The Sidney herald., 1959-11-18

memory that crop up during hi
visits and travels.
In 1852, while visiting Penney
Sacramento store, MI. Penney wa
called to the phone. The manage
remembers that there was a paus'
while the other party spoke; thel
Mr.. Penney said quietly, eyes, MI
Mcdonald, l do remember you
You bought a suit from me in m,
Wyoming store in 1902. You were
over six feet tall and weighed ovel
200 pounds - a real coWpuncher
I remember that we gave you
good fit. It's nice to talk to yol
again!"
This year at the opening Of {
new Penney store in MinneapOli.
an old man moved past the thronf
of celebrities before anyone coulc
stop him, and placed himself be-
fore Mr.. Penney.
do you remember me, MI
Penney" he asked.
Mr.. Penney regarded the mar
for a long moment, then smiled.
your name, said Mr.. Penney
"is Severt Tendall. 1 last saw you
when you worked in our Cumber-
land, Nevada store in 1904"
The two men shook hands amid
scarecely-muffled gasps of amaze
ment in the official party!
Equally legendary is MI. PEN
ney's thrift. Although now a rich
man, after poor beginnings, he
still lives simply and is personally
upset by any type of waste.
One store manager who began
as a stock boy in 1929 relates that,
when Mr.. Penney visited his store
in that year, the future manager
had inadvertently left a light on
in a stock room. Mr.. Penney
noticed it, stepped unobstrusively
into the stock room, and turned
out the light.
The significance of the action
was not lost on the young man; he
was deeply embarrassed.
They next met in the spring of
this year, in the New York office.
They talked late; as they turned
to go, the store manager let Mr..
Penney pass ahead of him out the
door, then left the room himself
Leaving the light on.
AS had happened 80 years ago,
Mr.. Penney backtracked and
threw the switch. His eyes met
the store managers and he smiled
sadly.
you're still doing it," Mr.. Pen
ney said.
II don't think I've ever felt such
sincere disapproval!" the store
manager says ruefully.
On another occasion, Mr.. Penney
was a guest at a regional meeting
of store managers in Chicago. He
noticed that the group was eating
breakfast in the hotels main din
ing room. Quietly he investigated.
He found that the breakfast that
cost $1.25 in the main dining room
cost only IS cents in the small
dining area in the first basement
- and only IS cents in the coffee
shop in the endorsement, two
flights below the main floor!
Mr.. Penney then caused a stir of
pleasure in the meeting by invit-
ing the entire group to have
with him the next
morning.
He met the group in the main
at 7:30 a.m.-and promptly
headed for the stairs. They hest
but he nodded for them to
They soon found themselves
in the endorsement coffee
shop, which many of them had
not even known existed. During
his breakfast conversations Mr..
Penney said not a word about
where they were eating.
But we all understood" said
4 manager who was there. I'VE
we're very amused! But more than
that, we respected what he did.
We ate breakfast there from then
)n."
All persons who work for the
.irm are called "associates". Those
responsible positions enjoy
great autonomy.
Gan associate in a store" says
Mr. Penney, Knows about
what his customers and his town
reeds than / do"
Now a member of the firms
,oard of directors, he was chair
nan until he stepped down at 80.
1858 he attended 81 store
'penings in % states, gave 104
major addresses in % states, par
icipated in q major radio and
nv programs, clicked $1,000 miles
If travelling during 200 days out of
lis New York office.