The document summarizes the narrator's visits to several stores, including a chocolate boutique, running store, pet store, online retailer Amazon, grocery store, and kitchenware store. At each location, observations are provided about the atmosphere, products, customer interactions, and things that draw the narrator in or appeal to them about each store. The stores each have unique personalities but aim to create pleasant shopping experiences tailored to their intended customers.

1. CABALS: A Journey of
Observation

2. First Stop:
CHOCOLATE DREAM BOX

3. What wonders await me in this
land of truffles and turtles? This
small boutique dressed in beige
and lavender, nestled between a
chain grocery store and a chain
bank is clearly one-of-a-kind.
The first thing I notice is the smell.
They say ‘you eat with your eyes’,
but I think you eat with you nose.
No one greets me as I enter,
because … no one is in the store!
Am I to just take what I wish? Moments later, though, a pleasant – albeit
chocolate-smeared – gentleman pops out from the back room and engages me
in airy persiflage. The low ceiling and soft lighting adds to the pleasant
atmosphere. The glass displays showcase various items, all chocolaty and all
expensive. Presented differently, I’d probably pass. It such a setting as this,
though, who can resist a confectionary morsel … or two … or three? Everything
in the store is an impulse buy. Sometimes it’s good to give into our urges.
I leave with a small bag of treats. (I ate them with fava beans and a nice chianti.)

4. Next Up:
ATHLETIC
PERFORMANCE

5. Due to the demise of my prior GPS watch, I headed off to my
local running store for another.
Athletic Performance is a small shop nestled amid others on
Main Street in Los Gatos. As usual, the door was open and
the table outside had shoes on sale.
When I walked in, I was greeted right away by a fit-looking
salesman. (No fatties here.) An NFL game was playing on a
small TV towards the back. Two other customers were
trying on running shoes. One had just come back from a
test-jog. Boxes were piled everywhere, and the left wall was
filled with display items. I decided to get another pair of my
favorite shoes (Brooks Adrenaline) so I could break them in
before my next race. There were lots of impulse-buy items
by the cash register, including GU and sunscreen.
I also got a new GPS watch, a Garmin 410. One of
the owners, Christine Kennedy, assisted me so I
knew I was in good hands. (She’s won her division
in the Boston Marathon for the past 5 years.)
Overall, this is a great store for runners. It sells
what a running store should sell, and it feels like a
running store should feel.

6. A visit to:
BOW WOWSER
& PURRSNICKETY

7. My next stop was at a pet boutique called “Bow Wowser” (and it’s partner
shop “Purrsnickety”. I’m a dog person, so I don’t spend much time on the cat
side of the house. There were flags with cute pets hanging out front, and the
store was fairly crowded. There are lots of items at eye level, but for some
reason the pet carriers were placed on high shelves. There was light jazz
playing very softly, too. The floor was tile and what appeared to be an easily-
washable carpet, which made sense given the amount of pet traffic they get.
It’s all so pet-friendly that I’m less inclined
to comparison shop here versus, say,
Petsmart.
Whilst browsing the store, I had a big
surprise. I noticed another customer with
pad of paper in hand scribbling notes. I
glanced at a paper she was consulting, and
I saw that it was instructions for this
assignment! (I noticed she’d printed hers
in a script font.) Her name is Lauren, and
she’s a software program manager at
Adobe. We exchanged pleasantries as well
as notes. What are the odds?

8. My favorite store:
AMAZON.COM

9. I know, we were supposed to visit a bunch of stores and record our
observations. Shopping online is kind of like cheating. Or is it? Is the success
of online shopping solely because of lower prices due to lower overhead, or is
there something more? I decided to apply the questions from this assignment
to see how well Amazon stood the test. Here’s a sampling:
Q: Does the store draw you in?
A: Yes, because it’s always open,
always available.
Q: What is the color scheme?
A: It looks just like my house!
Q: Is there music playing?
A: Only if I what there to be.
Q: What is the first product that you
notice?
A: The last one I purchased.
I love the convenience of shopping online. I’m get-in/get-out kind of shopper,
so Amazon is perfect for me. What do I notice when I shop there? Well, the
user reviews play a prominent role in my decision making. They know my
shopping history, so they do a good job of suggesting things I might like. Plus
they have wish lists that make holiday and birthday shopping much easier, if
somewhat less personal. Given the choice of Amazon or mall, it’s Amazon!

10. On to:
LUNARDI’S MARKET

11. Having satisfied a chocolate craving I
didn’t even know I had, it was time to
buy stuff for dinner. There are several
grocery stores near me, and I’ve noticed
that each has a distinctive personality.
At Safeway, for instance, the staff is
always letting you know how much they
hate their jobs. At Whole Foods, you
have to watch out for the overly-earnest but harried shoppers who might run
you down with their carts in the store or their Volvos in the parking lot. At
Lunardi’s, it tends to be older folks who aren’t watching where they’re going.
Walking into the store, there was a tent with free coffee samples. Great, except
I don’t drink coffee. There’s no greeter at the door, but there was a large display
of Halloween candy. The store is brightly lit, but the aisles are cluttered with
display merchandise that makes passing difficult. My favorite part, though, is
the prominent meat case. I’m of the
opinion that if God wanted us to be
vegetarians, he wouldn’t have made
animals out of meat. I enjoy the view
while groovin’ to the easy listening hits
playing in the background.

12. Last stop:
SUR LA TABLE

13. I can never pass a kitchenware store without ogling the goods. I’m not really
sure why; there’s just something about asparagus tongs and cannoli tubes
that draws me in. At Sur la Table, maybe it was the big sign out front, the
potted flowers, and the greeter just inside the door that said to me
“welcome, come on in!” (I should note there is one exception: Williams-
Sonoma. Their prices are just silly.)
As I entered, I noticed the high ceilings
with open ductwork, and the staff with
their aprons. The colors were neutral,
right down to the tan concrete floor.
There was a display of holiday plates near
the entrance, but my eye was drawn to
the cookware – particularly the shiny
copper pots and pans. Light jazz played in
the background. As I wandered through
the store, a pleasant salesman invited me
to test the latest chef’s knives and my wife
had a free latte. There was also a cooking
class in the back room (pictured).
Sur la Table knows just how to appeal to
the cooking enthusiast.