Phots by JCP Or Sears better?

Loretta - posted on 02/07/2013

I have been using JCP for annual birthday pictures since my 22 year old was born and my 3 year old is getting her birthday pictures there now too. I've never been very happy with Sears. Their photographer did not seem as well trained as the JCP photographer and the pictures did not turn out as well. I must say that I LOVE all the pictures I've done at Picture People and they have some good sales, but for the big milestones when you want a lot of pictures to give people, they are a little pricey. I really like Portrait Innovations too and use them for our holiday pictures. But JCP gives you a little more freedom to order as many from each pose in whichever sizes you wish, so I still stick with them for the birthdays.

Mica - posted on 01/26/2013

JCP,GREAT QUALITY AND CHEAP

Stacy - posted on 01/21/2013

I have had pictures at both, and JCP tops sears for me. he Sears here doesnt not have proffesional workers, it seems like they are untrained, the pictures just arnt great, I went in several times with my son and I was doing more to "set the scene" than the actual photographer. my son wasnt happy and they just stood there like "its not my job to help him take a picture". The pics I got at jcp were amazing, they really were. Pricy but worth it, they seemed very confident and actually helped us get into the perfect position for each shot. I guess it really just depends on the employees of the business, but also when I was at JCP they did have more up to date props and equipment.

Tammy - posted on 01/19/2013

I had family pictures done at sears in December and they were awful there were shadows behind all of us, they sent them back 3 times to be fixed i will be going now January 24th to pick them up, this will be the 4th trip. The store is trying to resolve it but, as a company they will not respond to emails or return calls. Just not right with the money that is paid for the pictures!! They offered a $50 gift certificate, it has cost that just in gas going back and forth, so if you have your pictures done and they are not right at the previewing,(which they told me the lab can fix the shadows they do amazing things..ya not true so just be sure they are what you want before you order. And remember they call and say the pictures are in every time saying everything is here and looks good ya well, I went the first time and the shadows were awful and not all pictures were there, second trip, not fixed still missing pics, third trip missing pics in rest of package that needed to be fixed not there, so on the 4th trip hope all is there, If they were not family pics i would have told them to keep them !! ....

Kelsey - posted on 01/11/2013

I have always had better pics at JCP and I think the people working there are great as well. I really like the way my daughter's pictures have come out and it seems like JCP always has really good deals too. We have been to Sears and Wal-Mart and other places too but I have favored JCP for the last 3 or 4 years. Even our Family pics have come out good.
I hope this has helped some.
Kelsey Graves

Sabrina - posted on 01/08/2013

I have not used portrait innovations but have heard so many good things about them. I took my 3yr old son to JCP at 3mo and they did WONDERFULLY! The pics were great! It was very expensive though. Sears sends coupons constantly! I like the pics and I won't buy them if they don't turn out. Sears doesn't seem to take as much time w/ the kids... Sometimes I get a good photographer and they do good. I have a 3yr old and 1yr old and it is so hard to get their pics. I now go to a friend who does photography except at their bdays because my friend doesn't have the # stands. And then I take the coupon for free pics for their bday and do all other pics through my friend. I don't think either place (JCP or sears) really has better quality pics. I think you need to go with the better quality of staff, ESP if your little one has trouble sitting and posing.

Merrie - posted on 01/01/2013

I prefer Sears. We go there a few times a year to get our sons pictures done. I think Picture People are way overpriced for what they give you. For the same price at Sears, you get more pictures and the quality is better. The people there are great too.

Christine - posted on 04/30/2010

Sears has always done a good job for my daughter but she is super smiley and easy to photograph. They have no props or anything but they have been very helpful. I buy a lot of pictures so I have gotten good deals through them. I really think it depends on the person you are working with. I am going to try Portrait Innovations after reading all of these recommendations from others. I was also thinking if trying JCP.

Laura - posted on 04/26/2010

Hate Sears. Love JCP. LOVE LOVE Portrait Innovations.

