Best Department Store in America Still Has 13 Illinois Locations

I remember a time when nearly all clothing was purchased from department stores. Now, with the dominance of online shopping, that's not the case anymore. Still, the department store just voted best in America is still surviving with 13 locations in Illinois.

Of all the "best of" lists, one of the most well-known comes from USA Today. After weeks of voting, their audience has just chosen the 10 best department stores in America. Their top choice is still hanging in there in Illinois with 13 locations still open as of this writing.

It's JCPenney department stores with these Illinois locations according to their official website.

• Algonquin
• Alton
• Aurora
• Calumet City
• Champaign
• Chicago
• Fairview Heights
• Jacksonville
• Joliet
• Lombard
• Matteson
• Mokena
• Moline
• Montgomery
• Niles
• North Aurora
• North Riverside
• Orland Park
• Peoria
• Rockford
• Schaumburg
• Springfield
• Vernon Hills

I am no expert retail analyst, but I have to wonder how long stores like JCPenney will be able to survive. As we see more malls continue to close and most of these stores are a part of mall complexes, you'd have to think that it's a matter of time before we see department stores go the way of the hula hoop.

Will these stores be able to adjust their strategies to remain vital in the middle of the online landscape? I hope so. It's much more convenient to be able to try on clothes before you buy them to make sure they fit and are what you want instead of hoping that package from Amazon has clothes the right size and style.