The document provides observations from visits to several retail stores including L'Occitane, Michael Kors, Gucci, Aldo, Crabtree & Evelyn, and Rapsodia. Key details noted for each store include the environment, products, personnel, customers, and other observations about how to improve the store's design or customer service.

1. ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?
Maria Luisa Olvera

2. L’Occitane
BEFORE I ENTER
•Store draws me in, the warm, cozy colors call my
attention.
•There is no door, which makes it seem easier to
walk in and browse the store.
•The sign seems big, clean, clear and the brown
color gives it a wooden-like personality, which
seems to match the inside of the store.
ENVIRONMENT
•The combination of floors, fixtures, and walls
makes me feel like I am in a country house.
•The lighting of the store makes you feel
comfortable and cozy matching the brand.
•There is no music.
•The products (skin care) seem to be perfectly
organised by scents and characteristics (for the
face, hands, feet, bath).
•The store smells like a country house (a
combination of orange and roses)

3. L’Occitane
PERSONNEL
•One of the employees greeted me when I
entered the store. The other was with a
customer.
•Salespeople seem nice and willing to help.
•They have a black shirt and pants uniform.
•They do match the store’s image
PRODUCTS
•They are neatly organised
•The first product I noticed was the one they
were pitching at the moment (a body lotion)
•I do not see any items for sale
•You can try the products on the sink they have
on the store.

4. L’Occitane
CUSTOMERS
•During my visit to the store (which lasted
approx. 10 mins), only one customer walked in.
He was looking for a present for his girlfriend.
•One of the employees was helping him and he
seemed satisfied.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
Although the store seems to draw every
customer’s attention, they need them to actually
step into the store. Maybe they can have
someone just outside of the store giving away
free samples (of hand cream or some other
product) to draw people in or to at least get them
to try their products if they are not familiar with
them.

5. Michael Kors
BEFORE I ENTER
•Store doesn’t really draw me in, there is a
combination of fabrics and design too close together
and do not match. The space is not well distributed.
•There is no door, which gives a broader view of the
store.
•The sign is big, however the color against the wall
does not highlight it.
•The mannequin at the middle of the store blocks
the view of their central products, so you can only
see the products located on the side walls.
ENVIRONMENT
•The store is too bright/white, which makes me feel
kind of uncomfortable.
•There is no music or smell.
•The floor has a zebra rug that does not make any
sense from what I can see of the brand.
•All of their products are visible, however it is hard
to appreciate them since they are too close
together.

6. Michael Kors
PERSONNEL
•There are two employees who didn’t notice me
while I was there. One was on the phone, the
other was on the back room.
•They are both women
•They have a black and white uniform.
PRODUCTS
•The products are organised but too close
together. There doesn’t seem to be a distinction
between product categories.
•The first thing I noticed was the mannequin.
•The items for sale are in the middle of the stor
behind the mannequin

7. Michael Kors
CUSTOMERS
•Customers are usually young married couples
(25-35 year olds).
•Customers touch the products and try them on,
but no one really seemed to be willing to buy
them.
•Customers stay for a short period of time cause
the employees weren’t helping them
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
Employees need to be paying more attention.
The store needs to be distributed differently,
probably add some wood and some cozy colors
to make it more warm and elegant, add some
carpet or wooden floor to clash the overall
brightness of the store.

8. Gucci
BEFORE I ENTER
•Store draws me in, seems elegant, the floor
makes it seem comfortable. There is a place to
sit. I can see the products from outside.
•There is no door, which makes it seem easier to
walk in and browse the store.
•The sign seems big, clean, and the bright light
contrasts with the mirror-like background.
ENVIRONMENT
•The carpet and lighting make it seem elegant.
•There is soft, calm music in the background
which seems to match the store personality.
•The products are perfectly organised and each
one is given a particular space which makes them
seem more valuable.
•The store smells like leather, like a new car,
which gives me that good sensation.

9. Gucci
PERSONNEL
•An employee greeted me the moment I stepped
in the store. He was willing to help. Too willing in
fact, I found it kind of annoying.
•Salespeople have a black uniform.
•They do match the store’s image.
PRODUCTS
•Each product has a designed space, this makes
them seem more valuable.
•The first thing I noticed were the products on
the main wall. They are all from the new
collection.
•I do not see any items for sale
•You can try the products on and look at yourself
in the mirror. The salesperson recommends
products according to your likes.

