cute.

I loved Target's ads with that silly blonde so terribly emotional over Target's Christmas sales. They were just soooo silly and she played such an innocently overwhelmed person. I laughed every time.

I admit, though, it's never occurred to me to shop at Target, Sears, JC Penny, or Macy's. Macy's used to be higher end, and I shopped there before they assimilated every other store in the entire universe. Hecht's in DC was pre-Macy's.

But it's the silly way I was raised. My mom and sisters have even discussed why and how we'd pay so much for so little (or the same that could be had elsewhere) all our lives. It wasn't a price issue, obviously, it was just where we shopped. Then, at 45 I moved to the 'burbs and there was a ... [drum roll] WALMART! I channeled the silly blonde lady...

Nowadays, I do all my shopping online. I buy cat food, litter, gas and groceries (every couple of months) at BJ's, but that's about it. If I shop, it's via computer and then thru ebates. I love how easy it is to comparison shop, altho there are too many sites like that, now. I still suck at hunting out the best deal. I buy what I like and don't look back. Thank goodness at this stage in life, I've discovered the Community Forklift and have always liked the antiqued, well-loved look. C'est la vie!

I've always wondered, though, that if stores can mark things down so very far, why are they overcharging so much in the 1st place?

I think the Target lady (Maria Bamford) is hilarious. We have caught some of her stand-up routines on the comedy channels and she is one of the funniest and weirdest comediennes out there!

The pig was funny the first couple of times I saw him (her?). Now, not so much. The wheeeeee is obnoxious!

Here is an article discussing Penney's pricing strategy. 'Rather than inundating the customer with a relentless series of sales, coupons, rebates and retail gimmicks,...

It takes a lot of people and the marketing budget to manage coupons, rebates etc. Hopefully cutting out this aspect of the business will save both the consumers and the company money.

I like to think of this type of pricing structure caters to the more informed consumer rather a consumer who thinks 75% off is 75% off the market bearing price. Those types of sales usually have a fictitious 'before' price.

Here is a link that might be useful: Furniture Today

A post above says they will have a deal of the day -- How is that consistent with dropping the sales and having regular low pricing strategy?

OMG.
Of course, now, I've just seen the screaming ad.

I was living in blissful ignorance and now...
I'm ruined.

It's exhausting for me to compare prices in 5 different stores for the same item. People don't have time for games and that's all this advertising is. Every large store will now conform to the every day price thing. You will just have to pick your favorite or closest store to shop.

I was at the mall last night and decided to check out JC Penney's new prices. Maybe it was just the items I looked at, but I didn't feel that the prices were low at all. Definitely could have gotten a better price when they used to run their sales. Wondered if anyone else felt the same?

I haven't been in a JCP recently other than to take my son back and exchange some shirts he bought while shopping with friends for something he could still wear after washing and drying. He got some very inexpensive shirts and they were ok in quality, but not anything I think he'll have for the long hail. But I think that is true of most clothing in most stores -- they want us to buy more often and the economy has pressured prices to stay low or get lower, so fabric is thinner, items cut smaller and shorter and the construction is not as good. Anyone else noticed more lost or broken buttons in the last couple of years?

I thought about the JCP pricing policy change when I saw a furniture store advertising a timed sale this weekend -- the earlier you come, the greater the discount. The limited time hype/bigger discount pitch seem to be pretty well entrenched into the shopping psyche. I'm not so sure one store can impact an overall change in that. Time will tell.

I bet JC Penny is lowering their prices but probably not as cheap as their cheapest sale prices were. Sears did this a number of years ago and it didn't work out so well. People realized the prices they were paying were higher then when they had been on sale.

I'm so disappointed in Penney's; only go there with a $10 off $10 or more coupon. Used to buy St. John's Bay; their quality has gone way down. Same with Kohl's; everything looks like a rag! and of course all made in a foreign country. I can buy better shirts at better quality at K-Mart for gosh sake.

The screaming ad makes my dog howl.... :/

Ladies, it is not racist to note that stores gear their inventories to match ethnic and economic demographics. It's all about maximizing sales and profits, and the stores are there to sell to the people who walk in the door.

CEFreeman, go to the JCPenney store in Marley Station Mall, Glen Burnie, and then visit the JCP in Columbia Mall and tell me you don't see a difference - the Glen Burnie store stocks more lower end items, and has less of a selection of the higher end pieces. You will even see it in the drapery department.

When Hechts was still around, certain stores in the Washington, DC area had a better selection of clothing for African-American skin tones than others. I know this because as much as I like those colors, I can't carry them off with my paleness. I found clothing that looked better on me if I headed to Hechts in the suburbs where there was a larger white population.

Gracie, dh used to get the St. John Bay cotton polos with the metal buttons. Excellent quality! Was sad to see them disappear.