Personally, I think the 'no sales' thing could have worked if their prices were lower. The couple of times I've been in a JCPenney since this started everything was depressingly expensive for what it was.
It's one thing to not discount, but it's another to not discount while selling a commodity product for 2x or 3x it's actual value or reasonabl price.
Likewise, I'll concur that the stores still have aesthetic, layout and lighting issues which are getting ignored.
If they had gone for a GAP-like store aesthetic with prices between ROSS and Target with a no-discount policy, I think they'd have not had the same problems.
It's one thing to not discount, but it's another to not discount while selling a commodity product for 2x or 3x it's actual value or reasonabl price.
Likewise, I'll concur that the stores still have aesthetic, layout and lighting issues which are getting ignored.
If they had gone for a GAP-like store aesthetic with prices between ROSS and Target with a no-discount policy, I think they'd have not had the same problems.