Saturday, August 29, 2009

intuition

Working retail has given me not just work experience, but a self-realization of the fact that I have a sharp intuition for understanding consumers and their spending habits. It took close to a month, but I finally understood who our target demographic was (middle age to elderly couples with young kids or grandkids) and how they viewed their money.

Most customers come in to browse, and end up finding stuff for the whole family. It seems like no expense is spared for their kids/grandkids. Clothing is an especially large area of consumption. The bookshop's selection of apparel for the entire family is pretty smart. Graphic design is also a huge factor here-I know I may not be able to design a shirt, but I can always tell if a shirt is going to be a big seller. I also have a good eye for arranging displays.

Part of me feels like with my inclination towards understanding the customer and not just the product (in fact, I feel like I barely know any of the 97812983412 bazillion products we carry, other than the clothing), is affirming of my current Business major, haha. But I wonder if I would still have such a thorough understanding of what sells well here and why, if I wasn't out on the floor every day. If I eventually worked for a company doing marketing or budgeting, would I have such a keen grasp on what works and what doesn't? I feel like I am sort of destined to become an entrepreneur, lol.

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