The document summarizes observations from visiting 6 stores in Banff, Alberta - Gap, Safeway, Paper Rock Silver, Starbucks, Banff Tea Company, and Indigo. Key observations included: 1) All stores drew customers in through large windows displaying merchandise, and most had open or automated doors. 2) Signage varied from large branding at chains to more modest signs at independents. Color schemes were muted to not compete with merchandise, and floors ranged from concrete to carpet. 3) Staff generally greeted customers promptly and knew their products well, maintaining a ratio of around 3 customers per staff member. Uniforms and appearances matched each store's image. 4) Products were arranged logically and featured

1. Observations:
What do we
notice?

3. Before you
enter the
store:

4. Does the store draw you in? If
so, how?
 Gap: Yes. It draws me in because it is my favorite store to shop for
clothes in Banff. It has clothes that I can wear in both my personal and
professional life and there are not many stores like this in Banff.
 Safeway: Yes. It draws me in because it is a grocery store and I need to
get groceries. It is one of two grocery stores in town and I am drawn into
this store because it is cheaper for many things than the other option.
 Paper Rock Silver: Yes. It draws me in because I like their variety of
goods that they have in the store and you can see all this through the
large window in the front of the store so there is always something that
catches my eye.
 Starbucks: Yes. It draws me in as I like their coffee and because of the
large front window you get pulled in by their latest seasonal beverage.
 Banff Tea Company: Yes. I really like the tea that they sell, the
atmosphere and friendly service.
 Indigo: Yes. I like Indigo and their displays are always catchy and their
knick knacks are entertaining.

5. Is the door opened or closed?
 Alldoors are either open or are
automated to open when you approach
the store front.
All make me feel:

6. How big is the sign lettering
and in what font?
 They range. I find that the stores that are chain
stores have massive store fronts with familiar
branding. I find the stores that are owned
locally/independently have more modest
signage.

7. What does it tell you about the
store?
 Can really tell the difference between a chain store
as the signs are either florescent or have a big
recognizable logos where the independent stores
depend more on their store front windows and the
goods they are selling.

8. Environment

9. What is the color scheme of the store?
How does this affect you?
 Allstores have colored paint on the walls
however all colors are dull shades as to
not complete with the goods the stores
are selling. They range from yellows to
blues to greens. They are warm and
comforting but none are too memorable.

10. What type of floor does that store
have? How does this affect the
environment?
 Indigo, Gap, and Safeway have concrete
floors which are painted. These don’t
affect me in the short term but when I
think about it I would not want to have to
stand on these floors for long periods of
time. Starbucks has a laminate floor. The
other two independent shops are
carpeted which make the environment
warmer.

11. How high is the ceiling? How
does this feel?
 All stores have
relatively high ceilings.
It feels airy which is
nice because in most
stores they are jam
packed so I think it
gives the feeling that
the stores are actually
bigger than they are.

12. How brightly lit is the store?
How does this affect you?
 Most all are brightly lit which I like because
it allows me to see the products more
clearly. Starbucks in the only one that
doesn’t have brightness to it which suites
the atmosphere café’s try to achieve.

13. How loud is the environment?
 All have a buzz. Gap has the loudest music of
all. Indigo has light music playing and not too
much background chatter. Safeway just has
the buzz of people and florescent lighting.
Starbucks has jazz music playing and the buzz
of people socializing and the call of
customers drinks. Paper Rock Silver and the
Banff Tea Company both are fairly quiet
besides the conversations going on between
customers and staff.

14. Is the store warm of cold?
 All
stores are comfortable. I have my
coat on as it is cold outside and I find
each store comfortable with my coat on
but reprieve from the outdoor weather.
Does the store have a
distinctive smell?
 With the exception of Starbucks and the Banff
Tea Company none of them seem to have a
smell to speak of.

15. Is the store crowed with
merchandise or is it sparse?
 I find the chain stores
seem to have their
merchandise levels
pretty controlled. There
is room to wander
around without feeling
that you are crowed
while the two
independent stores
seem to want to offer
more and the feeling it
creates is a little more
scattered.

16. How visible is the store
security?
 Unlessyou are specifically looking for
security they are all fairly concealed not
making me feel uncomfortable.
Does the environment influence the
perceived value of the merchandise?
I think that the environment with the
friendly staff and the atmosphere that has
been created do influence the value of
the merchandise.

