J.C. Penney Bets Real Shoppers Beat Holiday Deal Fatigue

Only 32% of shoppers completely or mostly trust retailers to offer a fair price, per Akeneo data — and J.C. Penney is building its entire holiday campaign around that skepticism. The retailer launched a holiday push on Monday across TV, online video, audio and paid social that spotlights real deal-scoring shoppers, weekly deal cheat sheets and the return of its "Really Big Deals" promotions, according to details shared with sister publication Marketing Dive.

A 15-second spot called "Party Fits" is set in Crown Point, Indiana, and stars Raemonie, a local barber who shows off three holiday outfits she bought for $168 total — roughly $56 per look. The voice-over makes the pitch: "Meet Raemonie — she was worried about having enough outfits for all her holiday parties. Now, thanks to J.C. Penney, she's worried about having enough holiday parties for all her outfits."

Why real people instead of fantasy?

The campaign builds on the "Yes, J.C. Penney" brand platform launched in 2025, was created with agency Mischief and follows a back-to-school effort that featured real teachers. Marisa Thalberg, executive vice president and chief customer and marketing officer at parent Catalyst Brands, said the approach is a deliberate contrast to competitors.

"While everyone else is doing kind of their fantastical TV campaigns for holiday, ours is truly grounded in real people, real life, and showing how those real people can — and deserve to — enjoy having better deals from J.C. Penney," Thalberg said.

The brand's own numbers claim an edge: 92% of consumers say they're confident they get good deals at J.C. Penney, per brand-shared data. That figure comes from the company itself, so read it accordingly.

What's the savings road map?

To cut through promotional noise, J.C. Penney will publish a deals cheat sheet every Monday through the season. "Really Big Deals" runs every Thursday through Dec. 13. From Nov. 5–11, 97% of in-store items will be on sale, and Black Friday deals run Nov. 20–29, with surprise in-store giveaways on Nov. 27.

The retailer also wants foot traffic. It partnered with Warner Bros. Global Consumer Products on Harry Potter pop-up events and a version of the Hogwarts Express train at select stores, plus a limited-time clothing-and-home capsule.

The stakes are high. Deloitte's annual holiday survey puts expected consumer spend at an average of $1,654 this season, up 4% year over year. And 38% of shoppers plan to use five or more money-saving strategies — yet that group is still expected to spend 12% more than others on average.

Can the campaign fix the sales slide?

J.C. Penney needs the season to work. Total net sales fell more than 8% year over year to $1.3 billion in the second quarter, a weaker result than department-store rivals Kohl's and Macy's.

Deals have long anchored the brand's marketing. Earlier this year it staged a Paris Fashion Week runway show swapping haute couture for J.C. Penney looks with prices displayed on stage. In August it parodied off-price retailers to argue its low prices don't mean low quality.

Thalberg framed the latest push as proving shoppers don't have to choose between fashion and affordability.

"We understand our customer," Thalberg said. "Our customer is everyone, real people, real working middle class American families who are trying to make ends meet, and we are very cognizant and empathetic of the economic pressures that Americans are facing."

Whether real-shopper storytelling can reverse an 8% sales decline during the most competitive weeks of the retail calendar is the question this campaign must answer by Dec. 13.