Day
One - July 12
Tuesday I only had one class, so I decided to get myself
out in public a little longer. Instead
of just going to one store, I went to the mall and visited a few different retailers. I wore sweatpants, a plain white t-shirt, and
tennis shoes. My hair was thrown up into
a messy bun and I wore no make-up.
On campus, I felt perfectly comfortable with my
appearance. I have actually, to my remembrance,
never worn sweatpants to class, though I have on occasion gone without
make-up. Even though it was below the
standard in appearance I usually set for myself, BYU campus has a very relaxed
atmosphere (especially during summer term), and is often inhabited by those
dressed similarly. In class I didn’t
feel any staring eyes or jeering expressions.
The only time I felt less than great was when another woman, Tina,
entered the classroom wearing a very beautiful dress, nylon stockings, and
heels. Tina sits right in front of me,
so I leaned over and asked her what the occasion was; her husband was invited
to speak at the devotional. Suddenly, I
felt almost disrespectful for my ultra-casual appearance.
After class I drove to the mall and arrived around 11:00;
I chose not to take a purse. My sweatpants
had deep pockets, so I buried my wallet and keys there and went inside. I entered near the food court and my first
stop was Bohme, where I’ve frequently
visited, but never purchased. The workers
there didn’t seem to judge my clothes to the degree I expected. They were very friendly and chatted with me,
not just about their store promotions, but also about working in retail,
summer, and other little things. I was
very surprised and their response.
From Bohme I
moved to other shops: Bella Ella, Bath & Body Works, and Banana Republic. Usually my customer service experience is
kind of poor at Bella Ella, and
Tuesday was no different. I felt
ignored, wasn’t told of any sales/promotions, the salespeople seemed to wrapped
up in their work to even approach me, or say more than “hi” and “have a great
day”. At Bath & Body Works I, again, had a pretty standard visit. The women talked to me, told me about
promotions and special coupon offers available via email. I was greeted warmly and encouraged to try
new scents. For these reasons, this has
always been one of my favorite stores in the mall (let alone the fact that I love their candles!).
Banana Republic
was the only store at the mall that I felt that my appearance caused any
difference in my customer service/overall shopping experience. I don’t normally visit the store, so I had only
my dressed up experience (which I hadn’t done yet) to compare it to. When I entered the store, I was greeted, but
beyond that, not a single word was spoken to me. I wandered through their new styles, their
clearance section, looking at sizes and feeling the materials. After spending 20-30 minutes there, I decided
to leave.
Overall, day one didn’t seem to have had much of an
impact in how people interacted with me.
I definitely felt more approachable that I had anticipated. I expected people to snub me, but in
retrospect, just like on BYU campus, people seem comfortable choosing fuction
over fashion and interacting on a regular basis.
Day
Two - July 14
Thursday I wore a dark blue undershirt with a
strappy-sleeve white lacey dress. Over
that I had a tan cardigan. I accessorized
with a belt, strappy sandals, a long chunky blue and peach necklace, dangly
blue earrings, and a pearl-esque bracelet.
Again, on campus I didn’t feel completely out of
place. Many girls wear dresses to class
regularly. In/before class one girl
remarked “you look cute today,” which was the only comment I received at school
regarding my appearance.
After class I went directly to the mall again arrive
around the same time, where I entered from the same area and went to the same
stores. I started at Bohme.
I didn’t have as much of an interaction with salespeople there. On Tuesday I spotted a very cute shirt, so I
went back to it, pulled it off the rack and further inspected the finer
details, and the price. A salesperson
and I talked about it for just a moment, before she had to move on to another
task. Maybe this salesperson just wasn’t
outgoing as the girl I talked with on Tuesday, but I felt less important to
this new girl. As a consumer, it was
kind of a turnoff.
From there I went to Bath
& Body Works. When I walked in,
I wasn’t greeted in their usual manner.
I wasn’t approached by the sales staff at all, I smelled some candles,
looked at their soap prices, wandered over to the opposite side of the store,
and then proceeded to leave. I visited
every corner of that store and wasn’t approached once. This is very unusual for Bath & Body. In my mind
I wondered if my outfit had anything to do with it. Was my appearance more intimidating to the
staff? Did I give off a sense of
arrogance or self-importance? I doubted
this, because like on campus, many women wear dresses on a day-to-day basis and
not only for important days/events.
On my walk between the stores, a lady from a kiosk (you
know the pushy ones I mean) tried to stop me to try out her product. As I walked past, she said, “Oh I love your
dress! It’s so beautiful!” She then proceeded to ask me over to her
kiosk, which I gave no response to. I
try to be polite in these situations, but after getting conned into a
worthless, expensive cream once, I have given up even politely declining.
At Banana Republic
I was greeted again, and as I wandered through the store, still no interaction
from the sales staff. I still wonder
though if my appearance was a factor in their decision not to pursue me as a
client. Although I was dressed nicer, I
still think I was below their standard.
I know that I didn’t have on anything worthy of the store’s reputation
to sell. My clothes all came from other
retailers far below their standard. This
time, I felt that if I wasn’t approached within just 5-10 minutes, it wasn’t
worth my time to keep waiting. I left
pretty soon after that.
Conclusion
In relating to
chapter 3 in The Dynamics of Fashion
I understand that I’m not necessarily in the demographic or psychographic Banana Republic aims for as a
consumer. I’m sure I fall way below the
income of their typical customer, however I don’t think that should be a reason
to treat someone with disrespect. I feel
as a salesperson, anyone that walks through your door should be treated as
though they plan to purchase anything inside.
At the other stores, I know that I’m within the demographic that they
normally cater to, and based on my dress, I feel like I am definitely within
the psychographic they were looking for, even though at extremes on both ends
(casual and dressy). Bohme I even felt more within their
psychographic aim when I was dressed a little nicer, yet that was when I
received less attention from the staff.
Regardless, this experiment gave me insight to understand
more of what a consumer might be looking for and how a sales staff is the final
deciding point in whether they will make a sale or not.
