A Good Cut in the Economy…

Children who missed the opportunity to get a free haircut at J.C. Penney in August will get plenty more chances.  After an overwhelming response to the chain’s free haircut program offer for children in August  – 1.6 million haircuts, to be exact – J.C.Penney made it a permanent offer every Sunday, starting Nov. 4.

I have yet to check it out, but who could pass up giving it a try for a kids trim?   Whether you have 1 child or 9 (Theycallmemom.com), it’s worth the visit.

The decision underscores the extent of new CEO Ron Johnson’s efforts to re-energize the chain and transform every aspect of its business, from pricing to creating a new shopping experience.  Penney officials told investors in recent weeks that they’ve been encouraged by customers’ response to the launch of the first group of new branded shops and the recent changes to its pricing strategy. And the free haircut program for children, from kindergarten through the sixth grade, also helped to bring in new customers and existing ones who didn’t know about the latest merchandise changes.

Penney’s originally thought it would give one million haircuts in August-they went above and beyond! It was a big win for the salons, which benefited from the boost in traffic. The hair stylists earn hourly wages and are no longer paid on commission, so they were being paid anyway.   Tip well everyone!

Free haircuts also fit into Penney’s mission of helping people live better.  Penny’s noted that the program did “help to stretch families’ budgets.” And as part of that overall mission, JC Penney offered free haircuts to breast cancer survivors in October, which was breast cancer awareness month.  Good stuff.

“Hats off” to J.C. Penney’s for joining in on the gift of giving.