J.C. Penney Aims to Win Trust With ‘Elsewhere’ Prices

J.C. Penney Co., having embraced everyday low prices, is going to great lengths to show customers its house-brand apparel is cheaper than rivals’.

Its latest gimmick in a series of sometimes confusing approaches: compare the price of a T-shirt, say, to ones sold “elsewhere.” And where is elsewhere? It’s not a place. It’s the lowest of competitors’ prices, researched by J.C. Penney’s merchants, on identical or materially similar items from specialty stores, Kate Coultas, a spokeswoman, clarified in an e-mail today.