MYSTERY SHOPPER TECHNIQUE AS
QUALITY ANALYSIS TOOL IN THE
RETAIL INDUSTRY
MARIANA RAMIREZ
MRKG 1301 – CUSTOMER RELATIONS
,
, JCPenney´s History:
A business should not have to be judged by its bankruptcy, especially when that
business is JCPenney. JCPenney has been trying to find its way for quite some time.
Its unsustainable debt load, compounded by COVID-19, just pushed it over the edge.
Whatever happens next is all up in the air. Everything these days seems all up in the
air.
Below is a timeline that outlines most of the peaks and valleys, mostly peaks, of this
great American retail institution.
April 14, 1902: James Cash Penney, along with two partners, opens the 25-foot by 40-
foot “Golden Rule Store” in the mining town of Kemmerer, Wyoming. Annual sales total
$2,800. The original “Mother Store” has remained in operation.
1907: James Cash Penney buys out his original partners and assumes sole control of
the business. The Golden Rule Store expands to 3 stores with annual sales of
$166,313.
1912: With 34 stores, Penney annual sales reach $2 million.
1913: The company, headquartered in Salt Lake City since 1909, is incorporated as the
J.C. Penney Co. In 1914, Penney relocates the headquarters to New York City in order
to be closer to the country’s main garment district.
1922: Penney operates 371 stores with annual sales of $49 million.
1927: Penney’s celebrates its 25th anniversary. The cash-only business consists of 773
stores and sales of $115 million.
1942: James Cash Penney gives a keynote address at the company’s 40th anniversary
celebration in Montana. Penney states, “We feel that the Penney company is well
equipped to make a substantial contribution toward thrift and savings of the nation.”
The store count reaches 1,609 locations.
1952: Penney’s passes the $1 billion mark in annual sales. With 70,000 associates, the
store states that it is the largest retail organization of its kind in the world.
, In 1961, James Cash Penney compares pictures of his first store (left) with the new
Hammond, Indiana, store. The first store, which opened April 14, 1902, was located in
Kemmerer, Wyoming. He called it "The Golden Rule" to symbolize his belief that the Golden
Rule should apply to business life as well as to personal life. BETTMANN ARCHIVE
1962: After several years of study, the J.C. Penney Co. looks to dramatically change its
business plan. It abandons its cash-only trading policy and establishes a credit
operation. Penney enters the appliance business with its Penncrest brand,
manufactured by GE Hotpoint. The company joins with Goodyear and plans auto
centers to be located next to future stores. J.C. Penney purchases the Milwaukee-
based General Merchandise Company and enters the catalog mail order business.
Penney establishes a line of large discount department stores named Treasure Island
in the Upper Midwest.
1963: On August 15, Penney’s opens its first full-line department store, located at the
King of Prussia Plaza in suburban Philadelphia. With 32 departments, the 152,000-
square-foot store is designed to be a prototype for future expansions into larger
markets. The Penney catalog makes its official debut.
1969: Penney’s acquires the Pittsburgh-based Thrift Drug Company and enters the
pharmacy business. Future discount stores are renamed Treasury and become one-
stop shopping centers, from general merchandise to food departments.
Penney’s enters the Belgium market and purchases a sizable interest in the retailer,
Sarma, S.A. The company sells the Sarma-Penney firm in 1987.
QUALITY ANALYSIS TOOL IN THE
RETAIL INDUSTRY
MARIANA RAMIREZ
MRKG 1301 – CUSTOMER RELATIONS
,
, JCPenney´s History:
A business should not have to be judged by its bankruptcy, especially when that
business is JCPenney. JCPenney has been trying to find its way for quite some time.
Its unsustainable debt load, compounded by COVID-19, just pushed it over the edge.
Whatever happens next is all up in the air. Everything these days seems all up in the
air.
Below is a timeline that outlines most of the peaks and valleys, mostly peaks, of this
great American retail institution.
April 14, 1902: James Cash Penney, along with two partners, opens the 25-foot by 40-
foot “Golden Rule Store” in the mining town of Kemmerer, Wyoming. Annual sales total
$2,800. The original “Mother Store” has remained in operation.
1907: James Cash Penney buys out his original partners and assumes sole control of
the business. The Golden Rule Store expands to 3 stores with annual sales of
$166,313.
1912: With 34 stores, Penney annual sales reach $2 million.
1913: The company, headquartered in Salt Lake City since 1909, is incorporated as the
J.C. Penney Co. In 1914, Penney relocates the headquarters to New York City in order
to be closer to the country’s main garment district.
1922: Penney operates 371 stores with annual sales of $49 million.
1927: Penney’s celebrates its 25th anniversary. The cash-only business consists of 773
stores and sales of $115 million.
1942: James Cash Penney gives a keynote address at the company’s 40th anniversary
celebration in Montana. Penney states, “We feel that the Penney company is well
equipped to make a substantial contribution toward thrift and savings of the nation.”
The store count reaches 1,609 locations.
1952: Penney’s passes the $1 billion mark in annual sales. With 70,000 associates, the
store states that it is the largest retail organization of its kind in the world.
, In 1961, James Cash Penney compares pictures of his first store (left) with the new
Hammond, Indiana, store. The first store, which opened April 14, 1902, was located in
Kemmerer, Wyoming. He called it "The Golden Rule" to symbolize his belief that the Golden
Rule should apply to business life as well as to personal life. BETTMANN ARCHIVE
1962: After several years of study, the J.C. Penney Co. looks to dramatically change its
business plan. It abandons its cash-only trading policy and establishes a credit
operation. Penney enters the appliance business with its Penncrest brand,
manufactured by GE Hotpoint. The company joins with Goodyear and plans auto
centers to be located next to future stores. J.C. Penney purchases the Milwaukee-
based General Merchandise Company and enters the catalog mail order business.
Penney establishes a line of large discount department stores named Treasure Island
in the Upper Midwest.
1963: On August 15, Penney’s opens its first full-line department store, located at the
King of Prussia Plaza in suburban Philadelphia. With 32 departments, the 152,000-
square-foot store is designed to be a prototype for future expansions into larger
markets. The Penney catalog makes its official debut.
1969: Penney’s acquires the Pittsburgh-based Thrift Drug Company and enters the
pharmacy business. Future discount stores are renamed Treasury and become one-
stop shopping centers, from general merchandise to food departments.
Penney’s enters the Belgium market and purchases a sizable interest in the retailer,
Sarma, S.A. The company sells the Sarma-Penney firm in 1987.
