CABALS: A Journey of Observation

CHOCOLATE DREAM BOXFirst Stop:

What wonders await me in this land of truffles and turtles? This small boutique dressed in beige and lavender, nestled between a chain grocery store and a chain bank is clearly one-of-a-kind.The first thing I notice is the smell. They say ‘you eat with your eyes’, but I think you eat with you nose.

No one greets me as I enter, because … no one is in the store! Am I to just take what I wish? Moments later, though, a pleasant – albeit chocolate-smeared – gentleman pops out from the back room and engages me in airy persiflage. The low ceiling and soft lighting adds to the pleasant atmosphere. The glass displays showcase various items, all chocolaty and all expensive. Presented differently, I’d probably pass. It such a setting as this, though, who can resist a confectionary morsel … or two … or three? Everything in the store is an impulse buy. Sometimes it’s good to give into our urges.

I leave with a small bag of treats. (I ate them with fava beans and a nice chianti.)

ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

Next Up:

Due to the demise of my prior GPS watch, I headed off to my local running store for another.Athletic Performance is a small shop nestled amid others on Main Street in Los Gatos. As usual, the door was open and the table outside had shoes on sale.When I walked in, I was greeted right away by a fit-looking salesman. (No fatties here.) An NFL game was playing on a small TV towards the back. Two other customers were trying on running shoes. One had just come back from a test-jog. Boxes were piled everywhere, and the left wall was filled with display items. I decided to get another pair of my favorite shoes (Brooks Adrenaline) so I could break them in before my next race. There were lots of impulse-buy items by the cash register, including GU and sunscreen.I also got a new GPS watch, a Garmin 410. One of the owners, Christine Kennedy, assisted me so I knew I was in good hands. (She’s won her division in the Boston Marathon for the past 5 years.)Overall, this is a great store for runners. It sells what a running store should sell, and it feels like a running store should feel.

BOW WOWSER& PURRSNICKETY

A visit to:

My next stop was at a pet boutique called “Bow Wowser” (and it’s partner shop “Purrsnickety”. I’m a dog person, so I don’t spend much time on the cat side of the house. There were flags with cute pets hanging out front, and the store was fairly crowded. There are lots of items at eye level, but for some reason the pet carriers were placed on high shelves. There was light jazz playing very softly, too. The floor was tile and what appeared to be an easily-washable carpet, which made sense given the amount of pet traffic they get.

It’s all so pet-friendly that I’m less inclined to comparison shop here versus, say, Petsmart. Whilst browsing the store, I had a big surprise. I noticed another customer with pad of paper in hand scribbling notes. I glanced at a paper she was consulting, and I saw that it was instructions for this assignment! (I noticed she’d printed hers in a script font.) Her name is Lauren, and she’s a software program manager at Adobe. We exchanged pleasantries as well as notes. What are the odds?

AMAZON.COMMy favorite store:

I know, we were supposed to visit a bunch of stores and record our observations. Shopping online is kind of like cheating. Or is it? Is the success of online shopping solely because of lower prices due to lower overhead, or is there something more? I decided to apply the questions from this assignment to see how well Amazon stood the test. Here’s a sampling:

Q: Does the store draw you in?A: Yes, because it’s always open, always available.Q: What is the color scheme?A: It looks just like my house!Q: Is there music playing?A: Only if I what there to be.Q: What is the first product that you notice?A: The last one I purchased.

I love the convenience of shopping online. I’m get-in/get-out kind of shopper, so Amazon is perfect for me. What do I notice when I shop there? Well, the user reviews play a prominent role in my decision making. They know my shopping history, so they do a good job of suggesting things I might like. Plus they have wish lists that make holiday and birthday shopping much easier, if somewhat less personal. Given the choice of Amazon or mall, it’s Amazon!

LUNARDI’S MARKETOn to:

Having satisfied a chocolate craving I didn’t even know I had, it was time to buy stuff for dinner. There are several grocery stores near me, and I’ve noticed that each has a distinctive personality. At Safeway, for instance, the staff is always letting you know how much they hate their jobs. At Whole Foods, youhave to watch out for the overly-earnest but harried shoppers who might run you down with their carts in the store or their Volvos in the parking lot. At Lunardi’s, it tends to be older folks who aren’t watching where they’re going.Walking into the store, there was a tent with free coffee samples. Great, except I don’t drink coffee. There’s no greeter at the door, but there was a large display of Halloween candy. The store is brightly lit, but the aisles are cluttered with display merchandise that makes passing difficult. My favorite part, though, is

the prominent meat case. I’m of the opinion that if God wanted us to be vegetarians, he wouldn’t have made animals out of meat. I enjoy the view while groovin’ to the easy listening hits playing in the background.

SUR LA TABLE

Last stop:

I can never pass a kitchenware store without ogling the goods. I’m not really sure why; there’s just something about asparagus tongs and cannoli tubes that draws me in. At Sur la Table, maybe it was the big sign out front, the potted flowers, and the greeter just inside the door that said to me “welcome, come on in!” (I should note there is one exception: Williams-

Sonoma. Their prices are just silly.)As I entered, I noticed the high ceilings with open ductwork, and the staff with their aprons. The colors were neutral, right down to the tan concrete floor. There was a display of holiday plates near the entrance, but my eye was drawn to the cookware – particularly the shiny copper pots and pans. Light jazz played in the background. As I wandered through the store, a pleasant salesman invited me to test the latest chef’s knives and my wife had a free latte. There was also a cooking class in the back room (pictured).Sur la Table knows just how to appeal to the cooking enthusiast.