A Crash Course in Creativity

Stanford.edu

Assignment 2 – Observation Lab

Richard Powers

Oxford, Mississippi

StoresOxford, MS. Square University

Sporting

Goods

Square

Books

Jr.

Neilson’s

Department

Store

Off Square

Books

Stash Square Books

Before you enter the store:Does the store draw you in? If

so, how?

Neat old

building

Yes

inviting

Yes

inviting

Yes

colorful

Yes

interesting

Yes

friendly

Is the door open or closed? closed open closed closed open open

How does this make you feel? NA NA NA NA NA NA

How big is the sign lettering

and in what font?

Large Large Large Medium Medium Medium

What does it tell you about

the store?

Old Old Old

Est. 1839

Old Unique Interesting

Environment:

What is the color scheme of

the store? How does this

affect you?

Red & Blue

Ole Miss

neutral neutral neutral neutral neutral

How high is the

ceiling? How does

this feel?

20 ft

Open

20ft

Open

30ft

Open

30ft

Open

30ft

Open

60ft

Open

How brightly lit is

the store? How

does this affect

you?

Light - open Light

inviting

Light

Very inviting

Light

comfortable

Dark

comfortable

Medium

Inviting

How loud is the

environment?

quiet quiet quiet quiet quiet quiet

What is causing the

noise?

stereo none none none none none

Is there music

playing? If so, does

it fit the

environment?

Music

Top 40 yes

Yes

Childrens

yes

No No Yes, large

Screen TV,

yes

No

Is the store warm

or cold?

neither neither neither neither neither neither

Is the store crowed

with merchandise

or is it sparse?

crowded crowded crowded crowded crowded crowded

Does the store have

a distinctive smell?

Yes, clothes Yes

Books

Yes

expensive

Yes

Books

Yes

expensive

Yes

Books

Where is the cash

register located?

By entrance Close to entrance Several around

store

Center Right of

store

Center rear Center Left of

store

How visible is the

store security?

Not seen Not seen Not seen Not seen Not seen Not seen

How long do you

want to stay in this

store?

20 min 20 mins 30 mins 30 mins 20 mins hours

Does the

environment

influence the

perceived value of

the merchandise?

yes yes yes yes yes yes

Personnel:

How long does it take before a

sales person initiates contact?

seconds seconds seconds One minute seconds None did –

Casual

atmosphere

Does the salesperson have a

script to follow with each

customer?

No No No No No No

Does the salesperson treat

different customers

differently?

No No No No No No

What is the ratio of

salespeople to customers?

1 to 2 1 to 1 3 to 1 1 to 1 1 to 1 1 to 5

What age and gender are the

employees?

30 F 40 F 40’s M & F 50’s M & F 60’s M & F 40’s M & F

Are the salespeople using the

store products?

Yes NA Yes NA NA NA

Do the salespeople have a

uniform?

No No No No No No

Do the salespeople match the

stores image?

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Products:

What is the first

product that you

notice?

Ole Miss

shirt

Books &

Posters

Clothes Books Furniture Books

Is there a central

display table with

featured products?

yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes

Where are items

that are “for sale”

located in the store?

yes yes Yes Yes No Yes

How are the

products arranged?

By function? By

price? By color?

Function By children’s

ages

Function

Depts.

By type of book Not arranged

Eye appeal

By type of book

Are there free

samples or

demonstrations?

no no no no no no

What products are at

eye level?

apparel books clothes books Décor Items &

Furniture

books

What items in the

store are in the least

accessible locations?

shoes toys Glassware

Homeware

items

Some books Goods on

walls

Some books

Where are the most

and least expensive

products located?

Front -Back of

store

Least in

Back of store

NA – everything

expensive

Equally spread

through store

NA – everything

expensive

Equally spread

through store

Are the prices of the

products easy to

find?

yes no yes yes yes yes

Are there impulse

items near the cash

register?

yes yes yes yes no yes

Customers:

Are most customers alone or

with someone else? What is

the relationship?

alone alone alone alone alone alone

What is the average age and

gender of the customers?

40’s

M & F

60’s

M & F

40’s

M & F

40’s

M & F

60’s

F

40’s

M & F

When a customer enters the

store, do they tend to walk in

the same path or direction? -

yes yes yes yes yes yes

How long do customers stay in

the store, on average?

20 mins 20 to 30 mins 30 mins 30 mins 15 mins 1 hour

Do customers touch the

products? Is this encouraged?

Yes, yes Yes, yes Yes, yes Yes, yes Yes, yes Yes, yes

Do most customers appear to

be on a mission or are they

browsing?

browsing browsing browsing browsing browsing browsing

What percent of customers

purchase products in the

store?

50% 80% 60% 50% 20% 50%

Other Observations:My observations were done at six stores located around the town square in

Oxford, Mississippi ( pop. 20,000 ) in North Central Mississippi. It is the home

of Ole Miss and I feel that and the history of the authors here (William Faulkner,

John Grisham, and others) have definitely affected the type and quality of the

book stores I visited. Also, most of the buildings are dated back to the 1860’s

after the Civil War, as I was informed by a local: “the Yankees burned the town

to the ground in 1864”.

Security – If there, it wasn’t noticeable in any of the stores.

Note: I did my observance at store opening time on a mid-week day, so I feel

that effected my responses. Again, this is small town America!

Insights and New Opportunities:Location, location, location as realtors say. The property around the Oxford

Square is high dollar property with extremely high dollar rents, therefore goods

and services are expensive. I think the most educational creative thing I

learned was from how the book stores competed with the chain stores and the

Internet. Each provided something unique, Square Books – book signings and

parties for authors, Off Square Books – Thacker Mountain PBS Radio Show, with local

music, authors and commentary, and Square Books Jr. – reading clubs for children through

teens, with readings by authors. In conclusion, it was an interesting exercise.