What You See Isn't Always What You Get

I always prefer to write about positive experiences I've had with products, services and companies, but sometimes I think writing about negative experiences can be helpful, too.

Needing to buy shoes for Kat last week, I took her to every retailer in our town that sells shoes. We found only a few styles that we both liked (why do designers think 6-year-old girls need heels?), but none of them were available in her size.

Before driving farther away from home, I decided to do some comparison shopping online. I found suitable (and cute) shoes for Kat on sale for $19.99 at the JCPenney website. The site indicated they were available in the store and not just through the website. I hate ordering shoes online that may not fit, and didn't want to wait for shipping, so I drove 20 miles (each way) to the nearest JCPenney store. When I got there the shoes were on sale as a BOGO 1/2 Off (buy one pair at reg. $34.00, get the second pair at 50% off). I asked the clerk, but she knew nothing about the $19.99 pricing. She brought up the JCPenney website on her register monitor, which showed the shoes at full price. I didn't want/need to buy two pairs of shoes for $51, when the website indicated I should be able to get just one pair for $20, so I took Kat elsewhere.

When I got home, I was still confused about the pricing, so I went to the JCPenney website again. Again, I saw the prices at $19.99, with the words "In Stores" just below it. Then I clicked on one of the styles to get more details. On the page where a person might actually put the item into their shopping cart, near the bottom, in small print, were the words "Store Prices May Vary". I hadn't gone that far into the website because I hadn't intended to buy online.

With that I realized that JCPenney had their out, but I sent their customer service department a letter anyway. It wasn't a rude letter, but I made clear that I felt they'd pulled a little of the ol' "bait and switch" trick on me, leading me to believe that what I saw on that first page would be what I'd find in the store. I did receive a response, but found it confusing and unsatisfactory. I don't plan to pursue the issue further, but I won't be giving JCPenney my business any time soon.

So, here are a few words of advice: Be mindful when you use the Internet to comparison shop before going to actual brick-and-mortar stores. Dig deep to find the disclaimers. Print the sale pages to take with you when you shop.

A few more words of advice: Try shopping at Sears instead. Their prices were exactly as listed on their website.