- A 100% cotton blanket, queen size or larger
- A boys’ cotton, button-up Hawaiian shirt
- The least expensive pair of boys’ shorts in the store
- A pair of cotton or cotton/rayon blend boys’ swim trunks
I should state too that these are the kinds of price stories I often don’t like myself, because a random list of items doesn’t mean any one store is cheaper than the other. With groceries, we know that the prices fluctuate on any given day. But, with JCP’s claim that their prices are 40% cheaper than they previously were, in theory, they should also be competitive to other stores’ prices on the same items in the same area. Today, I price-hunted with the mindset that if I needed these four things right now, which store would have the best prices?
The stores:
JC Penney, Kohl’s, Old Navy, Target, TJ Maxx, Kmart and Ross.
The stores were chosen because they all happened to be on the way home from an event I was at this morning..! The five McHenry, Illinois store locations (JC Penney, Kohl’s, Old Navy, Target, TJ Maxx) are all within a one-mile stretch of Rt. 31, and the two Crystal Lake stores (Kmart and Ross) are next door to each other on Rt. 14.
A 100% cotton blanket, queen size or larger
I was looking for a cotton blanket because one of my children is allergic to polyester, which is in nearly everything, it seems. (It’s contact dermatitis – a nasty red rash that escalates to blisters if he is in contact with polyester fibers or fabrics.) So, I wanted to find a blanket big enough for our family to sit on together at the park or beach.
| Store | Price | Notes |
| JC Penney | $35.00 | Pure Perfection brand, full/queen size |
| Kmart | ——- | (Did not carry cotton blankets.) |
| Kohl’s | $34.99 | Home Classics brand, full/queen size. This price was advertised as 50% off the regular price of $69.99 |
| Old Navy | ——- | (Did not carry cotton blankets – but I didn’t expect them to..!) |
| Ross | ——- | (Did not carry cotton blankets.) |
| Target | $13.49 | Target home brand, full/queen size, advertised at 50% off the regular price of $26.99 |
| T.J. Maxx | $24.99 | Ralph Lauren brand, full/queen size |
Target wins. While you never know what’s going to be on clearance, Target’s regular price was very close to T.J. Maxx’s price too. The clearance made it a great buy! (And, if you’re a name-brand diva, T.J. Maxx’s Ralph Lauren blanket was priced lower than the department stores’ store-brand blankets.) Kohl’s “on sale” price was nearly identical to JC Penney’s everyday price — a point JCP have been trying to make with consumers. And, if their original price was as high as Kohl’s regular price, they have dropped this item about 50%, more than the advertised 40%. But, if I’d had a Kohl’s coupon, or if Kohl’s Cash had been running, their price may have been sweetened too… but could I have gotten it as low as $13.49? Maybe… maybe not.
A boys’ cotton, button-up Hawaiian shirt
My son recently outgrew his favorite Hawaiian shirt and asked if I could pick up another sometime. I had no idea how difficult this was going to be..! Only one of the stores even carried Hawaiian-print cotton shirts, so I ended up cataloging prices for button-up boys’ shirts in general for the purposes of this article. (What… is Hawaiian print not “in” anymore? Don’t tell my kids. They love to go tropical!) In each case, I looked for the least expensive boys’ button-up cotton shirt in the store.
| Store | Price | Notes |
| JC Penney | $14.00 | Arizona brand, and not a Hawaiian shirt. |
| Kmart | $9.99 | Basic Editions brand, and not a Hawaiian shirt. |
| Kohl’s | $12.00 | Chaps brand, and not a Hawaiian shirt. Kohl’s also lost points for not carrying any button-up shirts made of 100% cotton. These were 50% polyester. The price was advertised as 40% off the regular price of $20.00. |
| Old Navy | $14.94 | Apparently, Old Navy is pretty much the only place in the area to find a boys’ Hawaiian shirt. While it isn’t on sale, the 15% off coupon on OldNavy.com would drop this to $12.70. Unfortunately, this shirt is also 55% cotton and 45% polyester, so it’s out. |
| Ross | $5.49 | American Hawk brand. While not a Hawaiian shirt, Ross gets the win for including a bonus T-shirt with the button-up shirt. That’s like paying $2.25 per shirt! |
| Target | $12.99 | Shawn White brand, and not a Hawaiian shirt. |
| T.J. Maxx | $8.00 | Santa Cruz brand, and not a Hawaiian shirt, though it did have a surfer on it. |
Ross wins for having the least expensive button-up boys’ shirt, but Old Navy was the only one to actually have the item I was looking for, albeit at more than I wished to pay for it. JC Penney’s price was more expensive than everyone else’s in the list, except for Old Navy’s. But if I printed and used the coupon on OldNavy.com, the price would be below JCP’s no-coupons price.
