J. C. Penney was a successful retail businessman from Missouri. He founded the J. C. Penney Company, a nationwide chain of stores that sells a wide variety of products. Penney strongly believed that stores should be run with honesty and a deep respect for the customer.
Golden RuleIn 1898, Penney went to work for Thomas Callahan and Guy Johnson, who owned dry goods stores called Golden Rule stores in Colorado and Wyoming. We often refer to something called the Golden Rule. It's the idea that we should treat one another in the manner we would like to be treated ourselves - not in reaction to the way they actually treat us, but in the way we wish to be treated. |
Why do you think Callahan and Johnson called their stores Golden Rule Stores?
Do you think JCPenney Stores are different today than when their founder was alive?
While We're On the Subject
Learn more about the history of general stores: |