Assignment two for the crash course on creativity

1. THAIS OEWEL

2. There’s neither door nor storefront, so you can see the eyeglasses and watches from insede
clearly.
The sign lettering is small, but there’s some frame matching the sign all over the entrance (in
red, with white letters. Quite modern, could easily get me in- The entrance is like what you
see in up the slide!). The customers were usually alone, and they were just browsing (maybe
because there was no door). They were usually 20’s women, and they stayed little time in the
store. They were not touching the products, but, as me, they started to do it after the
salesperson did. Too expensive to break!
No impulse items near the cash register. It was the only store I’ve been to that didn’t have it.
2 of 3 salespeople had dreadlocks, even though the model in the poster was like a rich-high
society girl….with unusual eyeglasses. And the music was a really loud hiphop. I could
easily be afraid of this store, but as they were so kind and the store was so bright, it was easy
to stay for some time. Moreover, it didn’t have a door, nor storefront..rather, the products
from inside were the storefront.
By doing this, they gained some
space and avoided people to be
afraid of the salesman. Probably
they also avoided the salesman
to talk to each other so loudly as
the girls in the chocolate shop
(and probably they had more
training).

3.  The central display features watches, and one of the dreadlock guys
told me the store was founded 15 years ago, and the watches are being
sold for only 8 years. He was talking naturally with me, but always
showing me the most expensive models of watches – which had not the
prices on it, so I had to ask it after he showed me 3 of them. He forgot
my name at some point – and told me million of apologies. Probably it
was in his script. There’s nothing for sale.
 The salespeople are not using the products, and they have just a t-shirt
of a skull full of details, that they were also selling. The store security is
quite easy to see. They way the watches and glasses are put in their
places avoid someone to easily get it and run away. It’s some kind of
protection just holding them at their places. The camera was right
behind the cashier. As the store was small, probably it helped also to
see the products (not only to see what the cashier is doing).
 There was some light coming from behind the panels the eyeglasses
were standing.

4.  The stores drawed me in because there were so many books! Even
though I don’t like many of them, there’s so diverse kinds of books that
at least one of them can draw your attention. The door is open, but it’s
really small compared to the size of the storefront
 The sign letter was the biggest one I saw, bold and yellow letters on a
black background. I guess it’s draw the attention for a store that sells so
many small things, with different colors and sizes. It would be more
difficult to get consumer’s attention just by the products. Maybe that’s
also the reason they put more stuff in the storefront, as globes and
posters.
Only the second floor, for music, was cold. In the
first floor there was also places to sit down and read.
The ceiling from the first floor was obviously
high, because of the second floor (just taking half of
the store size). But the ceiling from the second floor
was much lower.

5.  There were some merchandising in the storefront and also some books
were in-between the shelves with books, having a part just for
them, showing the cover, before you could reach the other books (that
you could read only the title). All the environment looks neutral (grey
bright floor and white ceiling and walls, uniformly illuminated with
white small lamps all over the place, in lines)
The store is quite silent, even with so many people
in there. That’s why I got so disturbed when a guy
came to offer me some sale of magazine. It would
be quite nice idea, but I was there feeling so calm
and happy among the books, that the
merchandising didn’t fit. The guy was also talking
too informly – and you could see that some people
there, even with the varied public, had some
different attitude. They were quiet even when
they’re accompanied. Some of them had bought
wines or they were reading somewhere.

6. I wanted to stay in the store until that salesman came to talk to
me. The cashier is close to the wall, kind of hidden by some
tables full of books, but very close to the entrance. It’s also close
to the cookbooks. The prices were not easy to find. You have to
check it by reading the barcode.
Central display: bestsellers
and new launched books.
Some books are at eye
level, and these ones you can
see the cover. Some of them
were really colorful, or they
were just different – a
complete blue cover among
some colorful ones.

7. The store is small and crowded with chocolates. The first product we notice
is not a product - is a chocolate fountain. After that, we can see some big
chocolate kits in baskets with mugs, right in front of the door. It was the
smallest door I’ve seen during my trip, and there were vitrines. Actually the
vitrines looked much better than the store itself.
There was no background music, but the
saleswomen talking to each other really loud
and about some working issues – thought it
was really unpleasant to hear all those
complaints, even though I was not a real
consumer. They asked me if I needed
something just only after I stared to one of
them. She didn’t give me even an answer or
smile and started to talk about her issues
again.

8.  The presents that went beyond chocolates (as teddy bears
and mugs) were in the first rows, and the chocolate to buy
by weight was in the very next end, as well the fridge with
some water and juice. All the shelves looked alike
wood, but it was not.
 There was also some books about chocolate in the first
lines.
All the salewomans had nice
uniforms, with a scarf, with a hair
coke and neutral make-up. Some
of the salewomans had around
40 years old, but mostly they had
around 25 years old.
It was neutrally illuminated and
the floor was white.

