History of J.C. Penney

J.C. Penney was founded by James Cash Penney and William Henry McManus who gave the store the name “The Golden Rule Store,” which was owned by T.M. Callahan in Longmont, Colorado. Later the name J.C. Penney was given to the store when Mr. Callahan sold out his interests in 1912. The mother store is located in Kemmerer, Wyoming, and still operates, as of 2009.   J.C. Penney relocated its headquarters in 1909 to Salt Lake City, Utah to be closer to banks and railroads and again moved in 1914 to Buffalo, New York to simplify the buying, financing, and transportation of goods. The companies’ oldest private brand launched in 1922 called Big Mac work clothes. In 1924 the company already opened up its 500th store and in 1928 had doubled in size to open up the 1,000th store.

Today J.C. Penney has many stores in the modern day malls being one of the anchor stores; they are one of the largest catalog retailers, and also have a large online business. The new headquarters in located in Plano, Texas where it broke ground in 1990 and plans on residing there since its opening in 1992.

Hours of Operation:   Mon-Sat: 10:00am-9:30pm; Sun: 11:00am-6:00pm

Minimum Age to Work Here:   16 years old

Positions Available:   Customer Service Associate, Commissioned Sales Associate, Holiday Associate, Department Supervisor, Assistant Store Manager, Store Manager, Sales Manager, Set Execution Manager, Footwear Sales Associate, Fine Jewelry Sales Associate, Training Supervisor, Hourly Sales Support, Decorator Consultant, Salon Front Desk Associate, Salon Leader, Salon Associate, Optician, Maintenance Technician, Maintenance Mechanic, Men’s Apparel Sales Associate, Customer Service Representative, Visual Specialist, Customer Assistant, Pricing Associate, Signing Associate, Custom Decorating Installer, Checkout Clerk, Sephora Associate, Hair Stylist, Loss Prevention Officer, Associate Buyer, Replenish Associate

Background Check Required?  Yes

Negotiation:   Set hourly rate.   There is no room for negotiation.

Job description/ Average wage

Sales Associate: The sales associate works in a particular department within the store and is responsible for good customer service. They must help the customer find the products that they are looking for plus take the sale and charge it up for the customer. Many times the customer may put the item on their J.C. Penney charge account or on another major credit card. The customer may also use cash or a debit card to pay for their purchases. The sales associate must make sure that they keep their department looking nice and in order. They are expected to straighten up the shelves or racks where the merchandise is placed whenever necessary. The average wage for a sales associate is $7.00 to start and goes upward to $10.00 depending on experience and education.

Supervisor-Hourly: The supervisor who works hourly is responsible for his/her shift and their production. They must make sure that the shelves are kept stocked and all items are priced before being put on the shelf. Normally the hourly supervisor takes care of customer complaints, theft, and problems between employees’s while they are working their shift. They must report to their supervisors whenever a problem does arise or call in Loss Prevention if thefts do occur. Normally the wage starts out at $13.15 an hour depending on experience and education.

Department Manager: The Department Manager is responsible for everything that takes place in their department. They are much like the store manager except they are only held accountable for the specific department that they work. They must make sure that everything is run smooth, do the hiring, replacement of employee’s or take care of any employee problems. They make sure that their department is kept well stocked and take care of sales etc. They are also responsible to make sure that each end-cap in the department is kept looking nice and stocked with the product geared for the season or sales. The average wage for a department manager is $46,500 per year.

Benefits

• Healthcare benefits
• 401 (k) savings plan
• Paid time off days, along with holidays
• Term Life and disability coverage
• Employee’s receive a discount on their purchases

Atmosphere and Perks

The company offers perks to everyone who are qualified to be part of the team. This is a fun filled working environment that offers all the employees with great benefits like paid on the job training, flexible work hours, competitive and generous pays, etc. The eligible workers will also be able to get access to insurance plans like 401K, health and wellness benefits, discounts and other perks.

Interview Questions

What prompts you to apply in this company?

Why choose this company?

What are your skills which you think are best suited here?

Why should we hire you?

How do you deal with difficult customers and managers?

How flexible is your time?

Are you willing to work even during weekends?

Will you be able to work if your replacement will not come on time or will be absent without notifying you in advance?

Interview Tips

After you have submitted the necessary documents for the application to be processed, you will now be set for an interview.   JCPenney hiring manager generally contacts applicants in a few days to schedule a job interview. If you are already scheduled for an interview, you should be in the venue for at least 15 minutes in advance. You should be well dressed and while the interview is in progress, do maintain your composure. Most hiring managers will prefer applicants who smile, sit up properly, and can impressively answer the questions in the interview. The interview questions are usually regarding the personal attitude towards work, your abilities and skills for the job, past experiences and a lot more. These questions should be answered tactfully and with all honesty to manifest your sincere interest for the job.

How to apply

You may apply for a position at J.C. Penney by visiting their website at:
http://www.jcpenney.net/careers/

You may also visit your local J.C. Penney retail store and apply for open posted positions.