Kristal Clark browsed the racks of clothing at J.C. Penney, trying to find the perfect outfit for her resident assistant interview later this week. Clark, a sophomore majoring in mathematics, was one of nearly 200 Binghamton University students who took advantage of student discounts on professional attire at the department store on Sunday night.
“Normally, business clothes are a lot of money, and it’s especially hard for us since we are already limited on the amount of money that we have here at school, so it definitely helps,” Clark said.
Every half hour beginning at 6:15 p.m., Off Campus College Transport buses full of students left campus for the mall, guaranteeing that students could make the three-hour sale. Discounts of up to 40 percent were offered on professional clothing items such as dress pants and dress shoes.
This is the first time that Binghamton University has partnered with J.C. Penney, but the department store has previously partnered with other universities. According to Mark Barnes, the general manager of the Oakdale Mall location, the program began with a branch in Oklahoma and a nearby university, and has since expanded. Barnes said the purpose of the event was to help students find affordable clothing for professional interviews.
“We want to make sure that we help the students get what they need with career interviews, and hopefully a career that they are interested in,” Barnes said. “We want to build that partnership with the University, so that the students continue to shop with us, but we can also help the students with interviews and apparel.”
J.C. Penney’s corporate office contacted the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development this past summer to offer this program to students. Alissa Strong, assistant director of marketing and technology for the Fleishman Center, organized the event and said the University was excited to try something new in regard to professional development.
“We jumped on it, because we thought it would be a great program and we are always looking for new things to try, especially when they are related to professional development,” Strong said.
Strong said it’s important for students to have access to professional attire for interviews and jobs.
“We help students with interviews, so having this clothing, not only for the job fair and events on campus, but even just after they graduate having that type of wardrobe is extremely important,” Strong said.
Kerri Kunkel, a sophomore majoring in business administration, said she thought the deal was helpful to college students both now and for the future.
“I’m in [the School of Management], and we require lots of presentations and case studies so there’s reasons for me to dress up often,” Kunkel said.
Lexie Avery, a career consultant in residence with the Fleishman Center, said that the University plans to continue this partnership.
“It provides students with clothing at a discounted rate and it’s also exciting for J.C. Penney,” Avery said. “I think we would love to continue doing it.”