10. Gucci
CUSTOMERS
•Only one customer walked in during my time
there.
•Another salesperson was willing to help her.
•She was accompanied by her husband (they
were in their 40s).
•They spent no longer than 10 minutes in the
store and did not look for anything else but the
bag she was looking for and bought it. (they had
a previous purchase intention and apparently
knew the product already).
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
As a luxury brand, customers need to be treated
more nicely, (probably offer the spouse a
beverage while he waits).

11. ALDO
BEFORE I ENTER
•Store calls my attention, good illumination, I can
see the products from outside.
•There seems to be a lot of products, this
somehow makes the store look cheap.
•The door is open.
•The sign seems big, clean, and the bright light
behind it makes it look fashionable.
ENVIRONMENT
•There is a lot of noise from the employees that
are chatting and laughing and the music is a bit
too loud, but may match the store’s personality
of being chic and trendy.
•The store smells like plastic.
•I think the store is too white, with occasional
bright colors. I don’t really like this design.

12. ALDO
PERSONNEL
•No one greeted me when I walked in.
•Salespeople have a black uniform and are in their 40s.
•They don’t really match the store’s image, since they
target teenagers and young adults.
PRODUCTS
•There seems to be a lot of products and this makes me
feel uncomfortable since I don’t know where to look.
•The first thing I noticed were the products on the
center fixture. They are all from the new fall collection.
•The items for sale are located in the back of the store,
so you have to browse through it before getting to
them.
•You can try the products on and look at yourself in the
mirror. The salesperson is not too willing to bring a
different size if it doesn’t fit.

13. ALDO
CUSTOMERS
•There were about 10 customers during the 10
minutes I was in the store.
•Only 1 of them bought a pair of shoes, the
others were just browsing.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
Overall, the store looks somehow cheap (not
price cheap, but style cheap)
Employees should be more willing to help find
different sizes and display a happier body
language.

14. Crabtree & Evelyn
BEFORE I ENTER
•Store calls my attention, love that it’s all pink.
•Seems to be a women’s store.
•The doorway is open, but somehow narrow.
•I like the signage colors and the letters. They are
sweet and casual.
ENVIRONMENT
•The store smells like roses, which makes sense
because their current new product is a rose
cream.
•Good illumination.
•The wooden floors give it an elegant and classy
image, that goes along with the brand personality
they are trying to display.
•I don’t get why there are some clothes randomly
placed in the middle of the store. They can
confuse people that are walking by when it
comes to what they sell.

15. Crabtree & Evelyn
PERSONNEL
•There was a lady by the door that greeted me
when I was walking by the mall.
•The lady was sweet and offered me a free
sample of their new rose cream.
•She matched the store image in the sense that
she was sweet and motherly.
PRODUCTS
•All of the products are neatly organised by
function and colour.
•The first thing I noticed was their new rose
cream.
•There were no items for sale.
•You can try the products on, every product has a
tester.

16. Crabtree & Evelyn
CUSTOMERS
•There were 3 other customers that walked in
after the lady at the front greeted them.
•I didn’t stay long enough to watch if they bought
something, but they were trying many different
products.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
Overall, the store looks neatly organised and
clean.
The brand image is reflected by the physical
store.

17. Rapsodia
BEFORE I ENTER
•Store doesn’t call my attention much. The colors
are not too noticeable.
•The sign is located too much to the left, and I
think it should be in the middle, by the door.
ENVIRONMENT
•The store seems to be a bit bohemian, targeting
young women.
•There is bohemian, soft music playing in the
background.
•The floor is gray wood and gives it a more
bohemian look.
•There is no particular smell
•I actually kind of liked the design once I spent a
bit of time there.

18. Rapsodia
PERSONNEL
•There were two employees that greeted me when I
walked in but didn’t come closer, they remained sitting
down talking to each other.
•Salespeople have regular clothes. They are both young
women.
•They do match the store’s image, since they target
young women
PRODUCTS
•There seems to be a lot of products (not one design
seems to be the same)
•There is not a product that they are highlighting.
•The fixtures are not designed well so you can see the
clothes from the front
•The first thing I noticed was a table in the middle of
the store that had a giant flower vase on it
•There are no products for sale.

19. Rapsodia
CUSTOMERS
•No customer walked in during my 10 minute
stay.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
The employees should reach the customers more
and try to be more friendly.
The products should be put in a way that
customers can appreciate them more even
before walking into the store.
The table by the entrance blocks the view of the
store, so even though it has a good location in
the mall, many people won’t notice it because
the products they sell can not be appreciated too
well from outside.