I’m probably not the norm when I say this, but for a man, I enjoy shopping; sometimes. I will confess that’s more the case with tools and clothes for myself and not groceries and household items where I let my wife take the lead. I chose to observe a store where I end up frequenting often with my wife as it’s a go to with several of life’s necessities. The one and only, bright red bull’s eye; Target. I thought about key points made by Paco Underhill in Gladwell’s article as I drove to the store; listening to the list of items we needed to purchase in the distance and relating that back to men’s lack of lists. I thought about downshifting; how fast a person is walking and when their eye catches a display and decompression zones; how customer interaction increases thirty percent once a display is moved to the back edge of a zone, (Gladwell) which are things I’ve never stopped to think about. Many points made in Gladwell’s article about Paco Underhill’s theories are visible based on my observations.
I pull into the parking lot and can already tell the store is going to be mayhem due to the sparse quantity of parking spots available. There are rogue carts propped up on curbs, but the majority are in the cart corrals. I noticed the volume of carts in the enclosures weren’t excessive like with some stores which makes me think there’s an adequate number of employees bringing them back in. The landscaping is minimal around the parking lot; only a few bushes here and there. The front of the store is minimal but clean and inviting. Those strange red spheres line the sidewalk across the front of the store; I still haven’t determined their purpose. As I walk through the second set of sliding doors the chaos hits; the decompression zone. Underhill states to “never, ever put anything of value in this zone-not shopping baskets or tie racks or big promotional displays-because no one is going to see it.” (Gladwell) I immediately smell the aroma of freshly brewed Starbucks coffee and recently popped popcorn from the snack counter to my left. People are trying to claim a cart or shopping basket; which are in an inconvenient spot almost behind the registry kiosk. The germ-a-phoebes search for the antibacterial wipes. The process of finding the wipes, going backward to the carts, then searching for a receptacle to dispose of your wipe is quite a confusing process.
As I feel I’ve made it through the decompression zone the section of frivolous shelves and baskets of nonsense as I call it lures women and children over. Seasonal knick-knacks, excesses of inexpensive children’s toys, and every useless item you probably won’t use, but are driven to buy, for your 4th of July barbeque. I notice a couple with their two children drawn to the space. She browses the feminine tea towels and banners while the children plead for the multitudes of toys they simply must have. Tantrums commence when they’re told “no, you have plenty of toys at home.” I conclude they are smart shoppers as neither woman nor children add any items to the cart. I pass an eye level shelving display full of summer must-haves; a smore’s extravaganza of massive Jet-Puffed marshmallows, Hershey’s chocolate bars, and Honey Maid graham crackers. The same family has added one of each to their cart, which happens to result in a reward of a five-dollar Target gift card; there’s the smart shopper thought again. “How about we make smore’s this weekend, doesn’t that sound fun?” Mom and dad say to calm the anguish of not getting a toy. It seems a family activity everyone can enjoy made the cut over individual wants.
Decision time, go straight ahead towards women’s clothing or take a left where children’s clothing and health and beauty sit in the distance? I think about the Underhill stating the Invariant Right. (Gladwell) Many people take a right when they go into the store and this isn’t an option in this store. Although I am with my wife, who I feel is a sensible shopper and not drawn into gimmicks, I find us walking left despite the women’s clothing ahead. Entering health and beauty, a variety of people are sprinkled throughout the different aisles. Families, couples, and single men and women. I notice women comparing products and prices of make-up, toothpaste, and lotion; while men just find the first deodorant display and throw it into their shopping basket. I remember the article at this point describing the differences in men and women’s shopping habits. “Women have more patience than men,” and “Men are more distractible.” (Gladwell)
Continuing I see every section of the store is clearly marked; health and beauty, baby, grocery, home essentials, etc., but doesn’t seem to be laid out in a specific order like a grocery store which makes you walk the perimeter to collect your necessities. Could it be the fact that when you go to Target you need a plethora of different items and end up making a loop around the perimeter or waltzing up and down the aisles with your Starbuck’s venti iced caramel macchiato because the atmosphere is strangely inviting? The displays are warm and eye-catching, tempting everyone to stop and glance even if they have no need for the item. They invite and distract consumers to pause and brush against different fabrics and materials. A living room presentation in the home section has people of all ages stopping to touch downy pillows, sit on the oversized chairs, and analyze metallic knick-knacks. In the back corner of the store, opposite of the entrance, is the seasonal section. I think of this as being “zone four” (Gladwell) and have thought back to every section and display I’ve since passed to get here. All the superfluous distractions I’ve gone by to arrive at the new grill, patio set, and pool toys I need as summer is finally here.
I take a moment to really analyze the individuals in this area, as it’s crawling with people; mostly families. Children are drawn to mesh bags of beach toys and brightly colored pool floats in the shapes of pizza and flamingos. They request items and even state their case as to why they need it, “our old shovels have broken because that rocky beach,” “my floaty from last year has a hole in it,” and “sparklers are so cool!” They are quite persuasive. Even husbands state cases for needing a new grill or cooler with a radio, USB plug, and bottle cap removing combination. “Honey, look! You can ride it!” He sits on the motorized cooler and steers his way down the aisle, I chuckle as this is something I can see myself doing. It seems that most women are the “wallet carriers” (Gladwell) in this particular store.
The store is swarming with employees, yet I don’t see them interacting with customers. None of them ask if they can help someone with anything, except in electronics. I notice many of the employees being college students or older people, perhaps supplementing income. They don’t seem invested in selling anything, I assume they don’t get commission either. I think of Underhill stating, “beneath the pleasure and the frivolity of the shopping experience runs an undercurrent of manipulation, and that anxiety has rarely seemed more justified than today.” (Gladwell) This statement doesn’t seem accurate with this store as the employees aren’t hounding and pressuring customers. However, they are somewhat helpful as an elderly woman asks, “where can I find the canning jars?”
In conclusion, I found myself paying more attention to the advertising and product placement than I ever have before. I used to just saunter around the store helping locate items on the list, rather than think about where things are in a store or how high or low something is on a shelf based on adults and children’s wants and needs. It’s eerie to think that everything we buy is recorded and sold to market-research firms, our behaviors recorded and analyzed through tiny cameras in the ice cream freezers. I suppose these analysts will forever be “awed by the infinite complexity and the ultimate mystery of human behavior.” (Gladwell)
Gladwell, Malcolm. “The Science of Shopping.” The New Yorker (1996): 66-75.