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We shopped at Kohl's and JCPenney and both had real issues. Here's why I'd rather shop at Kohl's anyway.

Shoshy Ciment   

We shopped at Kohl's and JCPenney and both had real issues. Here's why I'd rather shop at Kohl's anyway.
Retail2 min read

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Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

Kohl's sells Amazon devices in stores and has pickup lockers for online orders.

Kohl's and JCPenney are both struggling a bit.

JCPenney said it plans to close 27 stores in 13 states this year and reported a 9% same-store sales decrease for the second quarter of 2019.

To critics, JCPenney represents a lack of specialization when it comes to the consumer.

"JCPenney hasn't created an experience that solidifies a place in consumers' shopping habits," Kathy Gersch, executive vice president of the consultancy firm Kotter, told Business Insider's Mary Hanbury in May 2018.

Read more: We went to Kohl's and Target and found they were both a mess. Here's why I'd shop at Target anyway.

Kohl's is doing slightly better.

The company reported in its second-quarter earnings of 2019 that sales dropped 2.9% in stores open for more than a year.

Nine out of 10 Kohl's stores are in suburban strip malls rather than enclosed shopping malls, so declining foot traffic in malls hasn't affected the chain as strongly. The retailer's recent partnership with Amazon to accept returns for the e-commerce giant in its stores has also helped boost traffic nearly 24% in the three weeks after the partnership began, data from InMarket revealed.

We shopped at both stores and saw similar issues in each, such as messy displays, outdated merchandise, and eclectic and overwhelming products. However, the measures Kohl's has taken to boost traffic online and in stores made it clear why it is outperforming JCPenney.

Here was our experience:

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