J. C. Penney Reviews in Kansas City, MO Area

Pros

I internd with JCPenney. The Internship program was a great learning experience. You are truly recognized as a member of the management staff.

Cons

Work is very time consuming. You are required to work over 40 hours a week as a sales manager. Many associates also don't relize all the background work that goes into being a superior manager.

Advice to Senior Management

Employment could be structured better to allow for future advancement in career. More visits from corporate would also allow for individual stored to achieve higher sales.

Pros

It was a wonderful expereince working with the public and learning cash management skills. Also great learning up selling to customers.

Cons

Long hours during holidays.
Schedule changes and odd hours.
Short shifts are not worth it.
blah blah blah balh blah

Advice to Senior Management

Pay closer attention to assoicates who work hard. Scheduling more hours would be helpful for employees. Also more training from managers.

Pros

solid company. many long term associates. many long term customers out there that will continue to shop at jcpenney will keep the company afloat during this economic upheaval time. i believe penneys will survive this time because of that fact... also if other newer stores have to close shop it will help bring the customers back to us. my experiences with penneys have been positive in the fact that "out there" stability is not the norm. when i came to work here the longeveity of the workers was pretty suprising. I see some upheavel now with the recent change in upper mgmt.

Cons

the few downsides i noticed from the field seem to be the adversity to change. we have done things this way for so long, so we don't need to change. coming in a fairly short time ago i have ideas that might make life easier and often they get shot down before even trying them. i also think more functions could be pushed out to the field that are handled at the home office, if this was to change i would feel better about career advancement for where i am at right now, since i am not able to move at this time advancement is nill.

Advice to Senior Management

none at this time. We are all just trying to keep our heads above water at the moment.

Pros

The profit sharing plan, insurance, and retirement benefits were all very good compared to other employers in the area. But within the last few years that has changed pretty much across the board in most companies, not just JCP. When I first went to work there, the employees were like a family and the work environment was pleasant. The department I worked in for the longest amount of time was really a good group of people and they knew how to be team players. My opportunities for advancement were great, but I think it was more about me being in the right place at the right time and having the skills that the particular job called for. I knew people in other departments who had to work a lot longer than I did to get promotions, raises, etc. I doubled my starting salary in about 6 years, which was definitely faster than the norm. When I was hired, I was told that the average length of service was 20 years and that it was a goal of the company to train and promote from within. It was presented as a "positive" but of course now that is an outdated expectation because most people change jobs every 3 to 4 years. Many of the people I worked with over the years became friends of mine. We still keep in touch although I no longer work there and many of them have since retired or are working in other companies.

Cons

Sometimes promotions were given based on criteria outside of work, such as who your golfing buddies are, or what kind of parties you have at your home and who you invite. If you are female (married or unmarried) and in management, sometimes it is expected (as in part of your job description) that you be particularly friendly with certain male colleagues or superiors at work and even at certain company sponsored events away from work. People who refuse to play along are kept at a certain level or often moved to different areas of the company where there is continued pressure to cooperate, they are fired, or they choose to leave by mutual decision. But those who play the game well are rewarded with things such as raises, job security, or even a cover up for their mistakes. I know a female colleague who is a serious alcoholic and has come to work numerous times with breath smelling of alcohol (even keeping a flask in her briefcase) but because of the colleagues and members of management she partied with and knew on a personal level, she was never disciplined at work. Over the years, numerous complaints have been made. She eventually retired with a full benefits package, a nice pension, and a boatload of company stock. I know a male colleague who constantly makes mistakes in his work and quite a few bad decisions about how the department is handled, but because his golfing buddies are higher ups in the company and he has friends at the corporate level, he has never been held accountable for any of it. His retirement is now safely within reach. A female colleague has had numerous affairs with male members of management at various levels over a 15 year period which eventually ruined her marriage, but it enabled her to reach a 6 figure income and a nice nest egg for retirement. In recent years, there has been a high turnover in the particular department where I worked. Procedures were simplified to take away most of the decision making skills that used to be required. Training has been severely limited for new hires and the seasoned employees are now retiring or are reaching the age where they will consider retirement within the next few years. This has led to the hiring of less than desirable employees with substandard skills and a questionable work ethic. There used to be a balance of about 60-40, 60% full time positions and 40% part time, both considered regular employees with benefits, but in the last few years the balance has shifted to more part time positions without benefits and seasonal part-time help. Instead of teamwork and being concerned for how each job fits together to form a department and how it reflects positively or negatively on the department as a whole, the division, the entire company, etc., each individual person seems to only be concerned with a bare minimum, doing only as much as it takes to get by. It is about the same effort one would expect of 16 year old on his first job working behind the fast food counter for minimum wage. It is in the company's best interest to expect more from their workers and hire someone capable of the established standards. If the pool of prospective employees is at such a low level, perhaps the company should offer a more comprehensive training session to get them up to speed and weed out the ones who can't attain it. But I'm not sure management gets that concept.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay closer attention to the quality of the new hires. If you're paying more than minimum wage, you should expect a higher calibre. By the same token, it is necessary for adequate compensation, especially to someone who is head of household and has a family to support. If you want someone to care about your company, your products and/or services, and your customers, you have to be willing to give incentives to keep good workers and make the hard decision to terminate when circumstances warrant it. Re-write policies if necessary to determine how promotions and wage adjustments are given so that workplace performance is the primary criteria and that supporting evidence of exemplary performance and skills must be documented in the review. JCP should be a respectable company, not a social club. I am sure Mr. Penney would have wanted it that way.