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Creating a Corporate Culture
of Fully Engaged Associates

At JCPenney, we want to win – so we’re investing in our greatest strength and competitive advantage: our 150,000 Associates. We believe engaged Associates are the key to driving our business. With our “Every Day Matters” brand positioning, our Associates engage our customers as friends, showing our customers that what matters to them, matters to us. In a sea of retail sameness, our superior customer service is what differentiates us from our competitors. To maintain this competitive advantage we want to retain, develop and attract the best talent in retailing by “becoming the preferred choice for a retail career” – a key strategy of our Long-Range Plan.

To do this, we are focusing on engaging our Associates through a philosophy we call WINNING TOGETHER. James Cash Penney founded our Company in 1902 based on The Golden Rule – it was even the name of his first store. Today, this idea serves as the foundation of JCPenney’s WINNING TOGETHER Principles, which define the way we work and win together to achieve superior performance.

We engage our Associates by:

Offering clear career paths and opportunities for personal growth. Learn More

Creating a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and fosters an inclusive environment. Learn More

Developing a recognition culture. Learn More

Ultimately, our Associates are the first customers we sell. Becoming their “preferred choice for a retail career” will make it possible to inspire our customers and grow our business. In fact, studies show that engaged Associates leads to better customer service.

The right Associate attitude makes a significant difference in how customers feel about shopping at JCPenney. Our CustomerFIRST initiative is about providing valuable customer service beyond what is expected and focuses on empowering every JCPenney Associate to make customers their No. 1 priority. At JCPenney, we believe our customers are more than just a transaction. CustomerFIRST includes three key initiatives:

  • GREAT! (Greet, Respect, Engage, Assist, Thank and have fun!) is an easy-to-remember formula for improving customer satisfaction, and it describes how Associates interact with customers.
  • Yes We Can! Empowers our Associates to take care of customers without always having to ask for permission from a manager or supervisor.
  • I Can Help trains all store Associates – not just our selling floor Associates – to assist in serving customers. Our Associates know that they play a vital role in improving the customer service experience. That’s why its CustomerFIRST, tasks second.