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Kathy Truong
Art 206
Professor Davis
Fall Quarter 2013
Retail Career Assignment
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Men's jeans are a staple apparel in clothing whether it be for young men fresh out of high
school or even older men in their retirements due to its high popularity and creative styles to suit
each individual; jeans will never go out of fashion. Jeans are a classic regardless of the time
period since its styles are in constant change to adapt to the fashion cycles and trends of certain
time periods. Men's jeans are a main necessity in daily life from social events even to working.
JC Penney has been a long time favorite American department store with competitors
such as Macy's, Sear's and Nordstrom. JC Penney still strives hard with their JCP rewards,
advertisements and sales promotions for gather back their loyal clientele as well as bring in
younger and newer ones into the world of JC Penney. JC Penney locations are in multiple malls
such as Westfield malls and local outlets throughout the United States as well as Puerto Rico.
This diverse department store offers more than everything in a one stop shop such as cosmetics,
fragrance, and skincare in Sephora inside JC Penney, furniture and appliances in the home
department, salon services and supplies, portraits, men's, women's and children's clothing and
accessories along with their new Disney department, shoes and so much more. Even though the
corporate office of JC Penney has been undergoing multiple changes resulting in lower stocks,
JC Penney still attempt to perform its best to better cater to their clientele. There is a reason for
JC Penney's long lasting thrive due to its wide variety of assortments, online and in store offers
and excellent customer service.
In relations to men's jeans, "At jcpenney, we understand that men come in all shapes and
sizes, with clothing preferences that range from casual to dressy. That’s why when it comes to
jeans for men, we carry a wide range of brands, fits and washes for every personality and
occasion. For a modern approach to style, try our skinny jeans for men. Need something more
classic? We also have straight fit, bootcut and relaxed from Levi’s®, Arizona, Carhartt® and
more. So whatever you’re in the market for, from cargo or carpenter jeans to slim or loose,
you’re sure to find the right pair of mens jeans when you browse our jeans for men" (JCP.com).
JC Penney offers multiple brands of men's jeans in store and more online in various sizes and
designs. The main topper is the organization of the jeans into different categories such as styles,
prices, occasions, ages, occasion, sizes, brands, and fit to better suit the shopping needs of
customers. Even their website offer such choices and more with an image for better visualization
for purchase.
JC Penney has multiple target markets, men's jeans especially since jeans are such a
staple in apparel that cater to men of any age and any size. In JC Penney, there is a focus on price
due to many sales promotions, clearance sections and JCP Rewards and coupons to promote
sales; however, there is a focus also on quality over price. The wide assortment of jeans offered
at JC Penney include jeans in style since there are name brand designers sold along with private
labels such as Arizona Jeans, therefore putting their jeans right in the middle of the fashion cycle
after the release of designers but before their lasting end in trend. There are designer brands
including Liz Claiborne, Levi's and more to keep their selection in style.
With constant internal reconfigurations, JC Penney hosts numerous advertisements
including T.V. commercials, mail catalogs, website and in store sales promoting their JCP
Rewards credit cards, coupons and discounts upon registration. Along with great sales
promotions, JC Penney also offers happy returns to keep their customers coming back to shop
boosting client loyalty. In addition in progressing JC Penney, JCP Care was created for donation
and charity. "J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP), one of the nation's largest apparel and
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home furnishing retailers, is undergoing a resurgence to become America's preferred retail
destination for unmatched style, quality and value. Across 1,100 stores and at jcp.com, customers
will discover an inspiring shopping environment that features the most sought after collection of
private, national and exclusive brands and attractions."
JC Penney has many competitors including other major department stores such as Macy's
and Nordstrom, however, there are many discount stores which are considered a more affordable
department store such as Ross, TJ Max, Marshalls and more. Ross, along with many other
discount stores compares itself to department stores like JC Penney with claims of 60% marked
down prices for designer name brand labels. Ross, owners of DD's Discounts, grab up designer
name brand labels when companies have overstocks or lacking in trend and sell them at a much
more affordable price in their stores, however, each and every Ross location differ in product,
price and style. Ross and other discount stores cater to a similar yet slightly different target
market such as those in smaller suburban areas with focus more on price point than quality.
In providing a more affordable assortment, Ross explains that "First, our buying teams
are located in the fashion centers in the United States – New York and Los Angeles. This allows
our buyers to have a pulse on the market and to work closely with manufacturers to negotiate the
best possible deals. By focusing on opportunistic buying strategies, Ross is able to offer great
savings to you. Second, Ross maintains strict controls on expenses and inventories. Our stores
are designed with "no frills". We have centralized check-out and simple fashion displays in order
to save money and pass our savings on to you. Third, we keep it fresh by buying different
merchandise for different stores. The savings are on the ticket. Compare our prices with theirs
and see how much you save." In addition to stores in the United States, Ross store locations are
also in Guam.
Since different Ross locations offer a different selection of products, styles, brands as
well as sizes, there is not much information on the Ross website other than contact information
and a mission statement. In store, there is an overcrowded floor of product just categorized by
sections of gender, age and assortment including shoes, sleepwear, luggage, home and pet. In
comparison to JC Penney, there is not much information gathered to better find the perfect
purchase online or in store due to lack of organization and customer service. In many Ross
locations, employees are just hired for cashier purposes or clean ups and go backs which
regresses customer service. In addition to different locations offering different assortments, there
are multiple brands in different locations, however, there isn't a certainty of each size, style or
color within that brand. Most Ross locations are located in busy streets of residential or
downtown cities such as one on Main Street in downtown Alhambra which is the nearest of
research.
Ross, as a discount store, aims for a slightly different target market of those in focus on
price than quality or even price and quantity. Ross does offer many varieties of products similar
to JC Penney such as sections for women's, kids', shoes, and others, however their products are
in the lower part of the fashion cycle right as the trend is out of fashion and style which was the
reason for their products being sold at a discount store. Just like department stores, Ross promote
their business via T.V. commercials, and newspaper advertisements, however, not much in sales
promotion such as clearance sales, coupons or rewards that customers favor more.
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JC Penney and Ross, in comparison, do offer a lot of the same products, such as men's
jeans, however, they are complete opposites in purchase in relations to price and quality. Due to
the fact that Ross is a discount store, meaning that their marketing team orders designer name
brand labels in shipments that were overstock, on sale or no longer in fashion, doesn't result in a
lower quality. However, it is more popular for women to shop at Ross and other discount stores
rather than men who tend to favor more quality over quantity or prices and would rather shop at
a department store that serves as a one stop shop. Also, most men tend not to shop for clothing
for themselves but rather the women in life do the shopping.
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Work Cited
1. "Jeans." Men's Jeans. JC Penney, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.jcpenney.com/men/jeans/cat.jump?id=cat100250010>.
2. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://ir.jcpenney.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=70528&p=irol-irHome>.
3. "Ross Dress for Less™ - Official Site." Ross Dress for Less™ - Official Site. Ross, n.d. Web.
28 Nov. 2013. <http://www.rossstores.com/sor_isn.aspx>.