An Old Standby That is Decent but Needs More Variety in Clothing Styles
JC Penney
I have never really been a big fan of JC Penney but have often shopped there on and offline for housewares, gifts, and clothing.
I have shopped on the site several times and, recently, used it to buy my son some work pants because his "disappeared" at the laundromat and he couldn't find the type he needed even at the local Penney's store.
I had an amazingly fast and easy transaction but, in the past, there were a few things I didn't like about shopping on the site.
Navigation and Ordering
JC Penney's online store has a lot of variety but is very light on clothing for some reason. There is clothing for the whole family, shoes, accessories, jewelry, home furnishing and accessories, and, now Sephora is part of the site.
I think you shop on the Sephora site and use your JC Penney card to make the purchase, and then return to JC Penney to continue shopping there. You can, at any time, use your JC Penney credit card to make Sephora purchases now.
Navigation is fairly easy with tabs for all major categories. There are a lot of specials and sales with links to each on the home page as well.
You can do a search but, unless you are very specific, you will get no or crazy results back.
Photos are good, descriptions are complete, and ordering is a one-click process. I have not noted a lot of out of stock items.
I like that you can mouse over a thumbnail and get more info, color choices, etc, before bothering to click on it. I have saved myself a lot of time by using the mouse over feature, seeing that I wasn't as interested in the product as I thought, and moving on.
There are lots of views — zooming, alternate colors, all sorts of ways to see the products before committing to buy.
Warning. Your cart will empty and you will be logged off the site after 10 minutes so, if you are surfing and shopping, oft to save your cart often so you don't lose it all. It happened to me and I went elsewhere and bought what I wanted because I was so ticked.
Click to add to your cart and, when you are finished shopping, you go to the check out.
Registered customers can save time by supplying their email address and previously chosen password. New customers can register or go on without doing so.
Shipping charges show up after you supply your personal info but before you pay. At times, there are shipping specials. I recently got my order shipped free via a promotion. Otherwise, you will be charged shipping and tax.
Provide a major credit card or JC Penny card and you are done.
You'll get a confirmation and shipping email and shipping is very fast, from my experience.
My Experience
I am not fond of the clothing or the prices in general at Penney's so I don't shop there often. However, when I have, I have had no major issues. I did have to return a pair of jeans and made the swap at a local store although I could have sent them back as well at my expense.
This last time, I needed two pairs of pants as soon a possible. I added a couple bras for myself (Oh, they were on sale and purple and who can't use more racer back bras?) and flew through the checkout process.
I had a free shipping promotional code which went through fine. I was charged 4% sales tax but don't know why since we are at 8% at this point but I'm happy with that.
I got a confirmation email and a shipping one with a tracking link a day later.
Two days later, I received my order in a beige plastic bag, with all contents intact.
That was fast! I had ordered on a Sunday evening/Monday morning and received my order on Wednesday afternoon.
All was fine and I was quite impressed
However, I am still not overly impressed with the regular shipping charges on the site and the limited clothing options. Sears has much more variety and similar quality (although I am not fond of Sears' customer service).
In all, I have not ever really had a big issue with Penney's. I have had to return items and had no problem doing so at the store (I get refunds minus shipping and handling) and customer service has always been decent to me when I needed it.
I have never made a huge purchase at Penney's but I wouldn't be afraid to. I have about four stores surrounding me so, if need be, I could deal with the stores face to face and probably get any problems solved.
This last experience was excellent. Easy, fast, no shipping charges, and everything was fine. Overall, I have only had issues with the shipping costs and lack of trendy clothing on the site.
Shipping and Returns
Shipping charges are based on the amount of your order.
Shipping rates range from $5.95 to $39.95 for home delivery. They are slightly lower for in store delivery. Odd, I have stores all over yet I was not offered the option of pick up in the store. There is expedited shipping for a higher fee. There is a shipping chart buried under the customer service link.
Tax is charged after the shipping has been added which is really a rotten thing to do. But, since I got free shipping, it didn't hurt me and, even with shipping charges, I am only charged 4% local tax so I don't think the little extra is a big deal. Just a little smarmy.
You can return anything within 30 days to a store or to the site. Shipping charges are non-refundable.
There are several exclusions and special provisions of oversized merchandise, both for shipping and returns, so be sure to read the FAQs before making a large purchase to be sure you are comfortable with the policies.
Conclusion
I will shop and JC Penney again when I have a good promotional code or if there is a sale on something I want. I am not impressed with their usual prices or their clothing styles so I won't be buying a lot from the site. Still, I had good experiences when I have shopped there and wouldn't hesitate to do so again.
I give this site 4 stars. This is a decent, if somewhat bland, site.
Recommended:
Yes
