Today I ventured down to the Manhattan Mall in New York City's Herald Square to check out the new Joe Fresh line at JCPenney.
It was bright and affordable, but the store wasn't mobbed with people looking to grab the newest JCP digs.
The collection featured just what Joe Fresh promised: women's preppy basics in fresh, fun colors.
And everything was a steal — barely anything I saw in the section was going for much more than $25.
The "store within a store," as JCPenney has billed the new boutique, was attention-grabbing, too. There were orange signs everywhere to draw customers in, and a DJ was just setting up when I was heading out the door. Still, while I wasn't flying solo in the Joe Fresh section, there were probably fewer than 10 customers at a time perusing the new line during the majority of my stay at the store.
The enthusiasm could easily pick up during more prime shopping hours this weekend, but I gained attention from nearly every employee within a five-rack radius as I perused the different styles — all friendly and eager to enter me in a Joe Fresh sweepstakes or help me find my size.
The Joe Fresh shop looks great, but is it going to be enough to get new people into stores?
JCPenney has a store in the Manhattan Mall, on 33rd and Broadway.
JCP is in the basement of the mall, but there was Joe Fresh marketing all over the top floor. Orange was the theme of the day and it was hard to miss.
After going down the escalator and walking in the store, I was immediately handed a coupon for $10 off my purchase. JCPenney initially tried eliminating coupons under CEO Ron Johnson, but the discounts are definitely back.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider