But he was also pragmatic enough to open his store for half days on Sundays. How did Penney indicate that following the Golden Rule would help business and benefit customers? Although he made them work on Sundays, Penney treated his employees well and they were a large part of his success. Lathers well in hardest water, removes grease and dirt, yet will not harm a lady's skin. It provides an interesting contrast to the typical textbook coverage, which tends to emphasize a few robber barons, while giving little information on the success stories of other exceptional people who moved from rags to riches. The company also opened its own catalog business. To continue to train ourselves and our associates so that the service we give will be more and more intelligently performed. She had survived a failed marriage, but Jim married the divorcee he loved even knowing others might not approve. (513) 860-8000 At 17, she bore her only child, a daughter named Lelia. Despite early health problems, J.C. Penney lived to the age of 95. This was his parents' way of teaching him the value of money and self-reliance. There he competed for customers with 21 saloons. Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. She went through a second, brief marriage and became active in the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. The following activities will help students understand how hard work, ambition, confidence, a willingness to take risks, knowledge of potential markets, as well as lots of luck, contribute to success in establishing and operating a business. There were more than 30 within that first decade. With 12 children -- only half of whom survived to adulthood -- the family was often cash-strapped. Former slaves, the Breedloves worked as sharecroppers on a cotton plantation and lived in a one-room cabin. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Sams had been recommended by a Denver employment agency. I am not ashamed of my past; I am not ashamed of my humble beginning. By the time he died in 1971, JCPenney had more than 1,600 stores, many in newly-built suburban malls, and was the fifth . "Give me a man with no goals and I'll give you a stock clerk. . It was all my fault." Fast forward to 2011. It didnt work. He did not pay for elaborate fixtures and displays. The following links are of particular interest: Chain Stores The woman, named Berta, consented to marry him. The company developed a large team of central buyers who worked hard to find the best merchandise at the lowest prices. Despite Penney opening the companys books and sharing everything, and despite enthusiasm on the part of the other companies owners, the Penney company ultimately decided it could best preserve its unique sharing culture by remaining independent. Walker, one of America's most successful African-American businesswoman of the early 20th century. "Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement.". --J. C. Penney. Penney, James Cash. Cooperation proves the quality of leadership.". Salt Lake City, Utah 84102-1205 In 1913, the successful business was incorporated as the J.C. Penney Company. 25. When he was twenty-one, the family doctor noted that Jim was wearing down and risked getting the dreaded consumption (tuberculosis). This issue was based largely on the book The Spiritual Journey of J. C. Penney, by Dr. Orlando L. Tibbetts, published by Rutledge Books (1-800-278-8533 or www.rutledgebooks.com). With the experience of men of 20 years of successful merchandising to give us, all guess work is eliminated. Our aim is to sell you Reliable, Staple, Dependable Merchandise at a less price than any other house in the country. Abstract During the release of the J. C. Penney company's results of the 2nd quarter, Ron Johnson who is the CEO of the departments store of company was getting ready as he was reconsidering the dramatic changes that he initiated in favor of the business model and brand image 1902. She built a factory, hair and manicure salon, and another training school. Convinced that hard work could bring success, however, Penney and his partners decided to go ahead with the Kemmerer store. The best thing for him was to move to a drier climate. We will supply you with durable and comfortable wearing apparel cheaper than ever before. 709 East South Temple He sold the Miami mansion. Many factories knowing the immense outlet we have are anxious for our business. 1. By looking at Two American Entrepreneurs, students can learn the stories behind the success of two of America's most famous early 20thcentury businesspeople. Our customers know the advantages we enjoy, for every article in our store shows the result of careful and painstaking buying. 3) two advertisements for Madam Walker beauty preparations and Penney's Golden Rule Store; His store carried men's, women's and children's clothing, shoes, notions, and fabric for sewing. Why did Walker move to Denver? Walker's and Penney's desire to provide people with high quality services and affordable merchandise may well have been based on personal experiences. 1925. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Soon enough, Callahan asked Jim to move to Evanston, Wyoming, where Callahan and partner William Johnson operated another Golden Rule Store. Many innovative and unusual employee benefits and insurance were introduced. But this was just the beginning. Penney knew he could not control the daily operations of many stores with such wide expansion. