JCPenney lays off workers
JCPenney is laying off thousands of workers today, but the company won't comment on how many local workers will be affected at its six San Diego County stores.
The mid-priced department store chain has anchor stores in six local malls: Chula Vista Center, Westfield Plaza Bonita, Westfield North County, Westfield Plaza Camino Real, Westfield Parkway and Fashion Valley.
The New York Post, which broke the story, described the layoffs at the company's nearly 1,200 stores nationwide as a "bloodbath," saying that dozens of workers at some locations would lose their jobs and that more layoffs were expected to be announced this week. But the company downplayed those reports, saying the job cuts today targeted seasonal hires. Its public relations office released this statement:
As planned, we held over some seasonal holiday hires to help us with the reticketing of merchandise. As this project comes to a close over the next several weeks, the temporary employment of these seasonal hires will come to an end. jcpenney staffs thousands of seasonal hires across our more than 1,100 stores. As planned and is a typical practice in the retail industry, the temporary employment of these seasonal hires will come to an end.
The Post quoted unnamed sources who said the layoffs were linked to a new "everyday pricing" strategy. JCPenney will rely less on sales and clearance events, the sources said, meaning there's less work retagging merchandise and plastering stores with temporary signs and displays.
Pictures:
1.JCPenney says the job cuts announced today targeted seasonal hires. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
2. J.C. Penney's Houston, Texas Big Box Store. Is the new CEO following WalMart's lead?
