For this weeks' blog, I decided to go to the nearest Harris Teeter and evaluate its location. I went to the Harris Teeter in the Friendly Center, which I go to whenever I need something specific that Wal-mart doesn't have.
The first thing I ever noticed about the parking lot in the whole Friendly Center is how badly laid out it is. There are a lot of bushes and trees blocking places where people need to see so as not to hit another car. A lot of the parking spaces also pull out right into oncoming parking lot traffic, which could easily result in an accident. Something else that I noticed about the parking lot at Harris Teeter was that there are no crosswalks. You have to be extra careful not to hit someone because you never know where they will cross.
A good thing about Harris Teeter is that there are plenty of spaces. Even if someone has to park a little farther away from the entrance, they will be able to find a space somewhere. The location is good because it is in a busy shopping area that is very convenient to a lot of people. It is easy to drive there and pick something up to eat after you shop or for something quick spur of the moment.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Why Circuit City Failed
For this weeks' blog I decided to do a little research into why Circuit City went bankrupt.
I read some things online from previous employees of Circuit City about why they think the retailer failed. I found an article with the opinions of people on why the store failed on consumerist.com. On of the past employees said that he thought one major downfall was the fact that Circuit City stopped carrying kitchen appliances. This is a major chunk of sales in electronics stores and not carrying them anymore definitely hurt their sales and improved the sales of stores who did carry appliances. Another reason he thinks that the store failed was that people are more interested in self-service shopping these days and at Circuit City the employees are commission based. They try to push items on people because they will make more money but that really doesn't work well with small items like batteries and accessories. Another ex-employee feels that the stores should have gone more warehouse style like Best Buy instead of staying with their showroom like layout. People are interested in getting in, finding what they need and getting out and showroom styles are not as convenient as warehouse style layouts.
I also read an article about why Circuit City failed on www.time.com. The article compared it to its' rival, Best Buy, and what they did wrong. The main thing that was faulted was poor management. They were the leading electronics retailer in the 80's and 90's but didn't adapt to changing times in the 2000's. They became 'complacent' with locations, causing people to go to closer places like Walmart instead of driving way out to Circuit City. Another thing the retailer did wrong was not to move at the same pace as the rest of society. They stopped carrying appliances, barely got into the gaming craze, and did not do much to improve their website.
The main reason I stopped going to Circuit City in favor of Best Buy is because there was one closer to where I lived. They seemed to have more of what I wanted at that time like iPods and cell phones and from what I understand, they have better prices. I also stopped going to Circuit City because I heard that they are not equal opportunity employers and treat certain employees better than others based on personal issues such as sexual orientation. Overall I just think that Circuit City couldn't keep up with the competing stores and didn't do enough to improve on their stores.
I read some things online from previous employees of Circuit City about why they think the retailer failed. I found an article with the opinions of people on why the store failed on consumerist.com. On of the past employees said that he thought one major downfall was the fact that Circuit City stopped carrying kitchen appliances. This is a major chunk of sales in electronics stores and not carrying them anymore definitely hurt their sales and improved the sales of stores who did carry appliances. Another reason he thinks that the store failed was that people are more interested in self-service shopping these days and at Circuit City the employees are commission based. They try to push items on people because they will make more money but that really doesn't work well with small items like batteries and accessories. Another ex-employee feels that the stores should have gone more warehouse style like Best Buy instead of staying with their showroom like layout. People are interested in getting in, finding what they need and getting out and showroom styles are not as convenient as warehouse style layouts.
I also read an article about why Circuit City failed on www.time.com. The article compared it to its' rival, Best Buy, and what they did wrong. The main thing that was faulted was poor management. They were the leading electronics retailer in the 80's and 90's but didn't adapt to changing times in the 2000's. They became 'complacent' with locations, causing people to go to closer places like Walmart instead of driving way out to Circuit City. Another thing the retailer did wrong was not to move at the same pace as the rest of society. They stopped carrying appliances, barely got into the gaming craze, and did not do much to improve their website.
The main reason I stopped going to Circuit City in favor of Best Buy is because there was one closer to where I lived. They seemed to have more of what I wanted at that time like iPods and cell phones and from what I understand, they have better prices. I also stopped going to Circuit City because I heard that they are not equal opportunity employers and treat certain employees better than others based on personal issues such as sexual orientation. Overall I just think that Circuit City couldn't keep up with the competing stores and didn't do enough to improve on their stores.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Target Audiences
For this weeks' blog, we are to write about different target audiences for retail stores. I did not really know where to start with this, seeing as there are so many different markets. I decided that I would focus my energy into a target market that I am interested in and think is underrepresented: plus-size women.