9. •Plastic walls with green (changing) lights
•The low ceiling had lighter plaques, which got the green illumination from the walls.
•Where it didn’t have green lights, had black panels with images of colorful squares
drawed as they were in movement
•Diverse public, mainly men, some
couples
•Techno music playing, but low.
• Employees uniform: just a T-shirt
with only different colors in the
sleeve
•I felt like staying here for a long
time, like 30 minutes, but not my
whole life like in the bookstore. There
were just a limited number of
cellphones, after all.

10. The customers stays more than 10 minutes in the store, playing (yes, ”free sample”!)
and asking about the cellphones. They really look like they want to buy or compare
prices. They already come to the store knowing that it would be expensive. There’s a
path they follow, usually going close to the wall with the light.
The cashier is at the end of the store, close to accessories as headphones and
cellphone protections.
The central ”display” offers the launches, but always with something that draws the
attention – as a big red headphone with the cellphone. The headphones are usually
at eye level, but the cellphones you just need to look down to see their screen.
The saleswoman that talked to me did not match the store at all. She was small and
did not look that interested in what she was doing...and I guess working in a place
that sells technology needs someone that likes it and wants to help. Not the case.

11. Circled shelves (as beehives). Everything white.
High ceiling, also white
Younger (than me) employees, with uniform.
More minimalist than “Via Uno”
Just 1 mirror, also with rounded corners
Both Via Uno and Melissa had the women employees with strong and colorful
make-up.
Even though the store was so white (besides the small products), close to some
other products, as purses and backpacks, there’s a lot of packs in a brown paper,
as they the store just moved in there. I asked how long the store was in that
shopping market – 5 years.
The storefront had some white phrases that said which famous people use their
products.
The salesgirl yelled to me from the other side of the store. The music was some
kind of techno-black, and I don’t think it matched that good, as the products
are kind of futuristic. At least it was for young people.

12. The store had a plastic scent coming
from the shoes. Some time after I
discovered they sell a perfum if that
exactly scent (to put in your shoes, if
they lost that smell).
I could be there easily for hours, just
trying the different shoes. But as it
was a girlish store, I would prefer
some colors around, or different
lights (low ones). The music was also
too high, difficult to talk. There were
no central display, and it made the
store, despite being
”minimalist”, looking that it was
lacking something.
 I could not differentiate where was the most expensive products, as they didn’t
have a price on them, and when I asked, all of them were too expensive. They
were just divided by collection, and the ballerine shoes from each collection
were the cheaper ones. Hardly I touch the shoes, as they were difficult to reach
– after some kind of platform, that I discovered after it was there like a seat to
try the shoes out. This platform was grey.
 It was the only store, despite the bookstore, that had much more costumers
than salespeople, that actually still looked like they were in a hurry to sell. Diud
not match with the calm image (but it was matching with the noisy music).

13.  Via Uno was another shoes store. This one was
intended to get a more mature public, but also for
woman. The logo, actually, shows that it is much more
classic than melissa (bold and cute). It’s thin and
modern.
 A lot of mirrors and 2 posters of good-looking woman
using the shoes.

14.  The saleswoman came to talk to me right after I put my feet at the
store, and asked me a lot of question of what kind of shoes I wanted and
why. Her make-up was a bright green and she said she was using one of the
store’s shoes. The store could have draw me in if I didn’t see the salewoman
waiting to talk to me from far away.
 The most expensive products were the purses, and they were upwards, right
in front of the white walls, differently from the shoes, that had some panel
backwards.
 The store was much darker than Melissa, it was more crowded, had more
details in other colors, like brown and black and it was smaller.
 There was an almost inaudible music in the background, of some love song.
 The security in this store was easily found. There was 3 cameras at the
cashier, and one for the rest of the store. I didn’t want to stay longer
because of the saleswoman, but the environment was quite good, event
though I hate places that smell like expensive – like this one, with
leather.

15. There were much more salespeople than costumers, and again, maybe
because of the storefront, they were talking a lot among themselves. They
were mostly woman around 30 years-old and they did not match the store
image that much. Maybe because I was expecting the models in the
frontposter.
The first product I have noticed was the shoes close to the door, because you
almost bump at them. I didn’t find any ”for sale”.
Interesting that the purses are the most expensive, tthey are at a place that
draws our attention, but it’s difficult to reach them. Again, as at Melissas’s, it
was difficult to understand where was the cheap prices.
Saleswomen encourage the costumers to touch and try the products. They got
to one of the costumers like 10 differents shoes for her to try out.
There are a lot of impulse items near the cash register, like nailpolish and
make-up.