The document describes the author's observations from visiting 6 different stores - Walmart, Fry's, Costco, Macy's, JCPenney, and Whole Foods. Key details are provided about the outer and inner appearance of each store, products offered, customers, and salespeople. The author concludes that customers are willing to pay more for better customer service and a healthy shopping environment, and that stores with happier employees provide better service and sell more.
2. Welcome
For the assignment “Are you paying
attention” I visited 6 different stores, the
first store I using the lab guide for
reference, but then dropped it. The guide
made me feel in a closed end
environment for observation, so I just
focused on observing the store in my own
way and taking the notes.
Here is the jest of my study
Hope you like my presentation
6. Outer appearance: Walmart
Automatic doors with carts on the side as we
enter.
Also, movie rental machines and drinks
vending machines before the entrance of the
main door
The sign is simple but big, everyone here
knows its one of the cheapest stores that
contains nearly all of the everyday useful
products
Cameras for security
7. Inner appearance:Walmart
Blue, white and yellow
Has balloons above the clearance items racks
Upon entering the front has items related to
upcoming holidays (4th July
, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas)
Very high ceiling
Much more brighter in the jewelry side
Feels warm and cozy when you enter.
Cameras for security
People are taking a walk in the store, with their
carts, buying all type of things for the week, even
those that are not on the list. Anyone can spend an
hour easily in this store
8. Salespeople: Walmart
Salespeople age: 35-55, both genders
with uniforms
Not many salespeople, except in the
electronics area. A family was looking for
construction paper in the stationary
department, although it was in crafts area
The store is so big sometimes even the
sales persons did not know the exact
place of the items.
9. Products : Walmart
Snacks and drinks located in the beginning, if
you enter the store hungry, you are bound to
buy some unhealthy snacks.
Sales items of the week located at their
original location.
Items arranged by function, eg.
Eatables(frozen, soups, cereal, candy, etc), cl
othes (baby, boys, girls, men, women)
Lots of impulse items for all ages groups
located at the billing section
10. Customers : Walmart
About 70% with family (at least kids), some
30% alone
almost no one left the store empty
handed, minimum 2-3 items, maximum
cartful
long checkout lines and inadequate
customer service.
13. Fry’s Electronics is a one-stop shop for electronics needs
of almost every sort.
Its a massive retail store where shoppers can find a wide
assortment PCs, Macs, MP3 players, cell
phones, cameras, GPS devices, home theater
systems, appliances and more.
Keeps some unadvertised brand names of expensive
items on their weekly sale, they don't even tell the brand
name on phone, so on one can price match the items
and buy for the same low price from another store.
TV, Computers kept in the end of the store after all the
related accessories, so people can see it before and
after buying the product.
The salespersons were more interested in people with no
kid accompanying them, and it was those customers
only who made their decision quickly, knowing what
they wanted, looked like they had done their research in
advance.
16. Costco sells many products in bulk such as fresh
produce, meat, dairy, seafood, fresh baked
goods, flowers, clothing, books, software, vacuums, appli
ances, home electronics, jewelry, art, fine wine, hot
tubs, and furniture. It also had tire
garage, pharmacy, hearing aid
center, optometrist, photo processor, and gas station.
Membership needed to shop here
Does not accept manufacture coupons, only the one
they print monthly
It is easy to go overboard at Costco. Lots of temptation
purchases especially if the food sample is present or a
coupon is there for an item
Employees looked a lot happy, Costco offers its
employees decent wages/benefits
Less items for selection
Long lines at checkout
No fitting rooms for trying on the clothes
19. Macy's is a mid range department store that specializes in
retail of products as
clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, housewares, an
d beauty care products
Macy’s stores are rated better than average for product
quality and layout.
The chain’s clothing and home-décor selections were good
The prices seem reasonable, not very high and nor very low
Lots of deals were going on, there was a definite crowd and
people of all age groups were actually buying
Salespersons one of the best, going around talking to
everyone asking if someone needed any help, and staying
there just for a little time so the customers would not feel
uncomfortable.
They were attentive, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful
The best thing was Macy’s kids drop off area, drop the kids off
and you are given a pager, you can take the pager and shop
Macys store all alone for 2 hrs. You will be paged if your child
needs you.
22. JC Penney offers three prices: (1) "Every Day", (2) "Month Long
Value" (theme sales such as back-to-school related products
in August), and (3) "Best Prices" (clearance).
They recently changed their policy and got away from
discounts, sale and coupons, which I think was a bad move.
The bedding department was well stocked with cheaply
made bedspreads and linens. Housewares had very few items
and the store looked so sparse and empty, like it's going out of
business.
They no longer publish catalogs.
Store was filled with poor quality items, although they were
cheap.
Not many customers were there, the ones that were there did
not seem to be buying much
Salespersons were busy gossiping about other associates
People were complaining about lack of items that were
advertised, but not present in the store
25. Whole food: Customer’s
Journey
They appeal to the customer’s senses: sight, smell, and taste. From
the customer’s first moment in the store, he is greeted by the
brightly colored display of fresh fruits and vegetables. As the
customer walks the aisles, he will often have opportunities to taste
samples of certain items on display. As he approaches the check-
out line, the smells of the buffet-style, self-serve department might
entice him to grab a bite for lunch in the store. Along the way, this
customer will likely encounter several knowledgeable specialists
who will be eager to help him pick the best cheese or the perfect
slice of meat
When checking out at the cash register, it is Whole Foods’ attention
to details that sets it apart from the competition. For example, if a
customer is buying a carton of eggs, the cashier will open them to
make sure that none are cracked. S/he will even place tape or
rubber bands around the containers for some items to secure them
for their journey to the customer’s home. It is these small gestures
that make the customer feel that s/he is getting superior treatment
and perhaps helps to justify the marked-up prices that s/he will pay.
26. Wholefood emphasizes "natural and organic
products."
Food is a little expensive, but neatly arranged and
looked fresh
cooking demo and classes were available, some
for free and some for a fee
few healthcare magazines for free, kept near the
billing counters
happy staff who were ready to help
Tons of new healthy eatable products
Ingredients, freshness, safety, taste, nutrition, and
appearance are some of the key quality metrics
that Whole Foods focuses on
27. Thanks for watching, please click like if you
like this presentation, your comments are
most welcome.
Made by
Gunjan Sanan
Note: a few pictures were taken from the
internet
28. Results
People are willing to pay more is they get
better customer service and a healthy
environment to shop
Everyone loves the word sale, even if
another store may have the same item for
a cheaper price but is not advertised by
the second store, the customers are
happy to get anything on sale
The happier the employees are of a
store, the better is its customer service
and the more things the store sells