The least expensive pair of boys’ shorts in the store
This one was just for fun. As a proud clearance scrounger/hunter/enthusiast, I’m always looking for the lowest prices possible. Which store had boys’ shorts the cheapest?
| Store | Price | Notes |
| JC Penney | $11.00 | Arizona brand. The sign notes they are on a “value” price of $11, down from $14. |
| Kmart | 2-for-$12, or $7.99 each | Basic Editions brand. All of the boys’ shorts were on sale for this price. |
| Kohl’s | $2.80 | These Sonoma brown and green plaid boys’ shorts were 80% off on the clearance rack, down from $14. |
| Old Navy | $4.97 | Boys’ khakis on clearance. I’m not sure what the original price was. |
| Ross | $5.49 | Oshkosh brand cotton cargo shorts. |
| Target | $6.98 | Mossimo brand athletic shorts.. They were on clearance for 30% off, down from $9.99. |
| T.J. Maxx | $4.00 | Nike brand athletic shorts. |
When you can hit a Kohl’s clearance, you can do well! They were the big winner here. While many of the stores had clearance shorts today, Kmart’s regular price of 2-for-$12 still beats JC Penney’s “sale” price of $11 per pair. You could get two pairs at Kmart for a dollar more, and as far as bargain-priced boys shorts, JC Penney was unfortunately more expensive than every other store I visited today.
A pair of cotton or cotton/rayon blend boys’ swim trunks
This was the trickiest one on my list. Swim trunks that are not made out of polyester are incredibly difficult to find in stores. Any store carrying these would have earned lots of future shopping loyalty from me, but alas, none of the stores had a single pair of boys’ trunks that was not made out of polyester.
I kind of expected this though – the number of stores I’ve previously bought cotton swim trunks in can fit on one hand:
Meijer: Last year, I found one pair of Wave Zone brand trunks that were cotton.
Farm and Fleet: Two years ago I found a pair of Health-Tex cotton swim trunks there.
Nordstrom: Carries Ralph Lauren Polo cotton swim trunks for boys, which are usually crazy expensive. But I got a pair for $6.99 on clearance last year.
Other than those finds, Lands End has been my ongoing shop-online source for cotton swim trunks. They’re hard to find in stores, and I realize they’re not a high-demand product.
So, what’s it all mean?
Bargain hunters wanting to pay the lowest possible price are going to be disappointed with JC Penney’s current structure. There was not a single clearance rack in sight at the McHenry store. I really wanted to find one thing to write about and say “Look, I found a deal!” But… I couldn’t.
For instance, these Worthington camis were “$8 Everyday,” but I just bought some similar Ocean Pacific camis at Walmart earlier this week for… $3.88. Their “everyday” price. (Camis aren’t terribly different from brand to brand or store to store, and you can get two at Walmart for less than JCP is charging for one.)
This was the best deal/value/price I saw at JC Penney today. Their bath towels are $4 everyday, hand towels $3, washcloths $2.
So what did I buy today?
I bought the cotton blanket at Target – a great price compared to other stores in town. And part of the fun of having some time to browse a bunch of stores in the same morning is scouring the clearance racks at all of the stores involved. Look what I spotted at the Crystal Lake Kmart!
Their Basic Editions brand of jeans are all on clearance for $2.99, and opposite them, another rack of jeans marked down to $3.99-$4.99.
What brand of jeans are these? Levi’s Signature.
Oh yes, I bought jeans today. And got a nice jump on fall school shopping for my sons! As of mid-morning, there were plenty of jeans left in sizes from boys’ 6 up to 16, but the size 7 and 8 selection is slightly thinner than it was when I arrived…
FCC blogger regulations being what they are, I need to disclose that I was not asked to blog about any of the stores mentioned in the above article, nor was I compensated by anyone for writing this post. I was simply looking for good prices on blankets and clothes…
hwendt12 says
So much of this depends on catching the right sales, clearance, etc. That’s why doing a little ‘planning ahead’ for the next season, size, etc. pays off BIG when you’ve got kids. Nice work, Jill-wish I could get paid for SHOPPING!!!! ;) lol!
claritygolden says
Well, I think it’s a little misleading to compare prices but not quality. Truthfully I don’t shop at JCP often because there isn’t one near me. I was there once a few months ago and I was impressed with the style of their clothes, but at the time I wasn’t really shopping for clothes so didn’t take too much time to look. I have shopped at the other stores on your list and know the quality can vary tremendously. If you just want the absolute rock-bottom price this method is fine, but if you factor in quality the equation is more complex. For instance, I find the quality of Walmart’s clothes to be pretty poor, even poorer than Target and Old Navy who have pretty low quality clothes. I’m sometimes willing to pay more at other stores for clothes for this reason. And I’d definitely disagree that camis are all the same! I had 2 old navy camis in recent years and both only lasted one season before being stretched out beyond repair and getting holes. I also have a couple eddie bauer camis that fit much better than the ON camis ever did and are still fine after 3 years of heavy use! I probably paid 3 times the price for the eddie bauer camis but have already gotten 3 times the use out of them. Seeing as I’m not a JCP shopper I don’t have a lot of experience with their quality or new prices, but based on what I’ve heard it sounds like the problem was more with PR than pricing. Your examples show they ARE at least competitive with other stores–I don’t see them being way out of line on anything, right? Are they rock bottom lowest? No, but most stores can’t make that claim.
