he company also now allows shoppers to return items without a time limit. Those who don't have a receipt can exchange the item or get a J.C. Penney gift card at the current price. Previously, J.C. Penney had a 90-day return policy but shoppers needed a receipt. Brossart said Penney decided to consolidate its three call centers to two after it saw that call volume dropped by 30 percent in recent weeks because of fewer customer concerns regarding coupons, prices and returns. New York-based retail consultant Walter Loeb says he also believes with the lack of blockbuster sales events, there's less urgency for shoppers to call the center. Penney also is changing the in-store shopping experience. It plans to carve its stores into 80 to 100 brand shops. Merchandise will be refreshed once a month. Penney is also planning to add spots in its stores called Town Squares, like Apple's Genius Bars, that will offer services and advice. Shares of Penney fell 58 cents, or almost 2 percent, to $34.88 in afternoon trading. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press, http://www.cheaptomsshoesoutletstore.us - toms shoes reviews . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ. An insider's guide to politics and policy, available on the iPad or as a PDF download.
By DEREK KRAVITZ, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) The average U.S. rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage was mostly unchanged this week, as the cost of home-buying and refinancing stayed near record lows. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan fell slightly to 3.98 percent from 3.99 percent last week. In February, the rate touched 3.87 percent, the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s. The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage also fell, to 3.21 percent from 3.23 percent. That's above the record low of 3.13 percent hit last month. Mortgage rates have been below 4 percent for all but one week since early December. That's helped lift the outlook for housing after four sluggish years of home sales. Still, most economists expect only modest gains. January and February made up the best winter for re-sales in five years, when the housing crisis began. And builders are more confident about the market. In February, they requested the most permits to build single-family homes and apartments in more than three years. Applications for new mortgages rose in March, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, and there was a sharp rise in the average loan size, suggesting a bigger appetite for home loans. The average size of mortgage applications has increased by $20,000 since December, to about $235,000 last month. An improved job market is driving the modest increase in home sales. Employers have added an average 245,000 net jobs per month from December through February. The unemployment rate has dropped from 9.1 percent in August to 8, http://www.cheaptomsoutlet0.com - cheap toms shoes .3 percent in February, the lowest level in nearly three years, http://www.cheaptomsshoesoutletstore.us - toms shoes sale . Frank Notha
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