This review is on the portrait studio only though I am a fan of this particular JCPenney store.
It had been YEARS since we've done a professional family portrait for Christmas so with Groupon offering such an amazing deal, I couldn't pass it up. The studio waiting area is fairly roomy considering the amount of people packed in bright and early on Black Saturday. The employees were all friendly and cheerful. We were taken right on time for our photos. Our photographer was EXCELLENT. She asked great questions about what we were looking for in background, poses, and "theme". She had a way with the kids and got the baby to smile every single time. Our pictures looked great. The young man helping me select our portraits for our package was helpful, patient, and gave great suggestions without being pushy. He didn't try to get me to buy more than I was comfortable with and he was very patient while I picked out our photos. Our photos were ready about a week later and pick up was easy and pain-free.
The only reason this isn't a 5 star review is because this studio is EXPENSIVE. Had I not had a Groupon, our bill would have easily been over $400 on portraits and still wouldn't have gotten the photo CD as that was even pricier. Even with the Groupon I still spent $160 on my own.
All in all this was an excellent experience and I will definitely consider JCPenney Portrait Studio again in the future, but I admit that I might balk a little simply because of the price.