July 2019 by Cait B.
My partner and I go to the Bangor Mall sometimes, not just to gawk at which storefronts have just closed, but sometimes because we actually need clothes and for some reason we think that there's a retail establishment in Bangor that carries clothing that is appropriate for someone under 60 and actually fits us. Wild, right? The clothing carried at JCPenney seems more like something my grandmother would wear- shorts with a 9 inch inseam, dresses that look like giant bags, and lots of T-shirts with patriotic and otherwise vapid slogans that someone's older relatives might wear on vacation in Cancun or more likely when dropping a bundle at the casino downtown. Nevertheless, we generally go on a pass through here to see if there is anything that could possibly work for us, because pickings in Bangor are SLIM. Last night, we came through (I swear we were the only customers in the store!) and were greeted by a blonde woman at one of the desks as we were walking by. She asked us if we needed help (we let her know kindly that we didn't), but then, as we were already walking away, she started shouting at us asking if we had signed up for a JCPenney card. And she wouldn't take no for an answer! We both remarked to each other when we were out of earshot what a creepy interaction that had been. We rounded the store and for some reason (I don't know why) started checking out bras to see if there was anything that would fit me. In my band size, there was nothing smaller than a D cup (I'm an A), and a lot of the underwear looked again like something that your grand- or great-grandparents would wear. I am so tired of not being able to get women's shoes that fit me, or bras that fit me, or jeans that fit me at businesses in town. I am so tired of being told (as I have by associates here in the past) that I can "order it on JCPenney dot com" because apparently my sizing is too out-there to carry in stores. If I'm coming into a store, I want to buy some clothes and wear them today. I want to feel how the quality is and see how they fit my body. If I am going to order clothes online, I'm not going to get them from JCPenney dot com- I'm going to get them on Amazon. The products that JCPenney carries tell me that they don't think that people like me or my partner should exist. Why should we give them our money? I'm just waiting at this point to see whether JCPenney or the Bangor Mall folds first. It's like this store doesn't even want to stay in business.