17. How long do you want to stay
in this store?
 Perhaps it is because I am a born shopper
but I would stay and wonder each
establishment. Depending on the size of
the store really impacted how long I stay.

18. Personnel

19. How long does it take before a sales
person initiates contact?
 With the
exception of
the grocery
store, Safeway,
all have friendly
staff that greet
you almost
immediately.

20. Does the salesperson have a script to
follow with each customer?
 If any of them have a script it doesn’t seem so.
They were all typically a welcoming face and in
most cases I was asked if I needed help finding
anything or if I was just browsing.
Does the salesperson treat different
customers differently?
 No, it seemed that everyone was treated equally.
I live in a tourist town however, so I do not think
that people can be treated differently as
customers are the livelihood of this town.

21. What is the ratio of
salespeople to customers?
Iwould say that it is about 3 customers for
every staff member on average for all 6
stores.
What is the ratio of
salespeople to customers?
 There were approximately 20 staff spread
throughout the 6 stores however there
were only about 5 men and 15 women.

22. Do the salespeople have a
uniform?
 Safeway employees wear
uniforms of kaki shirts, black
pants and aprons. Starbucks
and Indigo employees wear all
black with the exception of
aprons with the appropriate
logos on them. Gap
encourages their employees to
either wear their clothes or
clothes similar to what is sold in
their stores while the
independent stores seem to
want their employees to dress
professionally.

23. Are the salespeople using the
store products?
 Ifthey are not using their products or
wearing their products they all seem to be
very knowledgeable on the products that
they sell.
Do the salespeople match the
store image?
 Yes I would say although the images are
all fairly different they all fit in with their
stores images.

24. Products

25. What was the first product you
noticed?
 Each store seemed to feature an item
that was either a new product (Gap and
Paper Rock Silver), a best seller (Indigo), or
seasonal (Safeway, Starbucks and Banff
Tea Company).

26. Is there a central display table
with feature products?
 Yes in all cases there were displays with
featured products.
How are the products arranged?
By function? By price? By color?
 At the Gap it seems to be arranged by the newness
of the items and then by color. Indigo arranges their
books typical to most bookstores. Safeway arranges
things logically and in the same manner as most
grocery stores. Starbucks does not have too much
merchandise so it is arranges all in one area near the
till. Paper Rock Silver is organized by jewelry type or
rock type. Banff Tea Company is arranged by tea
accessories or tea types.

27. Where are items that are “for
sale” located in the store?
 Allstores had for
sale areas and all
were at the back
of the store and
not in a place
that your eye
would naturally
go.

28. Are there free samples or
demonstrations?
 TheBanff Tea Company was the only
store that offered free samples.
Where are the most and least
expensive products located?
 All but Starbucks, The Banff Tea Company
and Safeway put their most expensive goods
in the forefront. They feature them more
prominently. The least expensive products
seem to be closer to the ground or at the
back of the store.

29. Are the prices of the products
easy to find?
 All prices are clearly marked except those
that are in display cases at Paper Rock
Silver.
Are there impulse items near
the register?
 Allhave impulse
items near the
register.

30. Customers

31. Are most customers alone or with
someone else? What is the
relationship?
 Most customers are
with others. Most
customers are
couples or family
members. As I
mentioned earlier I
live in a tourist town
and most people at
this time are
traveling with family
or a significant other.

32. What is the average age and
gender of the customers?
Iwould say the average age would be 30
and the majority of shoppers were
women.
When a customer enters the store, do
they tend to walk in the same path or
direction?
 They tend to walk in similar directions most
of them having a conversation or
discussions about products.

33. How long do customers stay in
the store, on average?
 Theyrange. Starbucks and Safeway on
average have people staying longer
probably 15 – 30 minutes. All other stores
see people for 2 – 10 minutes.

34. Do customers appear to be on a
mission or are they browsing?
 With
the exception of Starbucks and
Safeway all seem to be browsing.
Do customers appear to be on a
mission or are they browsing?
 Theyrange. Starbucks and Safeway
because people are on a mission they
purchase goods 99% of the time. The
others who are just browsing I would say
have a rate of less than 50%.

35. Other Observations:
I thought that I was very observant person
however this really opened my eyes to
paying attention to the finer details of the
human elements of our daily lives.
 I also learned that there are very few
places that openly allow you to take
photos and so I have opted to pull photos
from the web to illustrate my story.