Greg Westergren observed various types of stores during a lab in Bangkok, Thailand, including box stores, kiosks, tents, and pop-up shops. The stores ranged greatly in size, organization, and professionalism. Some had well-lit interiors with staff and defined products areas, while others were simply open-air tents with merchandise laid out but no explicit prices or staff assistance. Across store types, customers generally browsed casually for 5-15 minutes, often in groups, and roughly half made a purchase. Prices were not always clearly marked, requiring customers to ask sellers directly.

1. TEM 431 Observation Lab – Greg Westergren
• Currently residing in Bangkok, Thailand
• Shops/Stores are a bit different then American ones and range from:
• Typical box stores, large and small
• Kiosk type
• Tents
• Pop-up shops

2. Store 1: Souvenir Shop (box store)
Before entering:
• Very well lit, smallish sign
• No door, large space
• Very welcoming
• Drawn in by
• Jewelry
• Figurines
• Local trinkets
• Cute staff
Environment:
• White walls/ceiling
• Wood floor
• Blends well with the fixtures
• Smooth for walking
• 10-12’ ceilings
• Well lit
• Way too many light fixtures
• Distracting when noticed
• No Music being played
• Not loud. Conversation noise
Personnel:
• Immediately asked if I needed assistance
• Unsure of script, don’t speak Thai, but
associate did ask each customer
• Associates: 2 female (young 20’s), 1
male (young 20’s) remained at cash
register
• No uniforms, casual dress
• Very friendly, greeted with a smile
Products:
• First noticeable and dominate product was
jewelry
• Jewelry seemed to be the focus with figurines
and trinkets as secondary
• Impulse items near the register
• Sunglasses
• Stuffed animals
• Pillows near the ceiling were not accessible
• Prices are well marked and displayed
• Sale items at entrance
• Inexpensive items up front and higher priced
near the back
Customers:
• Most customers were in a group,
wide range of age, seemed like
family or close friends.
• Entered store where least amount
of people stood
• Many stayed on average of 8-12
minutes
• Seemed to be browse
• Handled the product, was
encouraged by staff
• If something caught their
eye, bought it. More than
50% bought at least 1 item

3. Store 2: Tavorn Watch (box store)
Before entering:
• Well lit, not to bright
• Well defined sign centered over entrance
• Drawn in by the display of watches
• No door, very welcoming
• No customers
Environment:
• White walls/ceiling
• Black/grey display cases
• Linoleum floor
• No music, very quiet, hallway
conversations of passerby’s
• Register is in the back
• Mall has A/C, so very comfortable
• Wide variety of merchandise
• 4 noticeable security cameras
• Value of merchandise is
acceptable in how it’s displayed
Personnel:
• One older gentleman
• Greeted upon entry
• Friendly/Courteous
• English was broken but
able to communicate
• Wore a suit
• Wore watch/brand being sold
• Matched store image well
Products:
• Watches, not one specifically
• No central display due to
small store size
• No noticeable “for sale” items
• Inexpensive watches in
front of display
• More expensive in the
back
• Arranged by brand
• Price well marked/labeled
• No impulse items
Customers:
• 2 customers, a couple in their 50’s
• Walked in, browsed both sides
• Gentleman greeted them as they entered
• Stayed for 5 minutes, did not purchase

4. Store 3: mind & body (kiosk store)
Before entering:
• Well lit, not to bright
• No doors/walls
• Very welcoming
• Great smell from products
• Sign is all lowercase
Environment:
• Dark/Light Wood
• Very soothing along with the scents
• Ceilings are around 15-20’
• A bit loud due to no walls
• Music from mall speakers overhead
• Very distinct and alluring smell
• Register is in the middle
• Ample merchandise for space
Personnel:
• One woman, 30’s
• Wearing beautiful dress
• Greets customers quickly
• Treats everyone the same
Products:
• Aromatherapy humidifiers
• Organized by category
• Soaps
• Gels
• Lotions
• All products are easily accessible
• Higher priced merch at eye level
• Prices visibly marked
• No impulse items
Customers:
• Variety of customers, mostly
couples
• No distinct path was followed
• Handled products, encouraged
• Looking for specific items
• Stayed on avg 5-7 min
• Less then 50% purchased

5. Store 4: (kiosk store)
Before entering:
• No name or sign
• What drew me in
• Enjoy watching Muay Thai fights
• Colorful gear
• No doors
• Looks cramped
Environment:
• No color scheme
• Linoleum flooring
• Fairly well lit, not to bright
• 10’ beamed ceiling
• No visible security
• Very crowded with merchandise
• Small space
• No distinctive smell
• Not loud
• Low music from overhead mall speakers
Personnel:
• One man, 50’s
• Casual attire
• Friendly
• Matches store image
• Looks like a trainer
Products:
• Muay Thai shorts caught my eye first
• No central table, store to small
• No noticeable “for sale” items
• No impulse items
• Arranged by function
• Least accessible
• T-shirts
• Headgear
• Prices clearly marked
Customers:
• Did not see a single customer
• Many walked by looking at merch
but did not stop

6. Store 5: (tent store)
Before entering:
• No doors, wide open
• No store names
• Feels very open with no distinct
walls
• What drew me in were the
colorful shirts
• Can never have too many
right?
Environment:
• No color scheme
• Pavement for a floor
• Ceiling is a tent cover about 8’ off the
ground, otherwise, it’s the sky
• Tents are setup on the street in front
of a mall
• Smell of food from nearby vendors
• No cash registers
• Crowded with merchandise
• No security
• Would only stay a few minutes unless
found shirts I liked
• Value is affected
Personnel:
• One lady, mid 30’s
• Casual attire
• No script that I could ascertain
• Matched store image
• Greeted customers immediately
Products:
• Noticed colorful shirts immediately
• Not table or “for sale” items
• Arranged by function
• No prices listed, had to ask saleslady
• Shirts, shorts, dresses at eye level
Customers:
• Variety, ranging from
• Families
• Singles
• Groups, friends
• Wide age range
• Handled product, encouraged
• Majority were browsing
• No distinct path followed
• Less then 50% bought items

7. Store 6: (pop-up store)
Before entering:
• No name, sign, walls
• Drawn in by variety of shoes
• Wife loves shoes
Environment:
• No color scheme
• Floor is the steps to vacant building
covered with thin carpet
• No ceiling
• Very well lit
• Not loud, low music from another
vendor
• No cash register
• Value affected
Personnel:
• One woman, mid 30’s
• No script
• Greeted customers when
asked questions
• No uniform
• No store image to match
• Is wearing shoes, so could be
using the product
Products:
• Noticed a pair of yellow-colored shoes
first
• No table, “for sale” items, or impulse
items
• Look to be arranged by style
• Prices are not marked
• Must ask salesperson
• Nothing at eye level
Customers:
• Variety of customers
• Moms/daughters
• Couples
• Singles
• All ages
• Stayed around 5 min on avg
• Mostly just browsing and trying on different
shoes

8. Overall Observations
Thailand has a much different approach to selling products. They don’t necessarily need a
store; they can pop up a tent or just lay a carpet on the ground and lay their products on
them. In those environments, there really aren’t any prices listed. You ask the salesperson
and often times you can haggle if you feel the price is too high.
The kiosk type stores are not much different. They fit as many box type stalls into the
space provided. Some stores/items will have prices marked on them, but many do not. I
feel like if you went on different days the prices might be different.
On the next slide I’ll attach some of the general photos I took from just standing around.