Store Design

A bookstore that tries to make you feel at homer.

When you walk up.

When you walk up there is a fireplace outside, with tables, chairs and a walk up order window to order coffee or food.

It invites you to come in, relax, and spend some time. .

This particular Barnes and Noble, which is located in Emeryville, CA, right next to the bay calls out to people who drive by with unique architecture, lots of windows, and a huge sign that is visible from the street as you drive by.

Barnes and Noble Green

The green themed accents of the store make it calm and relaxing. The café brings the smell of coffee. The store is packed with volumes of books that call to you, along with the color and smell, the sit down and relax.

There are lots of windows to give plenty of natural light. You can’t help but want to sit and relax and enjoy your shopping experience while you look and decide what you want to buy.

This is an excellent question for such a diverse store. However, books are the theme, but there is a strong emphasis that they push whenever you walk in…

While the appearance says books, they clearly are trying to diversify their inventory. I think number one on their list is the Nook.

The Nook

The Nook is a tablet-like device that is supposed to compete with the Ipad. It specializes in some unique reading features and an online store linked to Barnes and Noble.

My customer service centered on explaining this device and all the variations it has to accommodate a market with diverse tastes.

The posters are everywhere, and the display tables are numerous and interactive upon walking into the store.

Special Displays

New Arrivals and sale items are usually displayed on central tables like this one, directly in line with both entrances, or on the way to the cash registers.

Displays are neat and orderly and fairly colorful.

Customers were not too numerous at the time I was in the store, but it was somewhat busy, with adequate staff to the number of people shopping.

The most memorable part of the shopping this day was the long time that I had to talk with a store representative. She was very enthusiastic about the new Nook coming out that would have Micrsoft Office as a piece of software included, or at least compatible, with the item. She was working hard at trying to generate interest in the new item. She also answered some of my questions about my survey.

The rep that I spoke with said she felt about half of the customers that come in the store usually buy something and that the café was immensely popular with people coming just to study and have something to eat or drink, or just hang out. My estimate is that the café generates a huge amount of business and brings people in who might not usually shop in a bookstore, but enjoy the ambience.

Grocery Store Shopping

When I walk into a grocery store I feel like I am being pushed in a certain direction…like a maze that takes you to see the WHOLE store!

Row After Row

When going through this store, and most any other grocery store, a person has to hunt row by row to find that one item.

Then they have to do it all over again when the look for the next item.

The Environment

What struck me is that this store does its best to remind you of your kitchen. The color schemes, smells, and design all work to make me feel like I am in a kitchen, getting ready to cook.

This image of the dairy section doing a good job of showing that kitchenesque design feel.

In a grocery store, when compared to another store – like a clothing store – it is extremely hard to get someone to say anything to you. You won’t get anyone talking to you until you go to check out. Most people are busy tending to some kind of task.

Customers are usually on a mission. Groceries are a necessity, not a luxury item. Almost everyone in a grocery store is buying something.

Diversifying

One of the things I really noticed is that stores, no matter what they are, really try to diversify so they can bring in more interested buyers for different products. If they specialize, it seems to be bad.

This greeting card section being a perfect example of trying to diversify inventory.

I went to a clothing store, Old Navy, as well as an arts and craft store, Michael’s. Michaels was perhaps the busiest store with a monumental variety of inventory to cover all of the different craft and art possibilities. One the other hand, Old Navy specialized in clothes only. Most stores strive for orderly organization so they appear friendly to the customer.

I noticed stores that cater to more of the necessities, strive to make shopping efficient and easy to do, while maximizing exposure to special offers. (Safeway and Old Navy)

Michael’s and Barnes and Noble draw you in by trying to appeal to your sense of spending time shopping. Their stores are encouraging a more leisurely shopping experience, and this coincides with the fact that these stores focus on non-essentials.