VALS Segments - Blog 3

I found this survey incredibly interesting as the various questions obviously ranged for people in the spectrum of those who are specifically very hands on and love to make to those on the opposite end who appreciate fashion and other expressions of art. I agreed with my results as primarily an 'Experiencer' and secondary 'Innovator', I do spend a lot of money on entertainment and fashion because that's what I enjoy and want to be up to date in everything that's currently happening. With the 'Innovator' I found that was accurate as well because I want people to get a good impression of me at face value even if they never see me again. I want them to see that I have a decent sense of style and try to dress well, which is why it's a rarity for most to not see me dress down. It was rather scary how accurate I found this survey to be. 

My results definitely did not correspond with the Target Person my group presented on Thursday from Eddie Bauer, as the target market that shops there tends to be from the Baby Boomer Generation or early Generation X. They're not looking for style when they shop there, they're searching for durability and comfort. These terms are in complete contrast to what I'm looking for personally when I shop, I don't care about comfort nearly as much and I'm wanting to highlight my attributes which isn't the easiest to do at a store like Eddie Bauer with its more muted colors and atmosphere. The Eddie Bauer consumer would most likely be lumped into the Maker, Survivor, or Believer categories as they tend to stick with the basics and durability which is reflected in the products they offer.

 Not so much me.

Barnes and Noble - A little bit of History

Barnes and Noble actually originated many many years ago, in 1873 to be exact in Wheaton, IL. Charles Barnes operated it initially as a bookprinting business giving the roots for which this company would be founded upon. The first bookstore was opened in New York City by his son William in partnership with G. Clifford Noble in 1917 and a soon to be booming business was born. This store has lasted through many changes such as creating a flagship store in New York during the Great Depression on Fifth Avenue that still exists today.

It has gone through many innovations to separate itself from your average retailer, such as in 1974 it became the first bookstore to advertise on television and also became the first book retailer to offer discounts on books in 1975, with offering 40% off books on the New York Times Best seller list. The company began to refine its concept of their store as they acquired B. Dalton and Bookstop in the 1980's and in the 1990's eventually began to tinker with their superstore concept into what we know as Barnes & Noble today with it's vast assortment and depth of merchandise and making a smart decision in an exclusive partnership with Starbucks to sell their coffee in its stores and creating 600 Barnes & Noble college bookstores to expand its market. Barnes & Noble also prints many of the books they sell, further increasing their profit. From it's one store in New York in the early 1900's, there are now 798 stores in the U.S. The man who has made much of this possible was Leonard Riggio, who was the chairman for almost 40 years. His brother Steve Riggio is now CEO as of 2002. He began working with Barnes & Noble in the 1970's and continued to move upwards as he worked in the buying and merchandising programs to general manager of the direct mail division and so on until he came to the place he is today. As you see, Barnes and Noble has a rich history that continues to draw more shoppers like myself into its warm atmosphere.

 Bliss.

Barnes and Noble - My favorite Retailer

While it may seem that few continue to share a love and passion for reading in this day and age of Ipods and Redbox, I find myself in this minority. That's why I constantly find myself at Barnes and Noble and consequently as my favorite retailer. In comparison to most other book stores I've visited, it has the greatest assortment of books I've seen in any by far. They have every genre and many different authors, that I can explore. What I'm repeatedly impressed by is their vast assortment of plays in their drama section, as a theatre major I constantly find myself at odds with this section at most stores, since they will typically only carry the bare minimum of Shakespeare and Arthur Miller. In contrast, Barnes and Noble typically has 2-3 shelving areas full of just plays written both recently and from the ancient past. This depth of assortment keeps me coming back for more.

Another reason I greatly enjoy Barnes & Noble is because they offer other products such as selling coffee, something I drink almost daily. It definitely enriches my visit because often after I make my purchase in the main store, I will stop by the coffee section of the store and buy a cup to read my book leisurely for the next few hours. With the additional service offered it often almost always entices me to make a purchase and consequently stay there for an extended period of time. Instead of just running in and out, like I do in some stores, the coffee convinces me to explore and find new books or dvds that I might like to purchase.

The service is almost always exceptional at your local Barnes & Noble. They have helped me often on more than one occasion find a book I couldn't remember the author or title of. Even more than that, they also have read a great amount of books, so they can make suggestions of what I might also like to read. This lets me know that I'm truly getting what I'm paying for when I get to Barnes and Noble and know what they're talking about as well. Most every worker I've seen has some form of a smile on their face and are conversationable, I've even had a conversation with a worker about Cook-out as I was purchasing my books. It's service like that makes me come back often.

The atmosphere that Barnes and Noble creates is extremely relaxing as soon as you step foot into the store. The hunter green color that's covered on the walls let's you know that it's not a frantic place, they want you to enjoy your visit. I love that in many sections of the store they have couches so you can browse through a book you may want to purchase in comfort. The books are arranged in a logical manner so that you won't get lost in the large amount of books and the genres are displayed boldly so you can go exactly to what you're searching for. Creating such a simple inviting atmosphere helps me think of this retailer so fondly.

One of my most favorite reasons as to why Barnes & Noble is my favorite retailer is that the service often lets you be, because often I'll get lost into a book I'm looking at deciding whether or not to purchase it. At many bookstores or other stores they won't let you do this, but Barnes & Noble does not thankfully. Allowing me to truly debate and look through my potential purchase makes me much more likely to buy the book I'm buying. Without them pushing me, it allows me to accidentally find things I may have never heard of before and of course spend a great deal of money as I tend to do when I go there. I know I'll be there for hours and plan ahead for it when I can spend a day at Barnes and Noble. Many say that it makes me nerdy, but I don't care.