Last Fall, JCPenney’s new CEO, former Apple retail guru Ron Johnson, hired another retail biggie with a charmed resume, Target vet Michael Francis, as president. Francis was charged with the goal of righting the ship and steering JCP back on course. Continuing this nautical theme, Francis has now been put out on a dinghy and cut loose to drift in the sea of unemployment.

“We thank Michael for his hard work at jcpenney and wish him the best in his future endeavors,” reads a statement from Johnson that is almost as brief as Francis’ career at JCPenney.

Johnson will immediately take over the day-to-day marketing and merchandising functions that Francis leaves with his departure. We’re going to assume this includes sitting in a big office and looking out the window, because that’s what executives do in movies.

It also means coming up with ideas like getting rid of “sales,” in favor of everyday discounts… and then all but abandoning that idea after only a few months.

Who knows what this decision means for Johnson and Francis’ plans to turn each JCPenney store into a collection of mini stores.

Before coming to JCPenney, Francis was one of the people credited with changing Target’s image from a discount retailer to a more hip destination for consumers.

All this news gives us a reason to run what may be a front-runner for this fall’s upcoming Worst Ad In America awards:

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