vikki1120 says
Good article! I appreciate you taking time to do this, as I have wondered about JCPenny recently. I used to shop there A LOT, but I always used the coupons and sales when I shopped. I would always find great deals! I went there around Easter to get my daughter an Easter dress and to check out the new “Low Prices” deal…and I was not impressed! Every holiday I would go about 4-7 days before the holiday to get my daughter a dress because the prices would drop tremendously…sometimes it was slim pickings, but I didn’t care..I was getting a good deal. For Easter I did the same thing and the prices were terrible because they don’t go on sale and there aren’t any coupons to put with it. As long as the prices stay this way…I won’t ever shop a JCPenny again. I also prefer to shop around for price..and price only :)
SouthernReverie says
Jill, I see lots of Hawaiian shirts at the thrift stores here in the south. Since Hawaiian shirts tend to hang loose, your son might be able to wear a small men’s or even a ladies’ shirt without anybody being the wiser!
addicted says
I just wanted to point out that JCP’s new price strategy also affects the portrait sutdio pricing. I used to take my kids for portraits at JCP at least twice a year. For an annual photo and for Christmas portraits/cards. With the new “reduced” pricing, I would be paying A LOT more at each visit.
Currently, it seems they offer a different monthly special. Although, how to know exactly when and what is not clear. So, I’d have to wait for a certain month (who knows when) to get similiar pricing as I used to get with a coupon anytime of the year.
For example, in the past JCP offered a portrait package (5 sheets) for $7.99 and included a free sitting fee with coupon. Currently, they offer a portrait package containing 7 sheets for a whopping $65.00. Although the package includes 2 more sheets and different poses are allowed, it’s a huge price difference! They did have a monthly special in May for an $8.00 portrait package. However, it only contained 4 sheets and did NOT include a free sitting.
How does this strategy save me money?
Crazybob at SETI.USA says
I’m extremely cost minded when I go shopping. My area also has a huge assortment of different stores. But if your looking for something stylish, I rarely find what I’m looking for at Walmart, K-mart or Target. On rare occassions, I will see something my wife or myself will like. I will say, although I haven’t been there recently, JCP will usually have something I like and can stomach the price. I don’t hurt for money, but the way I got there was being frugal. So I guess it depends on your tastes as far as what you’re willing to spend.
tavdef says
Thanks so much for this article, Jill. I’ve been doing a slow burn, grinding my teeth and complaining to my husband ever since JCP announced their changes. I have been shopping there for years, for certain things (I’ve gotten some awesome deals on kids clearance). No more. I go there and look around, and buy somewhere else. This policy takes away our option to take the time, do the work, and look for sales and coupons. The company doesn’t appreciate the do-a-deal-or-die spirit of the couponer. Classic example- I’m going to a wedding and needed a nice dress. I found one and tried it on at JCP, couldn’t afford their everyday price, left without it, and bought the same dress off Sears’ website on sale and using a coupon code. I’ve thought of Sears as second-rate compared to JCP, but no more. It’s sad.
susieqs2 says
i don’t like to pay full price for anything, especially clothes. There are always deals to be had at one store or another. I have to admit though that when I first read about JCP doing away with coupons I figured I will probably stop shopping there as much as I used to in the past, and that’s true.. I used to always shop there if I had a coupon or if I knew there was going to be a sale at JCP along with the $10/$25 coupon they used to have either online or available at their cashiers in store. The cashiers would be nice enough to split up the transactions and use a coupon each time, and they would always ask if you had a coupon and if you didn’t they would use one that they would have taped at the register.
I can’t say I haven’t shopped there ever since they stopped using coupons, but I don’t shop and purchase as much as before. I have gotten some really good bargains there since February, $2 Men’s Claiborne polo’s and $4 long sleeve Men’s dress shirts, $5 Men’s jeans; but there have been times were I have walked in there and walked out without purchasing anything because I felt I used to get it there cheaper..
Maybe its me, but when Macy’s put there $10/$25 coupon and on top of that you can use it on their clearance merchandise(which is always an extra 30%-50% off during these sales), that’s where I will be shopping.
Sorry this is so long but even those bath towels were almost always on sale for $3.88-$3.99 as a doorbuster item(at JCP) and you were able to use a coupon on those as well(I did)!