My observations of Barnes & Noble Book Store

I chose to take an adventure out of my normal journey while shopping and visit Barnes & Noble Book Store. During my trip to this specific store I took note of: the way items were displayed, store organization, customer’s habits, employee assistance, and employee customer relations. All the topics I took note of come together to form the complex web of interactions that make this store work. Barnes & Noble uses some of the techniques described in Malcolm Gladwell’s article, “The Science of Shopping”. The article talks about scientific studies conducted by Paco Underhill, a man that is an expert on trends amongst shoppers.

There are multiple ways that stores can draw people deeper and deeper into them. From the second I opened the doors I noticed adult coloring books and a section that was completely dedicated to nook. In the article Paco Underhill explains that stores will use placement techniques to draw people deeper into the store. He says, “For this reason, a supermarket will often put dairy products on one side, meat at the back, and fresh produce on the other side, so that the typical shopper can’t just do a drive- by but has to make an entire circuit of the store, and be tempted by everything the supermarket has to offer” (qtd. Gladwell). The bookstore does this by placing a new arrivals table in the middle of the store, now that I’m in the middle off the store I get curious and start looking at what else the store has to offer.  As I went about the store I noticed that the store was divided into sections. The magazines were at the front right section of the store, which of course got my attention because I’m into bodybuilding and any new information I can learn from the magazines. The right wall had a huge display of science fiction, fantasy and romance novels in a very organized fashion. The back of the store is where they kept all the children’s books, this is a good idea because parents are likely to come in looking for a book for their child. The reason that this is good idea is, because it draws them into the back where they are likely to look around before reaching their destination. The walls in the store were a cream color, the ceilings were high and the lighting was just right not to bright but not to dark. In the article Gladwell talks about lighting. He says “with white walls, muted lighting, soaring ceilings, gray stone flooring, and, so it seems, less merchandise in the entire store than Lauren puts in a single room” (qtd. By Gladwell). This plays a big role in the feel of the book store the lighting made me feel relaxed and calm. This made me feel comfortable so I grabbed a book that I was interested in buying, then I sat at the wooden table and read some of the book to see if I would like it.in the article they also talk about how men will go for something that catches their eye when shopping. In the article Gladwell says, “we know that they tend to shop much less frequently with coupons, and we know, simply by watching them shop, that they can be marching down the aisle and something will catch their eye and they will stop and buy”(Gladwell). This was very true the bookstore had displays that were very well thought out that caught my eye, they also had signs with big lettering that caught my eye.

While I was making my observation of the store I noticed that the customers were mostly quiet. Some customers interested in the same material would quietly talk amongst one another. The employees were all dressed in business casual clothing. The employees were very friendly asking me if I needed help looking for anything, they went around looking to make sure the store was presentable. I observed a customer that was looking around the bookstore for a good amount of time, they customer was beginning to get frustrated but didn’t ask for help and eventually left empty handed. I also observed another customer that also had trouble finding a book, this customer asked an employee who then said they did not have it and that they could order it for the customer, this made the customer extremely happy.

To sum up my visit to Barnes & Noble, in my observation, I noticed multiple techniques that were used to draw the customers in and make them want to purchase an item. The store even had a variety of options for people on a limited budget. The employees went above and beyond to help and be polite to every customer that came through the door. The eye-catching displays, friendly employees and the overall atmosphere of the store is why they are a successful business.

Work cited

Gladwell, Malcolm. “The Science of Shopping.” The New Yorker November, 4 1996: