Many families across the country are gearing up for one of the biggest occasions of the year – back to school time! Pencils, notebooks, sneakers, socks, jeans… the list of supplies and “must haves” goes on and on.
JCPenney understands that people are looking to “shop smart”. They have a few helpful tips on how to be a savvy shopper, especially when it comes to the back to school shopping season.
Look for value: Instead of buying pieces separately, look for items sold with accessory pieces or built in layering for an easy way to get that hot back to school look without breaking the bank. When my family was in JCP recently we noticed a few tops that came with a necklace, belt or even a fashionable scarf.
Mobile Up: Shop from your hand held device on JCP.com. Sign up for mobile coupons and don’t miss out on any special offers by checking in via Foursquare. Use your smart phone to scan QR code and MS tags to be connect on more info.
Know before ou go: Before you head to the store, browse online so that your shopping expedition is more efficient. One JCP.com you can even check to see if items are in stock before heading to the store. You can also find directions to the nearest JCP store as well as can’t miss sales happening each day. I would also like to add you should take stock of what your child really needs. Have them try on all their clothes before you go shopping so you have an accurate count as to how many jeans, bottoms, tops, socks and underwear your child needs.
Accessorize: Footware and accessories offer an easy way to add current fashions to your look and allow you to update your wardrobe at a minimal investment. I would suggest fashion scarves, belts, jewelry and even funky hats and hair accessories. They are a fun way to jazz up your wardrobe and they don’t necessarily cost a lot.
Make your shopping count: Through JCPenney’s “Pennies from Heaven” campaign you can round up purchases from July 31 – August 27 and donate the difference to an after school organization in your local community.
Take advantage of tax free shopping days: Check out when your state offers tax free shopping days to save even more money when back to school shopping.
Recently I took my kids to JCPenney to pick out some pieces for back to school. My son wasn’t overly interested. He’s not so much into fashion or what is “in” right now. He just cares about what fits him comfortably. He did find some “skinny jeans”, much to my dismay. Personally I don’t like to see boys in skinny jeans, but I do know they are all the rage right now. I guess it’s better then wearing jeans down below their butts. My son happened to find a pair that he loved and that fit him. He was thrilled with that purchase. He also picked up an oversized plaid shirt (he loves over sized shirts), some tee shirts, socks and undershirts.
Here is one of the shirts he purchased and the skinny jeans. It was VERY hot when the picture was taken so his sleeves were rolled up. He also loves to wear Fedoras. He’s been wearing them since elementary school. He marches to the beat of his own drums. He actually has several Fedoras too.
My daughter on the other hand… ugh! I never thought I was going to get her out of the store. I think we went into the changing room with arms full of clothing about a half a dozen times. I learned that my cell phone does not get reception in the changing room so I had nothing to do to occupy my time while I waited for her to try everything on. Even after she tired things on and picked out her favorites she still had way too much.
My daughter shops in the Juniors section at JCPenney now. Oh how I miss the days she could shop in the kids section.
Now that she’s a freshman in high school (UGH!) she is more then capable of picking out her own clothes. Of course there were a few I had to shoot down because I just didn’t like them for whatever reason. It’s more so a “mom” thing. When I was my daughter’s age my mom used to not like the things I wanted to buy too. My mom’s logic was if she hated it then chances are I was going to love it. That is the way she thought when she went clothes shopping without me. Oddly enough she often did buy me really nice things that I loved and she hated. Ha Ha.
The Juniors section had a lot of really nice pieces. Some of the items I wish were available in my size. They were very trendy and “in”, but still age appropriate. I like that I saw a lot of dressy outfits and pieces available. That was a nice surprise. I thought I was going to see a lot of pieces that look like kids would wear to the skating park or lounging around. What we found were rather nice, dressy pieces.
This is a dressy top that my daughter picked out. The sleeves are lace but they are NOT as see-thru as they appear in the photo. As you can see by how washed out her face looks the flash from my camera highlighted her skin underneath. In person her skin does not appear obvious. I think it’s rather nice and dressy. She is going to wear this to school. It will look great with this long silver necklace she has and silver earrings. In the photo she’s wearing shorts because it was 90+ degrees that day. When she wears this to school she’ll be wearing jeans or slacks. She has a cute pair of black capris that would go nicely with this top too.
My daughter picked out several tops, shorts, a pair of pants and a romper/jumper (I’m not sure what they are called these days. LOL).
I forewarned my daughter that the romper/jumper is going to be a bit of a pain to undo every time she had to go to the bathroom but she said she didn’t mind. It was a really cute outfit and she really liked it. It’s not going to be appropriate to wear when the cooler weather rolls around but it’s certainly OK for back to school time since it’s still very hot in New York, even into late September. She can wear the romper/jumper again in May of next year when the weather gets warmer (providing she doesn’t have a growth spurt either.
The romper/jumper looks short in the photo. It’s not. When my daughter has her arms to her side (pointing straight down) the bottom of the shorts meet where her fingers are. That is compliant with the schools dress code. My daughter is also short (5’1″) and has short legs. Sadly the photo was taken in such a way that it looks like she’s wearing short-shorts. As a mom I can assure you they are not.
The top does have spaghetti straps. That is a “no-no” as far as the school’s dress code is concerned however my daughter has a really nice button up top that she is going to wear over the top so that she’s following the school’s dress code. I even think the button up top would look cute tied in a knot in the front rather then button it up. She also have tank tops with 1″ straps that she is allowed to wear that she could wear under this too.
What I like about this piece is that its fun and would be ideal for school, the mall or just hanging out at home with friends.
I wanted to get my kids to let me take their pictures in other pieces they purchased from JCPenney but my son was not amused (he’s a boy, it’s not his thing). My daughter was willing to pose for some more.
I was thrilled when JCPenney asked if I would share my kid’s photos in an online “look book” on their Facebook page. Of course my kids were excited about that. My daughter was especially excited because she wanted to share the link with all her friends on Facebook so they can see it too. Unbeknown to me kids (teens) actually “like” Facebook pages for various fashion brands. I just thought they were on Facebook to chat with friends. Who knew that some followed their favorite brands too.
It was nice to see a few bloggers that I know have their children’s pictures in the “look book” too. It’s fun to see REAL kids wearing the JCPenney fashions rather then models.
You can view the look book here, http://www.facebook.com/jcp?ref=pb#!/media/set/?set=a.10150403818039358.459894.25252329357&type=1 (sorry the link is so long).
There are some really fun fashions in the “look book”, all found at JCPenney. I found a few pieces I need to go back to JCPenney to see if I can find them for my own kids.
On a side note, some of the comments left by people about the photos were really mean, nasty and totally uncalled for. Like my mom always said “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all“. People don’t stop and think that the children in the photos might see the comments and get hurt by them. My daughter for example is on Facebook (she is old enough). I didn’t tell her that the photos were on the site yet because of the negative comments. She’s a teen and as you know they are overly sensitive about things, especially their looks. I feel bad too because she was looking forward to sharing the link with her friends. Someone even went so far to say that my daughter looked “trashy” and that it was “street wear” (I’m pretty sure they meant “street walker” more so then regular wear). Sigh…
As I mentioned before in the post the black romper/jumper seemed to get the most harsh criticism. It complies with the high school’s rules as far as the length (as I mentioned earlier the photo was shot in such a way it might appear shorter then it actually is). She is going to wear a top over the top part too. I just didn’t include it in the photo.
In a way those negative comments make me look like a bad parent for letting my child wear something like that. I know I’m far from a “perfect” parent (no one is perfect!) but I am not a bad parent. Not in the least. Just ask anyone who knows me personally and knows how I parent my children.
It really stinks that people can take such a fun thing and turn it into something rotten just because they are having a bad day or a bad life and want to take it out on others.
Anyway… back to my post. I’ll step down off my soap box now.
When we walked into JCP a man at the door (an employee) handed us a coupon too. I forgot the specifics but it was $10 off $50 or more or 20% off $100 or more. Something like that. I don’t remember. There were two offers on the sheet. I do know that the coupon saved us a lot. Between the awesome sales they were having and the coupon we saved $180! Yes, you read that right – $180! AWESOME!!! I think the skinny jeans my son picked up were regularly over $50 but we got them for under $25. And a pair of jeans my daughter picked up had a similar sale price. WOW! Did I feel great knowing that we got a boat load of clothes for school and saved so much money.
For more information about JCPenney visit www.JCPenney.com. You can also follow them on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/JCP and on Twitter, www.Twitter.com/JCPenney.
Kimberly
*I received a gift card in order to pick up some pieces to do this review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.
ababe28 says
That’s fantastic! I like JCP and saving money is what it’s all about these days…
Fantastic Post!
Kimberly says
Both you kids look awesome! I am so sorry about any negative comments, especially when kids are involved. Your daughter looked beautiful and very age appropriate. Love your sons hat! Your have to admire a fellow with such style.
Nicole May says
I think your kids look great!! I can’t believe some of those comments on Facebook! Gangster???? What on earth is gangster about your son’s outfit? They wear that on the Disney channel for goodness sake!
Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy says
Cute outfits. I love JCPenney!
Ruthi aka abitosunshine says
Your son looks savvy and sharp and the rolled up sleeves add to the look! Your daughter is a beauty and the looks she chose emphasize her loveliness with a touch of vibrant sophistication.
BooHoo! to the naysayers! Ignore them! You’re great, your kids are great, and…JCP thought so too!