JCPenney Kicks Off Holiday Sales Today — Here’s What to Expect
Samantha McDonald
Business Editor
J. C. Penney Company Inc. is getting an early start to the retail holiday season.
The department store announced today that it has begun its Cyber Days event, which runs from Oct. 12 to 14. It added that weekend sales — with Black Friday-like pricing — will be available throughout the month of November, while it will continue to offer markdowns in December.
“It’s especially important to bring personal traditions into focus this holiday season, and we encourage shoppers to rely on JCPenney for all they need to make the holidays meaningful and memorable,” CEO Jill Soltau said in a statement. “JCPenney is a true authority on quality and value for everyone’s holiday shopping list.”
In time for the holidays, the Plano, Texas-based chain introduced new brands at its stores, including wellness and personal care items from Philips Sonicare and SensorPEDIC, as well as glassware from Schott Zwiesel and kitchen tools from Nordic Ware and Taste of Home.
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What’s more, JCPenney has also expanded its selection of toys from Lego, Mattel, Fisher-Price and Disney Collection, plus it touted its exclusive labels such as Liz Claiborne, Worthington, Arizona Jeans Co. and Linden Street.
“We have been working to secure partnerships with new national brands and to expand our product offerings as part of our efforts to provide compelling merchandise and deliver an engaging shopping experience to our customers,” Soltau said. “Safety remains JCPenney’s No. 1 priority and is at the forefront of all our efforts to give our customers the utmost confidence that they can effortlessly and conveniently shop with us in-store and online.”
As it prepares for increased foot traffic at its locations, JCPenney shared that its employees will enforce store capacity limits and social distancing within line queues. It said the measures are on top of the safety precautions already in place like requiring face masks, enhanced cleaning of high-touch areas and holding back returned and tried-on merchandise from the selling floor overnight. Customers can also expect touchless checkout options, including the mobile wallet in the JCPenney app, as well as contact-free curbside pickup.
JCPenney’s Cyber Days event coincides with Amazon Prime Day, which will be held on Oct. 13 and 14 following several coronavirus-induced delays. Big-box giants Target and Walmart are also staging their own competing shopping extravaganzas: While Target’s Deal Days takes place on Oct. 13 and 14, Walmart’s Big Save event runs from Oct. 11 to 15.
