Pocono News Section

J.C. Penney Cuts Hundreds of Jobs

J.C. Penney Cuts Hundreds of Jobs - Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 7:43PM EST

Reported by: Jeff Chirico
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 @07:43pm EST
MOOSIC, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- J.C. Penney has announced it will close its catalog call center in Moosic, leaving 275 people out of work. Employees learned Thursday morning that the company will close its doors on March 28.

Employees at this call center take orders for catalog customers. Officials say there's been a decrease in call volume as more customers order on the internet.

Employee Phyllis Beauvoir says "most of us were in shock. Really, we were surprised."

Mary Jane Griffith has worked part time at the center for almost six years. She knew one of the seven J.C. Penney catalog call centers was going to close "because the phone calls this peak season --there wasn't as much volume as other years."

Griffith expected the Moosic facility to stay open because she says the employees are paid less here than at other centers.

Beauvior says the company promised to help employees find work and allow them to take off for job interviews. Nonetheless, Griffith says she's uneasy about the announcement. "When you get to my age its hard to find a new job."

Most of the 275 employees are part-time.