Shannon - posted on 04/26/2010

I took my son to the Picture Me studio in Wal-mart for the first yr of his life my last time there (at easter) was horrible the girl that waited on me was so unprofessional and they have changed their pricing since I was there in Dec. I have a smiles club card and it used to be great I'd get tons of pics of whatever I wanted for like $40 but now you can't combine the package with the buy one get one sheets and all kinds of crap! I called their main customer service complained and told them I would not be back!! They gave me free sheets of my choice but I still will not go back! Oh and I sat on hold with their customer service for over a half hr and I am not exagerating!

Kristy - posted on 04/25/2010

I use Wal-Mart and have had NO trouble with my kids pics. I have used Wal-Mart Potrait Studies for over 15 years! They even have it now to where you can buy the copyrights to your pictures that way you can get as many copies elsewhere that you want to! Now the copyright disks are a bit expensive but well worth it! I also have it set up that if a family member wants a certain pose in a certain size, they have to pay for it. So that kinda helps out with the money part.

Shannon - posted on 04/17/2010

I took my son to JC Penney's for his first birthday pictures. I was very pleased with their service, patience with a 1 yr old, pictures, and prices. They seem to always have a package that runs about $8 and additional sheets are not very expensive either.
http://www.jcpportraits.com/coupons/coup... Here is the link to their current offers.
I actually priced Sears when I was getting first brithday pics and they were ridiculously expensive in my opinion5. Good luck and I hope you find a studio that works for you and your families needs.

Jillian - posted on 04/09/2010

I"ve heard good things about JCPennys, but I take the kids to Portrait Innovations. I think it is the best place. The photographers really work with you and take their time. They take a ton of pictures, last time we went they took 110. They do really quality work, and you get to look through and pick all the pictures you want. They have always have a $9.99 package, and usually a special where you get special effects pictures and a cd if you order enough pictures, and you get your pictures the same day. They are a really neat place. They even have a little block table for kids to play while you are waiting (at least the one I have been to does)

Brianna - posted on 04/06/2010

Im not sure if any of you live close to Freeport IL, but I got my sons photos taken by Jon VanGilder. He has a shop downtown and he did AMAZING! they were the best I have ever seen! My son looks like he could be on a christmas card in these pictures!! =)

Leyna - posted on 04/05/2010

I am planning on getting professional pics of my daughter and was planning on going with Sears. However I talked to a friend who just had pics taken that look amazing. She went with "Portrait Innovations". She called Sears beforhand and the price at this other place was much better.

Brianna - posted on 04/05/2010

I would say JC Penny. I took my son to sears and i hated the pictures. It may have just been the person doing them. but i was not happy at all. my son was 5 months old and they did not get one good picture. they didnt even get him to smile! =(

Shannon - posted on 04/04/2010

If you have a Portrait Innovations in your area they are GREAT. You get your pictures the same day they are taken and their prices are good.

Tessa - posted on 04/03/2010

I went to JCP to have my pregnancy pictures taken - pics turned out great but took forever to get them and some they would not give me because I wasn't wearing a shirt(nothing but belly was exposed!!) THey took 'em and wouldn't give them to me and I was due in 2weeks!! the manager gave us a free session so after our daughter was born we had pics taken- they ordered the wrong pictures- it was a mess. We never went back- I prefer the picture people. they are cheaper and you get the pictures the same day!! It's awesome. . . and they always have coupons.

Denise - posted on 03/15/2010

Most places don't have professional photographers anymore. They train anyone. With a digital camera, computer you can change backgrounds. I'd say invest in a great camera, quality photopaper/printer. Why even Lifetouch who does most of the nation's USA schools don't use professional photographers. School photos quality is very bad & costly. Take your own photos.

Beth - posted on 03/07/2010

personally we have no extended family or grand parents so we need few pictures, one for the wall a couple for scrapbook, and 5-6 wallets, soi know this isnt waht you asked, but heres what we do , we go to a "real" studio, we spend about 100 per kid,i get GREAT pictures with amazing backdrops, costumes, and the works , my girls had one sitting in wisconsin at an award winning studio, the girls got into princess outfits, the studio had a suit of armor and castle background , awesome, they also had a haybale and wagon wheel for "cowgirl" photos in sepia tones,
for the money , call around .... really ...