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. It seems to me so. They travelled the world with their now five children of diverse ages. First days sales were a gratifying $466.59. Penney moved to Colorado for health reasons and his life changed. In 1902 Penney became owner of his first store, one of the Golden Rule chain stores; he worked night and day for the success of this Kemmerer, Wyoming, store, which opened at 7 am and closed it between 9 and 10 p.m.. Penney worked six days a week and half a day on Sundays. Activity 3: Starting a Business My talk to you this evening is to be very brief and very much to the point. Over 20% of them were past or present presidents of their Chambers of Commerce. He wrote in his autobiography that all of his business success was based "in adherence to the Golden Rule, faith in God and the country.". Copyright by Archbridge Institute. With letters of recommendation in hand, the young man headed west toward the Rockies in the summer of 1897. Superfine Face Powder (Brown)--Clinging, velvety smooth, invisible and adorably perfumed. But again, fate befell him: she died suddenly in 1923. He underwrote Christian causes like theChristian Heraldmagazine. 3. 2. It Is So Painful to Care: How Do I Conquer Apathy? The company was like the retail version of the Marines: tough to get in, brothers for life. Both Madam Walker and J.C. Penney established a base of operation in New York City and ultimately made it their permanent home. Belk Stores Services, Inc. 4. Both Walker and Penney overcame great odds, and both combined a desire to serve others with great financial success. He decided that his success potential could only come true if he delegated responsibility to others and if he put his faith in the people he hired. He almost turned to drink, but his strong faith enabled him to resist. The Walker Building, planned by Madam Walker herself but constructed after her death, was designed to serve not only as the headquarters for her business, but as a social and cultural center for African Americans in Indianapolis. When to Buy. 1. Within five years, Penney opened two more stores, then three more. James Cash Penney, Jr., was born September 16, 1875, near Hamilton, Missouri, to the Reverend James C. Penney and his wife, Fanny. "Penney, James Cash And when we found it impossible to agree, due to his narrowness of vision, I embarked on business for myself. So are we writing about him simply because he was a Christian who happened to be rich and famous? All rights reserved. It has been a monument to one of the great merchants of American history, and may continue to be so. "2 How did the company change to meet competitive challenges that arose in the 1950s and 1960s? Study the advertisement and then refer to the partial transcript to answer the following questions. This would be a major asset for a mail-order business. The workplaces described in this lesson reveal a good deal about the philosophies and interests of two successful early 20th-century businesspeople who stuck by their principles as they pursued their dreams: Madam C.J. J.C. Penney, in full James Cash Penney, (born Sept. 16, 1875, Hamilton, Mo., U.S.died Feb. 12, 1971, New York, N.Y.), merchant who established one of the largest chains of department stores in the United States. How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? After opening his first store for business in 1902 in Kemmerer, Wyo., J.C. Penney tallied first day's sales of $33.41. Golden Rule prices were often 2550% below those of other merchants, but the stores always offered good, dependable quality merchandise and the latest fashions. THESE ARE BUT FOUR OF EIGHTEEN MADAM C. J. WALKER BEAUTY PREPARATIONS--AS FINE AS MONEY CAN BUY. Penney's first job was clerking in a general store for a salary of $2.27 per month. 3800 Southeast 22nd Avenue It also required bigger bank lines of credit, and the banks could not understand all these partnerships. As late as the 1960s, Penney would still make the rounds of his stores, even stepping behind the counter to assist customers. He died in 1971. He folded the inventory. The manager wrote headquarters pleading for them to get the landlord to deny the lease to the competitor. 20 cents per large bar. The company store (and the 21 saloons in town) offered credit, but Penney's store was cash-only. Callahan and Johnson offered to loan him the balance of $1,500 in order to buy his one-third ($2,000) share of the $6,000 investment required, at 8% interest. Part of the building contained the Indianapolis branch of Lelia College as well as the Madam Walker Beauty Parlor. Jim could not tolerate the unfair practice and immediately quit. But the store base was still largely in small towns in the West, often in cities of under 10,000 population (shades of Sam Walton!). She chose Denver because her brother's widow and four children lived there. Water was drawn from a nearby well and hauled up to their rooms by bucket and rope. He worked hard, learning the inventory and doing whatever tasks needed to be done, no matter how humbling. He lived and served until he was 95, frequently sharing a Bible verse he had memorized as a child and claimed as his favorite: "I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Working together is success." Henry Ford. By 1941, J. C. Penney operated 1,600 stores in all of the lower 48 states. Dillard Department Stores, Inc. "4 These employed women now were able to educate their children, buy homes, and support various charitable organizations. As that happened, he renewed his support of various charities, putting millions of dollars into the Penney Retirement Community in Penney Farms, Florida, Christian Herald magazine, and more than 100 other organizations ministering in the United States and around the world. Walker and J.C. Penney relates to the following Social Studies Standards: Theme III: People, Places, and Environment, Standard G- The student describes how people create places that reflect cultural values and ideals as they build neighborhoods, parks, shopping centers, and the like.Theme IV: Individual Development and Identity, Standard D - The student relates such factors as physical endowment and capabilities, learning, motivation, personality, perception, and behavior to individual development.Theme VII: Production, Distribution, and Consumption. Penney also wrote his own story inFifty Years with the Golden Rule: A Spiritual AutobiographyandView from the Ninth Decade: Jottings from a Merchants Daybook. National Negro Business League 3. By the time she was five, Sarah had learned to carry water to field hands, drop cotton seed into plowed furrows, and, for a dollar a week, wash white people's clothes with strong lye soap, wooden sticks, and washboards. Ransom, her attorney and general manager, and Alice Kelly, the factory forewoman. Main Street Merchant: The Story of the J.C. Penney Company. Walker, familiar with newspaper promotion campaigns, helped develop a marketing plan, design advertisements, and organize a mail order business for his wife's products, but he was not as ambitious as she. Is not service part and parcel of business? Give me a man with no goals and I'll give you a stock clerk. Why would Madam Walker have needed a large building like this to manufacture her products by 1910? When I went to Kemmerer in 1902, I had no idea that (in 1921) we would have 313 storesbut that didn't prevent me from doing my best and working with all my might. Sometimes they may make you poor. After working briefly in Denver as a dry goods clerk, he moved to Longmont, Colorado, where he bought a butcher shop. 1600 Cantrell Road But he did not test his ideas in any region or store first. Now I realize that in the so-called higher walks of life, many were prone to look down upon "hair dressers" as they called us; they didn't have a very high opinion of our calling, so I had to go down and dignify this work, so much so that many of the best women of our race are now engaged in this line of business, and many of them are now in my employ.2, J. C. Penney Speaks to Associates in the Kemmerer Store, ca. For your own sake we should have your business. JCPenney is an American department store chain founded by James Cash Penney and William Henry McManus in 1902. Why would Walker have decided to establish her business and subsequently plan a commercial and social building in this area? Does the artist's conception of the first store seem idealized? National Park Service . How did Walker show her commitment to helping other African-American women achieve the success that would bring independence and self-respect? Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Over the next several years, the company first converted to a stock ownership system, but it was just as complicated: each store partner received a class of stock that only related to their store, and got dividends on that stock in proportion to their stores profits. He had never been much of a book reader, preferring practical experience, but in 1915 he discovered the bookYouth and Opportunityby Dr. Thomas Tapper. A contemporary of Madame Walker. 4. By 1929 the J. C. Penney company was so highly regarded that both Sears and Wards tried to merge with it to obtain their retail and buying expertise and improve their own chains. He cut off the whiskey, lost the customer, and the butcher shop failed, Jim losing all his savings in the process. The company continued to grow by incentivizing store managers, and later employees, with stock. 24. He readily accepted. Above and beyond his shrewd business sense, James Cash Penney had an enduring desire for fairness in his business dealings. Why do you think both Walker and Penney were successful as business owners? The address is 6l7 Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202. 2. Then two significant things happened to J. C. Penney. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Fifty Years With The Golden Rule. It seems to me so; business is therefore as much religious as it is secular. To do all in our power to pack the customer's dollar full of value, quality, and satisfaction. Wonderful Hair Grower, Glossine, and Vegetable Shampoo were well accepted by the African-American women of Denver. Both had to become self-reliant at very early ages and learned that hard work alone would not fulfill their aspirations. Each preparation's wide use and higher merit were always proved. Vous tes ici : Accueil. September 16, 1875 - February 12, 1971. Businessman. The young couple lived above the store, using shoe boxes for chairs and packing cases for tables. how did james cash penney achieve his goals. Students can establish their own categories or you might suggest grouping together advertisements with an emphasis on price, quality, style, convenience, or importance to specific ethnic or age groups. Individual store managers shared in one-third of the store profits. The couple attended church, and had their first child, a boy, in 1901. Document 2 was provided courtesy of the J.C. Penney Archives, Dallas, TX. There he also founded Foremost Dairies to try more scientific methods of dairy farming. Johnson, Callahan, and Penney opened a store in another mining town, Cumberland, Wyoming, around the first of 1905. "It takes two flints to make a fire." Louisa . https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/penney-james-cash, "Penney, James Cash Charlotte, North Carolina 28217 We open at seven, and never get closed till nine or ten oclock, work half day Sunday. --James Cash Penney. He grew up in a stern, joyless family. Less than 5% of applicants made the grade. Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Mr. James Cash Penney may have begun his career as a failed Missouri butcher (via Business Insider ), but when he moved to Wyoming to start a store he called The Golden Rule, he met with such success that he became a household name at least, from 1914 onwards, when the store chain he began was renamed in his honor. But most of the buyers and all the key executives were former store managers or had store experience. To improve constantly the human factor in our business. By 1906, C. J. Walker moved to Denver and the two soon married. Omissions? Have them categorize advertisements for beauty products and services and for Penney's or similar stores such as Montgomery Ward. Compare the locations of the cities marked on the map. He wrote a column for the magazine, and made endless speeches across the country espousing his ideas of thrift, hard work, right living, and ethical business. James Cash Penney, the founder of the once giant retailer, based his business philosophy on one simple personal mission statement: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" the Golden Rule. He was raised to be a devout Christian, a man whose foundation was the Golden Rule, to be self-reliant, self-disciplined, and with a strong concept of personal. Today, J.C. Penney Company operates more than 1,100 stores in all 50 states. Discuss the findings of each group, and then have each student develop an ad for a product or store to be shown to the class and perhaps displayed on a bulletin board. J. C. Penney remained extremely active in the affairs of the company, but he and the others at the top were far from autocratic. Penney himself became known as the "Man with a Thousand Partners.". Unfortunately, Johnson alienated the company's target audience by focusing . Why or why not? 26. He opened his first store, called the Golden Rule, in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in 1902. It is part of the J.C. Penney Historic District, which also includes Penney's first house. Businessman James Cash Penney points to a picture of his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming. He accepted "cash only" for his goods, rather than credit. At nineteen, Jim took a job at the J. M. Hale dry goods store for $25for eleven months workjust $2.27 per month. This man was not a religious leader--he didn't even join a church until he was in his 70s--but he was a business leader. Perfumed delightfully. Penneys first job was clerking in a general store for a salary of $2.27 per month. Obtainable in rose-flesh and white. The manager agreed to train someone to take his place at the existing store. His parents had instilled in him a basic Christian faith that had given him the principles on which he had based his life and his business, yet now that faith was being tested. ISN'T RIGHT NOW a time when you simply cannot afford to miss a chance to SAVE. In the first year (1902), the store did almost $29,000 in sales, and made a profit of $8,500. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Penney and his partners dreamed of a thousand stores (achieved in 1928). Jims big chance was a store 25-feet wide and 45-feet deep. In the same year he purchased two additional stores in Rock Springs and Cumberland, Wyoming. This was his parents' way of teaching him the value of money and self-reliance. The Madam C.J. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"ux2ZilahsJT2HsvQfKDyDfc4oRvXqaa7VF8UWDjay2g-86400-0"}; Bonhoeffer Transferred to Buchenwald Concentration Camp. The business incorporated in 1913 as J. C. Penney and Company, Inc. (unscrupulous competitors had begun to use the Golden Rule name), adopting seven business principles of fair pricing and good service. Why do you think Penney's first store was so successful? It diversified broadly into drug stores, discount stores, a mail-order catalog, and European retailing. In such a climate, the Biblical outlook and principles of J. C. Penney are a breath of fresh air. Because St. Louis already had several cosmetic companies, Walker decided to move to another city to set up her own business. C.J. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). The Walker Building is located at the intersection of West Street and Indiana Avenue in downtown Indianapolis. 3. Public Company How did their efforts affect life today? The younger J. C. Penney survived being widowed twice and losing almost all his wealth in the Great Depression, but continued leading, writing, teaching, and preaching until his death at the age of ninety-five. While the Penney company fared relatively well during the Great Depression due to having no debt, only taking cash, and offering low prices, no one was immune from the effects of the stock market crash. Reading 2 was adapted from Ralph J. Christian, "J. C. Penney Historic District" (Lincoln County, Wyoming) National Historic Landmark Nomination Form, U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1977; and information from the J.C. Penney Archives in Dallas, Texas. (Applause.) James Cash Penney. Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. The possibility of opportunity lit his fires. Why or why not? The company opened another store in Kemmerer, Wyo., in 1902, and young Penney became a one-third partner for an investment of $500 and a promissory note for $1,500.