JCPenny Prepares Students for Careers with New Business Clothing

On March 24, JCPenny teamed up with UNC Pembroke’s Career Center to host the Suit-Up Event at Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville. The event gave students the opportunity to purchase business attire at affordable prices to prepare them for future careers or job interviews.

The event offered services from Sephora, which was located inside the department store. There were beauty consultants giving free makeovers to students and goodie bags with beauty-product samples inside.

“I actually like these events, they’ve done this at Fayetteville State previously before and now we’re doing it for UNCP so I’m actually excited,” Rashad Mayers, 23, a sales associate at JCPenny said. “I have my own personal reason why I get excited for these events; just cause I like to see young men come in and actually get dressed. A lot of people don’t know how to dress or don’t dress a lot and they get an opportunity to dress.”

JCPenny was handing out coupons for their business headshots on the upper-level of the store. Special University packages were offered exclusively for students at a price of $29.99 compared to the regular $49.99.

More than 20 students came down to Cross Creek to check out the sales and portfolio deals that can be scheduled online at jcpportraits.com.

“I actually love it [the event], I think it’s an awesome opportunity for us as college students that may not always have the funds to come out and just buy suits and all types of other stuff. I think it’s a really good opportunity for us to get out and actually get the things we need to help us in the professional world,” UNCP student Anthony Vincent, 22, said.

Many of the attendees felt the event was giving students an opportunity to get better prepared for potential interviews and how the boost of confidence will set the tone for their careers going forward.

“I think the demographic is actually really good, it being college students - the turn out is great cause I feel like they need it, it’s a good middle ground, that step before having a career,” Mayers said.

The turnout of the event was due to the outreach at UNCP’s Career Center, who hosts events alike to bring together students and nearby communities to give students a jump start on getting a job in their career field.

“I mean obviously the Career Center and SGA did a really good job and all the other people that helped put this together. They did an awesome job I guess just picking a place where it’s already kind of fairly inexpensive and to get more on top of that, we’re all kind of broke college students so it’s awesome. Plus it’s not too far from campus so to speak,” Vincent said.