Observation Project for TEM431

1. DJ Dickinson
TEM 431
Prof. Bronowitz

2. I don’t shop at Safeway so it was a
good first stop for me.
I am a cook and a vegetable lover and
Safeway’s awesome produce section
captured me. I actually made a
purchase.
Look at the “homey” detail. You
don’t notice the comfort level it
induces unless you are focused.
The manager told me his staff buffs the
“hardwood” floor nightly …and that many of
those fresh smells I noted were man made,
designed to drive sales.

3. When asked, these Walmart employees explained
they would be written up for smoking in front
of the store, they were allowed to go smoke in the
Shade in front of neighboring retailers. Classy.
Triggered to action when you walk by, these automated
P.O.P. sales kiosks call out special loss-leader values
Walmart customers were the heaviest…and most scantily clad.

4. This mess was exactly 1 step inside the front doors.
This desperate display reveals two things: A)
the target demographic has shifted from techies
and startups/small biz owners to senior adults.
B) Staples is dying in my opinion. Even with
brick and click model, they are being killed by
e-retail. Once, stores like these were the ONLY
place to buy PC’s and software in many towns.
Target customers were entirely Caucasian

5. Target was in worse shape than
Walmart. Superficially cleaner but
just beneath the surface we can see
the financial struggles they have
faced so prominently recently.
Only Target had a healthy snack
section prominently placed next
to internal fast-food purveyors

6. Running lean and mean mid-
week, Dollar Tree could not
keep up with this unexpected
rush.
Dollar Tree had the most
racially-diverse clientele.

7. Screws, nuts, bolts, hooks,
washers...you name it.
Thousands of them in a
thousand drawers; 5 aisles
worth. I just wanted out.
There was no
access for
customers to
this huge
outdoor
section. A
large green
door reading
“Staff Only!”
Note the rain drops on the
lawnmower inventory. They
leave thousands of dollars
outside every night and then
display them for sale without
even wiping them down.