Beloved retailer with 650 stores announces it’s closing all locations for a full day in just weeks

SHOPPERS should get what they need ahead of time at a popular retailer before it closes all 650 locations in several days.

The department store chain will shutter for an entire day, so finding holiday season essentials will have to wait.

Out of respect for employees and customers who observe Thanksgiving, JCPenney will close its stores nationwide on the national holiday, which falls on November 28 this year, per a press release.

That means eager customers will either have to head to their local JCPenney days in advance or wait until Black Friday.

It’s possible to find the merchandise at competitors who remain open, but most are similarly closed for Thanksgiving, including Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Marshall’s.

Even Target and Walmart will temporarily shutter thousands of stores on Thanksgiving.

The two retail giants remained open on the holiday until 2020 when the height of the coronavirus saw employees provide essentials to those in need.

Moving forward, they decided Thanksgiving and Christmas would be days reserved for hardworking staff to spend time with loved ones.

REAPING REWARDS

There’s no question JCPenney is closing on Thanksgiving for the same reason, and it’s reassured customers that despite the brief pause in business, there will be thousands of deals and sales to take advantage of beforehand and on Black Friday afterward.

“JCPenney has been a holiday tradition for families for more than 120 years — that’s an incredibly important bar for us to continue to uphold,” CEO and president of JCPenney, Marc Rosen, noted in the release.

“As customers look optimistically toward the holidays, we are going to meet their excitement with real fashion, quality gifts, convenience, and genuinely rewarding experiences so the holidays our customers are dreaming of are within reach.”

Rosen added that JCPenney recently made investments in its in-store and online shopping experiences in time for the holidays.

“Everything we have worked toward is coming together at the right time so customers will experience the best of JCPenney this season,” the CEO noted.

Early access to “Gotta Have It” Black Friday discounts at JCPenney was given from November 8 to 10 this month.

Shoppers can now prepare for the full promotional deals from November 22 to December 1, which include “75% off fine jewelry, 50% off Levi’s for the entire family, and up to 50% off Disney toys and apparel.”

Fashion for men and women will also be slashed by up to 60%, with footwear like boots starting at low prices of just $19.99.

DEALS FOR DAYS

Additionally, those willing to take on the busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, will be rewarded with “exclusive one-day-only deals,” according to the release.

There will be four giveaways when JCPenney locations open early at 5 am local time, then again at 9 am, 1 pm, and 5 pm.

JCPenney teased “special” merchandise like a Golden Tote “that offers savings throughout the holiday shopping season.”

It even partnered with Amazon Prime Video to reward customers who stream the NFL through the platform.

Every game day from now until December 22 features a “Really Big Deal” that JCPenney announces during play with special promotions to millions of football fans nationwide.

JCPenney said it is “blending the thrill of the game with unbeatable savings.”

The department store chain is seemingly making its way back from financial woes over the past few years.

It notably filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2020 and quickly closed over 175 stores before being bought out by Brookfield Asset Management and Simon Property Group.

Store locations were still shut down by JCPenney this year as it reorganized its business plan, leaving the current 650 count after once operating over 2,000 at its height in the 1970s.