Roxanne - posted on 03/06/2010

I took my son to JCP when he was a month old and the pictures turned out awful and the photographer seemed like she never photographed an infant. I've been going to sears since then and the pictures are great. Sears has the super saver card i believe its $10 but you get a free 8x10 with every session and get buy 1 get one free on any size portrait. I also get lots of coupons in the mail.

Robin - posted on 03/06/2010

I've been going to sears since my son was born and I love how the pictures come out and the work is great, my living room is covered in sears pictures of my son!! But was also thinking about trying out JCP pictures.

Sybil - posted on 03/06/2010

I go to JCP & have been pretty happy with them. They took the cutest photos of our baby in a bathtub with rubber duckies & in a cook's pot w/fake veggies as a baby stew! Everyone raved about them! They have other props too & you can bring in your own if you'd like. They also do special events for all the holidays w/special props. My friend took very cute 2 year old pics w/a prop cake & big #2. She likes them better than Sears too. You can always find online coupons for JCP, plus they have coupons in the entertainment book & I also get coupons by mail sometimes. We joined their portrait membership so that we can take family photos. If you use pampers a lot, their rewards program has a reward for a 2-yr membership to JCP portraits for 2500 points. I'm trying to earn my way to that now.

I've never liked Sears. I find the morale very poor there & have found them very unhelpful. Their business model is very profit-focused so it's all about money rather than customer service & satisfaction. Plus, many of their stores are run down since they don't invest a lot of money & they don't invest in many props. I've never tried Target since they aren't close but my friend has & she was pretty happy with them. Good luck!

Belinda - posted on 03/06/2010

Without a doubt I would choose Sears everytime! I've taken my 2 grandsons (now ages 4 & 6 yrs.old) since they were newborns. We've taken them to JCP, Walmart, Picture place and Sears. Sears not only was the best quality for the price, but the boys felt the most comfortable there. The other places they would always seem to fuss etc. Maybe it was the photographer or maybe it was because Sears studios were always big and roomy for them to move around, compared to the cramp places at Walmart and JCP. As for Picture place, I'm mad at them. Ours went out of business right after they charged me to be an "exclusive member" with great deals....NOT! My suggestion is to try the different places and see where your child is most comfortable. To me, that's the most important thing. Good luck to you!

Shawna - posted on 03/06/2010

A good baby photographer is priceless, but it probably depends as much on the store location as the actual store. Ask around in your area and find what other mothers say about them both.

Dawn - posted on 03/05/2010

I have always used JCP. They always hve coupons out so you can get super cheap sheets with whatever poses you want. We only tried Sears one time and didn't end up buying any pictures.

Jaclyn - posted on 03/05/2010

We used to go to the picture people all of the time. I liked that you could get the pics that day, it took forever and cost a lot. I switched to Target Photo Studios and they are wonderful, I recently found out that Life Touch the studio that processes many school photos also runs these Studios. Most of the time you can get a coupon for $3.99 photo sheets, or $8.99 photo packages and they have other deals too. They do many enhancments and offer the photo CD as well, if you go that route you will end up spending a lot more.

Celina - posted on 03/05/2010

Honestly, both are quite pricey. I've had all my photos done at the portrait studio in Wal-Mart. They are just as good and you can get bigger packages for pobably less money than what you would spend at those places.

Debbie - posted on 03/05/2010

I've never been to Sears so I can't say one way or another which one is better, but I can say that I have done JCPenneys for years now and have generally liked them. They are especially good (inexpensive) when you have a coupon from them as well.

Ashleigh - posted on 03/04/2010

I know that this is not exactly what you ask, but I get my daughter's pictures done at Target. Their picture studio is owned by the same company that owns JCP's studio. Her pictures always turn out amazing. And I always get coupons from them via email. I can email you the current coupons if you want. I didn't look at them, because we aren't getting my daughter's pics taken again until June, but I did see something about 40% off. Also, they never have sitting fees. Let me know if you want me to email you the coupons!

