JC Penney might not be your cup of tea, we get it. This is a store that caters to all tastes, especially less hip. However, you might change your mind if you give it another shot. The best part about JC Penney – everything is always on sale, or almost always. This alone might make you forgive the lack of statement fashion. That being said, let’s take a look at the deals that are really good and the ones that are just alright. Knowing your way around savings can make all the difference when it comes to shopping.
Price inflation
Don’t think that everything on sale is a really good deal. JC Penney is known to inflate prices up to 30% to make the discounts look extra appealing.
Sales up to 80% off
Our suggestion is to wait until stuff is 80% off before buying. Price tags that end with 0, 7, or 9 are at that. Once the discount reaches 80% off corporate clearance, the rest of the pricing is up to individual stores before the item is taken off the shelves all together.
Coupon stacking
JC Penney will allow up to three coupons per order.
- Discount – this coupon goes first and can be $ or % off total order
- Rewards – Rewards members or credit card holders get $10 reward for every 200 points earned.
- Free shipping – it is always free with $99 orders, otherwise there are temporary coupons from time to time for free shipping on certain smaller amount.
Price matching
If you have a proof that local or online competitors are selling something cheaper, bring it in and get extra 5% off just for pointing it out.
Price matching period
You can get JC Penney to match price up to 14 days after purchasing. The same goes for JC Penney’s own merchandise if you notice something cheaper after you purchased it.
Final clearance
Pay special attention to pink price tag stickers. They mean that the price is final. Bring a couple of coupons in addition and consider yourself lucky.
Reward points
Sign up for free and get $10 off for every 200 points. With this program you will also get birthday gifts and double the rewards if you have JC Penney credit card.
JC Penney app
Just by downloading it you can save $10 off your next purchase if you download it during special promotions. The app still has a few bugs, but it’s improving.
Free shipping to store
All online orders over $25 will ship free to your local store and will wait to be picked up at your convenience. Orders over $99 ship free to your home.
Out of stock items ship free
If you have to have something that’s been sold out, ask an employee to get it shipped to the store for free.
Discounted gift cards
Check out Gift Card Granny or Raise for discounted JC Penney gift cards and get them before that next shopping trip. You can save 17% on average with this strategy.
JC Penney credit card
You have to spend large sums of money to really see some benefit from having the credit card. If you think you will, get it at Sephora’s location inside the JC Penney store and enjoy a box of free beauty gifts and 15% off your first order.
Friday sales
We discovered that the first and the third Friday of each month are the best times to find new markdowns.
The best items to buy at JC Penney
Linens, jackets, bras, and boots are among the items that are most often discounted and feature the deepest price cuts.
Don’t buy these brands
Stay away from Nike, Disney, Converse, Columbia, Levi’s, Le Creuset, and some others because you won’t be able to use coupons with any of them.
Text message sales alerts
If you don’t mind receiving a few messages per month, this is the best way to be in the know about all upcoming sales and coupons. You will also get 20% off for signing up. Text JOIN to 527365 to join.
Shop online
Most prices are very similar in store and online, but once in a while online might have better deals. Make sure you check prices online before going to the store for something particular. Most store managers match online prices, but it’s totally up to them.
Yellow tags
Yellow sticking tags are for employees to know where new merchandise is going, so don’t pay attention to them, except keep in mind that those items are usually old and might be moved to clearance area to make room for stuff with green tags that is incoming.
Employee pricing
If you are looking for a new career, consider applying for JC Penney. You would get 25-30% off everything if you use your JCP credit card. Clearance items and other coupons can be used along with the employee discount, making every purchase pretty budget-friendly.
