4 Ways J.C. Penney Delivers a Compelling Shopping Experience

While open-stock merchandise is expensive to handle, mixing it with prepack stock optimizes inventory. “It pays for itself by not having to markdown or liquidate your inventory,” Kelley said. He also noted that J.C. Penney does its assortment inventory planning 12 weeks to 16 weeks prior to the next inventory shipment to help keep level inventory flows. Penney always maintains a set amount of presentation-level inventory and then enough inventory in-house to cover sales.