J.C. Penney Gone? Say It Ain't So!

And Then There Were None?

Once upon a time in Florence, there were four real department stores, at least in the downtown area. By "real" we mean those which offered cosmetics and home decor and even furniture. One by one they have gone away for good.

We don't remember much about Belk, or Belk-Hudson as the local store was called. It burned before we even started school. Perhaps it shouldn't be counted since Florence now has a Belk in a mall that's on life support itself.

Quite a few years later, Rogers closed. It was not a chain, at least for most of its retail life...and life goes on.

In 1978, Sears and J.C. Penney moved to the retail mecca that was Regency Square. If you had told anyone in the late '90s that Sears would leave the area, they would have laughed. We hear the few remaining stores will soon close, but that's a post script as far as the Shoals is concerned.

That left only J.C. Penney from this bygone era still viable at the beginning of 2020. Many said it too was on life support, but most had hopes it could rebound. On March 18th, the once popular retailer said it was closing all stores until April 2nd. Now it says all stores, distribution centers, and corporate offices are closed until further notice.

Employees are "furloughed." For the time being, they still have health insurance if they're signed up for it. 

How long is indefinitely? Most healthcare pundits are now saying nothing should reopen until June 1st...if then. The question would seem to be, will these shuttered outlets be able to bounce back?

If any are presumed able to withstand this, J.C. Penney isn't one of them. 

And Jeff Bezos Smiled...