JCPenney

This store, like most locations, has a nice selection of your standard clothes for all ages. Everything is very tidy and well-​labeled.
But damn, they need some customer service! I saw no one out on the floor, and then when I went to make a purchase I stood in line for 15 minutes waiting to check out (half of that time was spent on some particularly clueless woman). One girl was on register, no backup called or came. I did hear on their staff communication system the manager or whoever talking about people getting out there because there are a lot of customers, but still no one relieved the single clerk. Then a woman tried to make her own line (it was clearly marked). With no one to back her up, the one girl was trying to deal with us both at the same time. Whaaaat? This is customer service? Hey Penneys, hire some more bodies or give the existing ones some more hours, because you need backup desperately.
There is a Sephora in this store (but there is also one in downtown Naperville).
Overall, they have a good selection of products in a nice setting, but more staff is key to a good overall customer experience.

I have to admit, this place has its fair share of sub par employees, but there is one particular employee that really helped me out and went above and beyond. Her name is Laura Sherman. I had an issue with a return not showing up in the system and she had to make a bunch of phone calls to resolve my problem. She ended up giving me a $ 10 gift card to thank me for my patience. She was extremely helpful and very good at what she did.

This location is great, I really like the Sephora store inside of this JcPenny and the customer service team is always great with my returns from my online purchases.

This JCPenney used to have a standout selection of handbags. But during my visit today, there wasn’t a wide variety of anything. No sparkly holiday clutches, not a lot of variety with designers; it was really a lot of «old lady bags.» Even at 50-​something, my mom wouldn’t have been interested in the variety.
The women’s clothing section has improved though. The racks used to be closer together, but I noticed the Worthington section was much more roomy. I’m not a fan of their new pricing though. I really liked those sales that mirrored those at Kohl’s. Suddenly, I don’t feel like I’m getting a deal «fair and square» like their marketing says.
I like the Montgomery store better. There also is not a Sephora here.
I purchased accessories for my bridesmaids here, but when there weren’t enough on the shelf, a cashier was more than helpful at locating more inventory at other stores.

THIS IS FOR THE PHOTO STUDIO. There’s no separate listing on Unilocal for the photo studio. My husband and I being poor parents can’t afford anything in any department store, hell, we’re lucky if we can afford Target. My parents footed the bill for these glorious photos.
Our gal the first day on Thursday evening was great (she was the only one there thursday the 25^th in the evening) — however our son was not cooperating (someone decided that day of all days to skip his nap!) I have no idea how he would have responded to her had he not been a crankasaurus rex. It was totally not her fault that my kid is a drama queen and if he skips his nap, he’s like something out of a horror movie. She got some good shots at least though of the 5 of us– Us plus our corgis. She had some awesome suggestions about posing the kid and the dogs which I wish my son would have complied more, because our male dog and him are BEST FRIENDS, but he’s a stubborn booger and was just DONE that day. She was really good about trying and taking a break, and letting him nurse to maybe calm him down, but she reassured us that this happened a LOT with kids especially if they skip their naps. The fact that she got at least 3 shots of us all looking at the camera is significant as my dogs (especially the male) would rather reign in Hell than serve in heaven.
The gal on saturday for our «make up» day was absolutely fabulous. I think her name was Kristie. Somehow, her tone of voice (she kept saying «tickle tickle tickle» like cookie monster) made him laugh hysterically and smile REALLY big. She also was really awesome about switching out photos in the collage sheets to ones that I felt flattered me more (I have this obsession about not being in profile for some crazy reason). My son really responded to her and she got some amazing shots and managed to even catch his mischevious side… which is hard to do.
My only disappointment has nothing to do with the photographers but with JCP’s policy– I really really wanted some shots of my son in his crazy dinosaur diaper sitting in the washtub, (i even purchased a specific cloth diaper for this !) but I guess the rules are after a certain age that’s not allowed. However, the gal on thursday came up with a reasonable compromise (him in just overalls looking like Huckleberry finn) that was actually… cuter than my original idea.

Ugh! Why is this store so damn depressing? Now a little disclosure here, I was an employee back in the day. But then the store was fine and I basically bought everything from coffee makers to clothes here.
But a lot has changed. The store has a weird funk to it. You go in the clothes section and everything is thrown about. The employees are hit and miss on their helpfulness. The restrooms are atrocious. I walked through the children’s section and there was a used diaper in the middle of the floor. Eww!
But the main point is the store itself needs to change the atmosphere. I always feel like I’m walking into a cave when I’m here. It’s so old and outdated. It feels like a place to bring grandma.
So what once was my «go to» place, isn’t anymore. I now primarily use Penney’s for its services (eyewear, salon) and avoid the rest of the store like a plague.