JCPenney — Attraction in Jersey City

Yesterday I was racially profiled at 10 Mall drive, Newport Mall. Around 8:40 mall closing time we were leaving through JCPenny and I was approached by an employee who asked my sister pushing her own stroller to check her baby bag. Speechless and hurt the employee checked her bag then apologized and stated she’s just doing her job. As a mother of six, me and my children have frequented this mall going on five years since we moved to downtown Jersey City and have never felt so humiliated and hurt. Camara’s would show we weren’t shopping so there was no reason to assume we had anything except the color of our skin. I do ministry in my church, I was raised on God’s word, and my entire family are professional people with class. This harassment will stick with me for the rest of my life and I will never spend a dime in this store ever again. I know America has a race problem but harassing two mothers pushing strollers to go through their baby bags are next level offensive. I’m sure the individual who judged me and my sister solely based on the color of our skin desire me to keep my mouth shut and feel sad that I Black, but I’m not normalizing this. Everyone I know who comes to visit me from out of town will no longer shop here. My huge family are very supportive of each other and understand that out Black dollars count. No wonder this store got a one star rating on consumer affairs. JCPenney is not my only option for shopping, these days I shop were I’m appreciated, and there’s plenty of...

Had good and bad experiences at the Newport mall location. Been here a few times and here’s my advice!

Look for a Groupon! You can find plenty under $30. Their packages are way over $100 and they charge sitting fees without. A groupon. Let them know you have one prior to the shoot. Groupon has LIMITATIONS! You can only choose from 1st 6 photos. No props. If you like more than one pose, they will offer you an upgrade and that’s when you start spending over $100. Main positive is that your sitting fees are waived when you upgrade as well. Or least that was the case before. BE PREPARED TO SPEND $200 on average if you like more than one pic. They will show you other pics and you may feel compelled to get an upgrade. The Holliday package is a joke and way overpriced so don’t fall for it! Ask questions because some may not be knowledgeable. Be ON TIME! I was reprimanded for coming 9 mins late one time with a sleepy toddler. Felt like a kid myself in that brief moment. BEWARE OF THE TONES USED BY SOME WORKERS, mainly this one person. The tone used by this person is rude and condescending, could be inadvertently done but it made me feel some sort of way on multiple visits. PACKAGE PRICES ARE HIGH for a department store. Ask questions because upgrades from a Groupon get you “deals” that some Workers may not know of. So ask for a supervisor if they’re...

Portrait Studios

I went in to get my daughter's 10th birthday photos and was asked to step inside the photo area by one member (seemed to be a newbie) only to be shooed away by another (the feminine male) as if I had breached the place. I asked that one person please give us (my daughter and I) instruction for our visit to avoid confusion. We followed the covid-19 rules of mask wearing and kept our space as much as possible in the small area. Polite as I was, my statement struck a chord somehow as I was told that if I had an issue I could be told to "have a good day". I simply stated I didn't want confusion and tried to smile at my daughter as to not have her feel in a negative way on her special day but his scoffing Instantly made my 10 year old feel uneasy. I cracked a small joke to attempt to change her mood and move on with her much anticipated photos. Threw the clear continued sarcasm, rudely guided picture prep and sideline banter we managed to squeeze out a single solid photo. My daughter wanted more and I expected more having used them for many years and 5 children. Everything doesn't last forever and moving along has never been an issue for me. Today has concluded my relationship at this particular photo studio. I will however still...