Our series on retail history continues with the story of JC Penney's very first store and the business practices he followed from his humble beginnings in the Golden Rule Store in Wyoming. 
From seventeen-hour days in a one-room store, living in the attic above the shop, Penney built a retail empire--one that ultimately grew at the rate of 70 new stores a year.
The JC Penney stores were founded on the idea that if you treat customers well, they'll be repeat customers, and if you treat your employees well, they'll work hard and ensure their own success. That's JC Penney's Golden Rule.
Did it work? By Penney's death in 1971, he had 50,000 employees at over 500 stores. All of these associates were part of a profit-sharing program. And JC Penney stores were the nation's second-largest non-grocery retailer at the time.
From his humble beginnings of packing-crate shelves to over 500 stores in a lifetime--JC Penney did it all by following the Golden Rule.
