JCPenney to drop catalogs for 'look books'

Retailer JCPenney is discontinuing its traditional catalog business in favor of “look books,” which refer consumers to the company's e-commerce site.

Company representatives told The Dallas Morning News that discontinuing the catalogs gives the company pricing flexibility because they had forced the retailer to set prices. However, they said the company expects to add $5 billion in sales over the next three years, with a significant amount of that coming from online.

“We're not going to stop mailing books to people,” JC Penney spokeswoman Darcie Brossart told the Morning News.

Consumer watchdog blog Consumerist panned the decision, which comes a year after JCPenney eliminated its traditional “Big Book” catalog.