JCPenney Doesn't Need My Business!
Things are always bad in the news, but one place is a shining light on the economical firmament. Storied old JCPenney is doing really well, these days.
I used to work for JCPenney, store 948-0 in Norfolk, Nebraska, years ago. It was a great job and I met some really great people there. Constant Lurker will remember that I am loyal to businesses that do a good job for me. But JCPenney is testing that loyalty, now.
I was shopping at the JCPenney Web site a while back (last summer) and was about to check out when I realized I wasn’t actually logged-in. I’m a Big Guy. I own that. I’d selected a few shirts from their Big&Tall collection and was at the point where we pull out and heat-up the old VISA card when the site wouldn’t let me in.
I never received any message from JCPenney, saying they were going to lock my account.
I never received any message from JCPenney telling me what I had to do to get it reopened.
I never received any message from JCPenney explaining what I had done to be locked out.
All I got was the banner saying, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Mark, we’ve looked things over and decided that we’re doing so well that we don’t need your business. Maybe you should check with Kohls or DXL or one of those other sites—we don’t actually know where we’re going to put all of the money that just keeps pouring in, here.”
Well, no that’s not actually what it said, but that’s what it felt like.
Anyway, they had one of those chat-bubble icons and I clicked on it and a woman texted back and forth with me and assured me she’d get my account turned on right away. I forgot about it until last week when I came back and tried again. Still locked.
I tried the chat bubble again, and “Jackson” promised me he would have things turned back on within a day or so. Over the weekend it was still locked, so I clicked again. This time “Rebeca” explained she would personally see to it that everything was restored and I could buy the four flannel shirts I’d wanted.
This morning (wait for it) I still cannot get logged into JCPenny.com.
They keep telling me they’re sending e-mails to me with links to get in, and I keep explaining that I do not receive these e-mails. They patiently explain that I should check my “Spam” and “Junk” folders, because, you know, old fat guys don’t know how to use e-mail since 1983.
James Cash Penney wouldn’t put up with this. I know that.