This is a subject that I have spent a lot of time thinking about. The majority of people in this country are overweight, yet when I walk around the mall or a shopping center, the majority of stores appeal to people who are under a size 14. I can only name a couple of stores that are exclusively plus-size but I can name probably 10 stores that appeal only to women within sizes 0 and 14. I think that it is important to represent real women in fashion because it provides people with a realistic beauty standard. I also think that it is unfair that women who wear larger sizes do not have nearly the selection of cute and trendy clothing that other women do. I feel like people are getting bigger and clothing is getting smaller.
It is very important to appeal to such a large audience because there or more people buying things. There are more overweight people now so I feel like the retail industry needs to be moving at the same pace.
This is a subject that I have spent a lot of time thinking about. The majority of people in this country are overweight, yet when I walk around the mall or a shopping center, the majority of stores appeal to people who are under a size 14. I can only name a couple of stores that are exclusively plus-size but I can name probably 10 stores that appeal only to women within sizes 0 and 14. I think that it is important to represent real women in fashion because it provides people with a realistic beauty standard. I also think that it is unfair that women who wear larger sizes do not have nearly the selection of cute and trendy clothing that other women do. I feel like people are getting bigger and clothing is getting smaller.
It is very important to appeal to such a large audience because there or more people buying things. There are more overweight people now so I feel like the retail industry needs to be moving at the same pace.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
More about Target...
So last week we posted about our favorite retailer and why we liked them so much. This week, we are posting some information on that retailer.
I did some research about Target and found out some things I did not know. For example, Target was founded in 1902 by a man named George Dayton. He had a six-story building built in Minneapolis and convinced a local department store owner to move into his building. Instead of simply moving into the building, he retired and sold his interest in the company to Dayton, who changed the company's name to Dayton's Dry Goods Company. In 1910, the company name changed to Dayton Company. It lasted that way for 46 years when, in 1956, it opened the world's first fully-enclosed shopping center.
The first 'Target' opened in 1962 in Minnesota. The company wanted to seperate 'Target' from their department store so they named it something completely different.
Throughout the last 47 years, 'Target' has expanded vastly. At this point, there are almost 1500 'Target' stores throughout the country. The company has also expanded to include 'Supertarget', which is basically a grocery store combined with a regular 'Target' store.
most information found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_Corporation
I did some research about Target and found out some things I did not know. For example, Target was founded in 1902 by a man named George Dayton. He had a six-story building built in Minneapolis and convinced a local department store owner to move into his building. Instead of simply moving into the building, he retired and sold his interest in the company to Dayton, who changed the company's name to Dayton's Dry Goods Company. In 1910, the company name changed to Dayton Company. It lasted that way for 46 years when, in 1956, it opened the world's first fully-enclosed shopping center.
The first 'Target' opened in 1962 in Minnesota. The company wanted to seperate 'Target' from their department store so they named it something completely different.
Throughout the last 47 years, 'Target' has expanded vastly. At this point, there are almost 1500 'Target' stores throughout the country. The company has also expanded to include 'Supertarget', which is basically a grocery store combined with a regular 'Target' store.
most information found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_Corporation
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Bullseye
This week's post is to be about our favorite retailer and five reasons why it is our favorite retailer. To some, this may seem like an easy thing to do but for me, it isn't so much. I have several stores and places that I like but have a hard time coming up with five separate reasons why I like any store. So I narrowed it down to a few places and then decided that I would go with the ever popular Target; more specifically SuperTarget.
I have gone to SuperTarget in Raleigh many times to buy various things. The main thing that I like about it is the matter of convenience. You can get pretty much everything in this one place: clothes, food, electronics, you name it. Another reason I like going to SuperTarget is the price issue. I can get pretty much anything I need for a lower price than I would get it at a regular store. The third reason I like SuperTarget is, despite it being a discount store, I don't feel like I'm shopping at a discount store while I'm there. It is usually quite clean and neat which makes the experience of being there better. Another reason I like SuperTarget is because they have customer service but it isn't in your face. I don't like shopping at places with employees that are constantly talking to me and asking me questions but I like knowing that there are employees there to talk to if I need help. Lastly, I would have to say that I like SuperTarget because I can get cute clothes there. I don't have to go to a pricey store in the mall in order to find designer clothes or trendy clothes.
I have gone to SuperTarget in Raleigh many times to buy various things. The main thing that I like about it is the matter of convenience. You can get pretty much everything in this one place: clothes, food, electronics, you name it. Another reason I like going to SuperTarget is the price issue. I can get pretty much anything I need for a lower price than I would get it at a regular store. The third reason I like SuperTarget is, despite it being a discount store, I don't feel like I'm shopping at a discount store while I'm there. It is usually quite clean and neat which makes the experience of being there better. Another reason I like SuperTarget is because they have customer service but it isn't in your face. I don't like shopping at places with employees that are constantly talking to me and asking me questions but I like knowing that there are employees there to talk to if I need help. Lastly, I would have to say that I like SuperTarget because I can get cute clothes there. I don't have to go to a pricey store in the mall in order to find designer clothes or trendy clothes.
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