essay 2

This week I observed the Walmart on route 44 Raynham MA. I do not think that Walmart follows Paco Underhill’s ideas when they designed their store.  

Paco uses a term called the “Decompression zone” to explain the differences between walking speed and shopping speed.  “Paco calls that area inside the door the Decompression Zone, and something he tells clients over and over again is never, ever put anything of value in that zone- not shopping baskets or tie racks or big promotional display- because no one is going to see it.” When you walk into Walmart the first thing you see is the shopping carts and can return center. Right after the shopping carts and can return area, you walk in the sliding doors. After the sliding doors you see the low-priced items that they are trying to push sales on. The items are on both sides of the walk way, with signs above tell you what the low prices are.  

Upon entering the store, I noticed the flow of traffic was very easy. The reason for the flow of traffic being easy is that the entry is wide open and clear. However, I cannot say the flow of traffic was so easy throughout the rest of the store. The atmosphere of the store was welcoming and friendly at first because you have the very happy greater. After you get past the beginning of the store the atmosphere is not as friendly, there were not many staff around to be friendly. Also, the other customers seemed to be worried about getting through the store.  

The design of the store seems to be the same in most Walmart’s. The lighting of the store seems to be well light. I could see everything I was looking at on the shelfs. The floors were very clean for the most part. The only section that was not clean in every section was a certain section in the grocery aisle. I would have to guess someone spilled something that was not cleaned up right away. When it comes down to pictures on the wall, I did not notice that many pictures. However, when you were in the boys and men’s section were the tee shirts are, I did notice there were pictures of the shirts to show you what they had for shirt designs. Other than that, there were TVs and price signs on the walls.  

We all have senses that we rely on every day to get through life. Those senses would be smell, taste, touch, sight, and hear.  When I entered Walmart, I noticed right away the smell of Subway and deep-fried food. I would have to guess that the deep-fried food smell would be from there hot and ready section and the subway smell would be from Subway right in the front of the store. The smell was so strong you could almost taste it. I think my boys would agree that it smells so good you just must get something to pick on walking around the store. The rest of the store really did not have much of a smell or taste in the air. While walking around Walmart I touched the carriage and any items I wanted to buy. While making my way through the store I saw customers walking around shopping, and sales people working. When I was walking around the store I heard people talking. I also heard the sales person over the intercom announcing information they felt important to let us know. Another sound you could hear walking around the store was the cash registers checking out customers.  

Walmart has a great display and store lay out. However, if I had to give Walmart any advice on changing one thing in the store, that would be to have the aisle a little bit wider. I agree with Paco’s theory of the “butt- brush theory” or also known as the ” le facteur bousculad, which holds that the likelihood of a woman’s being converted from a browser to a buy is inversely proportional to the likelihood of her being brushed on her behind while she’s examining merchandise. Touch – or brush or bump or jostle – a woman on the behind when she has stopped to look at an item and she will bolt.” I have been in Walmart a few times and I can’t tell you how many times I could not go down an aisle because it was too tight. I get very frustrated when I am looking at something a there is not enough room in the aisle for two people to move so we must squeeze by hoping not to hit carts. Another reason why tight aisle bothers me is because when I must push my carriage with my boys in it, and I cannot fit the carriage the store has done the aisle. I can honestly say that I have not purchased items because I could not get down the aisle or had to move for someone else to get by. Another change to the store I would make would have to be to make checking out a little bit easier.  Paco says that he monitored a store that had a hard time with tight aisles and long check-out lines. ” The screen shows people filtering in and of stores, petting and moving on, abandoning their merchandise because the checkout lines are too long, or leaving because they couldn’t fit their stroller into the aisle between two shirt racks.” I have watch people over the last couple of days leave their carts right in the aisle because the check-out line was too long, and they did not want to wait.  

Walking around Walmart the last couple of days I noticed more than I ever have before shopping there. I noticed that the store is not geared to any age or sex particularly. People who shop at the store can be dressed anywhere from casual to super dressed up for work. While observing who shopped at the store and what they wore I got to hear some of their conversations. One person I observed was all alone. As I watched her I noticed that she never stopped to talk to anyone and was in some sort of rush. She looked like she knew where everything she was looking for was. Next, I observed was a family, if I had to guess. They would speak anything from English to another language at some points. The difference from the last lady to this family was this family looked like they were just shopping around. They walked at a very moderate pace, talking to each other the whole time. They however did not talk to anyone but the people they were with. The last person I observed shopping was an elderly man. He was shopping alone; however, he did not think he was alone. This man-made conversation with anyone who was around him.  I watched him make conversation with other customers about how Walmart so big but for some reason he could not always find what he was looking for. He also was talking to a sales person about where they see them self in the future. He seemed to be very happy and positive person.  

I also got to observe some of the sales people at Walmart. I did not get to observe that many sales people because there were not that many around. I did end up finding a few sales people around the whole store. One of the sales people I seen was helping more than one customer find items they could not locate all by them self. I did sit there and wonder why she was the only one helping two people at once and if she called for help would anyone come to help her help these customers. After some more wondering around the store I ended up finding a group of people in the kid’s section having a conversation. While I was standing there trying not to look to obvious I heard them talking about work, the people they work with or how they do not agree with what is going on at work. I heard one of the woman in the group saying ” I was supposed to work on Sunday and get time an half but no they gave my shift to Nick. I heard that when he came to work he did not even work like I would have, he just walked around and talked to people the whole time. So, he got my overtime an didn’t even work but I work and I didn’t get my time. So, I might not help anymore, if that’s how they are going to treat me.” I laughed because we have all felt like that at one-point I’m just not sure if they should be having a conversation like that out in the open for anyone to hear.   

 

 

 

Work Cited 

“The Science OF Shopping” by  Malcolm Gladwell

Paco Underhill 

“Paco calls that area inside the door the Decompression Zone, and something he tells clients over and over again is never, ever put anything of value in that zone- not shopping baskets or tie racks or big promotional displays- because no one is going to see it.” Page-66 second paragraph 

” le facteur bousculad, which holds that the likelihood of a woman’s being converted from a browser to a buy is inversely proportional to the likelihood of her being brushed on her behind while she’s examining merchandise. Touch – or brush or bump or jostle – a woman on the behind when she has stopped to look at an item and she will bolt.”  page 67 fifth paragraph 

” The screen shows people filtering in and of stores, petting and moving on, abandoning their merchandise because the checkout lines are too long, or leaving because they couldn’t fit their stroller into the aisle between two shirt racks.” Page 69 sixteenth paragraph