Erin - posted on 03/04/2010

Olan Mills has studios inside some Kmarts. They are absolutely wonderful. I used to use Sears and they have always done a good job but Kmart is closer.

Rebekah - posted on 03/02/2010

$3.99 portrait sheet online coupon JCP!!!! Any pose, any sheet 3.99 can not be beat and the photographers are great. Sears was a waste of time and money for us. We got posed pics instead of natural and cute pics like we get at JCP's.

Jennifer - posted on 03/02/2010

It really depends on the location. I've used 2 different JCP one I like and the other is terrible. I agree w/ Vicki, the way to go is check ou the studios in your are and see how the photographers interact with the kids. Time consuming, but worth the extera effort. Good Luck

Donna - posted on 03/01/2010

I have always used JC Penny's though out my children life. I would go there for their school pictures and most recent (this past Saturday) did a picture when my son was home from Japan. The internet always has coupons and the family plan has great discounts as well. Good luck

Julie - posted on 02/28/2010

I just had portraits of my 6 month old taken at Sears. He is a really good & smiley baby so it doesn't take a lot to get a good picture of him. I brought in a coupon for a $7.99 portrait package, but when it came time to order pictures, she talked me into spending $30. But I completely feel it was worth it. I got 2- 8by10s, 4 -5by7s, 8- 3 1/2by5s for that price because I had a buy one get one free coupon, and it applied to each size I picked (otherwise I would've only got 1 8by10, 2 5by7s & 4 3 1/2by5s). So basically I ordered 3 sheets of different sizes and got 1 more of each of these sheets free. And you can order more than one pose, whereas with the coupon I originally intended to use, you can only pick one pose. I feel that it was totally worth the money & would definately go back. (They probably don't have as cute of props & backgrounds as Picture People though, and I'm not sure what JCPenny has).

Deb - posted on 02/28/2010

There are great coupons for both portrait studios and while I had my sons' baby pictures taken at Sears, I LOVE the portraits that Target does. They make my kids look great and they have adequate coupons.

Vicki - posted on 02/28/2010

I used to work for JCP portrait studio years ago. I liked their packages better because you could choose your pose for the special instead of it being the first one taken. This was back before you could see the pictures instantly. We don't have a JCP studio around here, so I can't tell you how it is now. What I recommend is going into each studio and watching the photographers. I don't think it matters as much with the studio as it does with the photographer. Some are better with children that others. If you have a difficult child, you want a patient photographer that won't get rattled easily. I think the quality of the pictures is similar between the two places. You might even take your kids to the different studios before the photo shoot and see if they are more comfortable with one studio verses the other. The kids have to be comfortable to get the best smiles. Good luck.

Katelyn - posted on 02/27/2010

Both are pretty expensive. Sears gives more coupons. I went with Walmart honestly. And some Target's have picture studios too

Jeanette - posted on 02/27/2010

I like Sears, but I absolutely LOVE Portrait Innovations. I don't know where you're from or if there's one in your area but you can google it and check. Their pics remind me alot of the picture people, but are way cheaper. They have a $10 package and the extra sheets aren't bad. They take adorable pictures and you have them printed within 15 minutes. Awesome!

Meghan - posted on 02/27/2010

i had my daughter's pictures taken at sears for her 3 mo, 6 mo, and 1 year pictures and i got to say i wasnt impressed....it kind of went down hill from the first time i went there but the photographers did nothing to entertain my daughter to try and get her interested in having her picture taken, they actually seemed annoyed she wanted to crawl around and explore so needless to say the pictures didn't turn out the way i wanted them to and they were quite expensive ranging from 100 - 130 depending on how many pictures i wanted....could just be the one by me though.

Stephanie - posted on 02/27/2010

Penneys actually was great with my boys (15mo and 10wks) one took pics and another kept my 15mo old entertained. pics were pricey but they were the best fit for our family (with the help) i went in there and knew exactly what i wanted when i went in so it didnt take too long to get them done either- sears wasn't very professional looking so we never scheduled an appt.. it might have just been the one by my house though...