An observation lab done at my local, horrible, mall for the class 'A Crash Course on Creativity.' I could have gone for hours on opportunities to improve, but I mostly stuck to the facts of what I observed, as time is limited!

1. Creativity at The Mall?
OBSERVATION LAB

2. Shared Spaces
Each store shared a
space with 20' ceilings
and a basic neutral
color scheme... namely tan. Each of the stores
had open entranceways about 20' wide.
One store was an exception to the rule, I will
discuss that when I reach it.

4. Now & Then
CONSIGNMENT
Opportunities for improvement were everywhere. While this
shops provided most
everything it promised there were still problems.
As a result of the grouping by prices a lot of womens size 7
could be found all over on a variety of racks. Some were at
the front, some were at the back, some were in a large
mixed bag rack. I still don't know what the common
denominator was for that rack.
Smells refreshingly clean! (Particularly after
the game shop)

5. I have rarely ventured into this store, the entryway is flanked by two theft
detectors standing accusingly at attention. After those you must pass through
layers of no less than three employees waiting to make a sale. In the ten
minutes I spent I was asked four times whether I needed help, whether I had
found everything I needed, and if I had any questions.
That said the interior was beautiful. This was the exception to the shared space
rule. They utilized their space brilliantly. It was the width of two stores and they
had removed the unfortunate drop ceilings prevalent in the other stores. They
had revealed the HVAC system overhead but painted it all an eggshell white. It
adds an industrial appeal to a modern sport shop. Wooden laminate floors
resemble that of a gymnasium and lend an elegance and professionalism to
what is truly a beautiful store.
The majority of customers were male, but not as many as I had
suspected. About 35% of the clientele were females.

6. A bold red sign invites the customer into the metal framed doorway. The store
is wide open, well lit and approachable. While it keeps the ugly drop ceiling, at
least all its lights are in working order and there are no missing squares. The
store is well arranged with a display of fairly priced sweatshirts the first display
a customer comes in contact with. Most customers veer right avoiding the
register as they do at most stores. I assume it is for a similar reason that I,
myself, avoids the closer route. Pushy salespeople. In a store where you just
want to browse, you do not constantly want to be asked which items you are
looking for.
For the first time since I'd arrived at the mall, the customer base was pretty
even in the lines of gender, the merchandise was evenly divided between the
two. The employees did not wear uniforms but all dressed nicely in the type of
clothing you would find on the shelves and racks.
Almost everyone was just browsing through the selections, even so, about 60%
of the customers seemed to be sales. Aeropostale, while not my sort of store,
seems to be doing pretty well.

7. DEB shop, which seems clearly directed towards the teenage girl, has a
remarkably varied clientele. While the customers are almost exclusively female,
I would say 95%, the ages can range from 14 to 60 years old!The merchandise
is spread out evenly, not too congested, not too sparse, and accessible even to
wheelchairs. They lure you in with a large window display of beautiful seasonal
gowns, and the best of their clothing. The racks are filled with the average fair.
The discount items are in the back on a rack by the dressing rooms. To reach
it, you have to travel through the entire store and passed the register once you
leave. They are luring customers in, and it works. About 40% of the customers
seem to purchase one thing or another, 70% of those that make it all the way
back to the discount area. On average, the clothing is about 20% cheaper than
those at Aeropostale. This is probably a major motivator for most of the
browsing visitors and a reason the discount rack tactic works so well for them.

8. Got questions we have... well we have phones? Would you like a phone?
RadioShack's slogan may need a little upgrading. While it certainly looks like a
store for the tech savvy, featuring monitors and remote control toys and yes,
even phones, the 3 out of 4 employees know nothing about transistors or
soldering techniques, it is all phones phones phones. So it should come as no
surprise that the featured products are.. well.. phones! Everything else is
incidental, and it shows. Everything else is shoved against the wall, or in bins at
the back of the store where no employee treads. They are all busily hovering
around the kiosks ready to make a commissioned sale.
That said the store itself is clean, and decently maintained. It is not an entirely
unpleasant experience as long as you know what you're looking for already, or
you're looking for a phone. Sale items are in the kiosk following the two mobile
kiosks, however, sales are not always going on and so often it is simply stuffed
with whatever did not fit anywhere else.
The register on the right side of the store does hold several impulse buys, even
electronically themed ones, such as batteries and sets of small screwdrivers.
While they differentiatd their store from the average, it still has a long way to go
to stand out as impressively as MC SPORTS.

9. Creativity at the mall?
Apparently not much!