Location

While I was home over Spring Break, I took into consideration the location of the grocery store in my small hometown. To paint a picture in your mind, it's a small beach town on the coast, with only one high school. My mother and I had to go to get a few things for dinner. Since it's a small town there is never that much traffic, so getting to anywhere really isn't a hassel.

The Location of the local Food Lion that we usually go to is in a pretty good spot. I'd say it's a pretty central location in the town. It's very close to two schools and near many neighborhoods. No matter where you were driving to, you'd most likely have to drive past it to get to where ever you were going. In the shopping center it's in there is a pizza place, movie rental, dry cleaner, family dollar and then in the parking lot across there is a gas station, Burger King and used car lot. A lot of places near eachother that would be convenient for a family to have access to without having to drive much further.

I honestly, don't see any disadvantages to it's location. There is a Piggly Wiggly about a mile and a half down the road which could hurt Food Lion's business due to competition, but I don't think it really has. Piggly Wiggly has changed locations a few times in the 20 years I've live in the town.

RCS-261 Research on Failed Retailer

Linens 'n Things


With our current financial situation it's no suprise that so many businesses are closing stores down across the nation, and some are closing down completely. The store Linen 'n Things is no exception. It was considered the second largest specialty retailer of home textiles, housewares and home accessories in North America. After the company declared bankruptcy, they eneded up closing down all stores at the end of 2008, closing a total of 371 stores across the United States. They also closed all their stores in Canada.

The main issue on why the store closed was of course the bankruptcy, and the fact that they could not find a buyer to take over the locations because they had already closed so many. It had a stiff competitor, Bed, Bath & Beyond, who will now be earning up to 18%

I personally think that the store closed because of the recession we are going though, of course. Many people are struggling to buy everyday items, much less buy new sheets for their beds, new dishes or other housewares. Accessories always suffer when people are having a hard time paying for their basic needs and the main things they were accustomed to buying. They will buy less and less of things that they don't absolutely have to have.



http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2008/10/8/linens-n-things-plans-to-go-out-of-business
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/02/linens-n-things-files-for_n_99867.html

RCS-261 Target Audiences for Retail Stores

By definition a target market when talking about retailing is a segment of consumers that is most likely to purchase the products and services offered by a particular retailer. This is very important when taking into consideration the type of merchandise that will be sold, the price range, the environment and the sales associates. This can easily be determined by gender, age, income and leisure activities for a few examples.

When I took the SRIC-BI/VALS Survey I got placed under the two categories: experiencers and innovators. I really wasn't surprised of the outcome because I like to try new things when it comes to merchandise. I like to have on of a kind pieces and for people to not always know where my garments are from by mixing vintage pieces with other finds I make. The website description that I got from the outcomes that best described me was the following: image is important to Innovators, not as evidence of status or power but as an expression of their taste, independence, and personality.

For our retailer on Tuesday we had GNC. I think that someone that shops there could also be considered an experiencer. Trying new things can definitely go beyond fashion and go with health. Trying different kind of vitamins and pills are important so the rest of society can see if they work out they way they are intended to.

RCS-261 Research on Retailer

Target Corporation

The American retailing company, which is now known as Target was started in 1902 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by George D. Dayton. When it first started it was called Dayton Dry Goods Company. 1962 is the year of the first actual Target store opening in Roseville, Minnesota, with using a concept developed by John F. Geisse entering as a discount merchandising company. Then in 1968 Target introduced it's bullseye logo to make it more modern and began expanding it in the midwest. Between 1982-2000 Target expanded to both the east and west coasts.
Currently Target is listed as the 5th largest retailer in the United States. It's also ranked 31st on the Fortune 500. Target is considered a competitor of other similar retailers such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart in selling merchandise such as clothing, housewares and food at cheaper prices.

As of 2008, Target had 366,000 employees. And as of October 2007, there were 1.591 stores throughout the Unitest States. By 2010 they plan to have 2,000 stores nationwide and expand to Hawaii. Now there are also SuperTargets, much similar to the Super Wal-Mart concept.

RCS-261 Favorite Retailer

My favorite retailer is Target. It's definitely not the store I go to for buying clothes or shoes, but it always has something that I can't leave the store without. I love being able to go to one place to buy cat food, tights and a coffee maker. I always get suckered into looking at the $1.00-$2.50 dollar bin and loading up on sprinkles and hello kitty stickers. They have great prices for things and are usually not that bad quality and are always made a lot cuter than things at Wal-Mart. My favorite thing to see is that little reddish-orange clearance sticker they put on their items, when I already wanted an item, then it's so cheap I have to get it.

I think that Target does a great job with their advertising and commercials. They always catch your attention and put like 4 different unlike objects together to sell. I like the nice bright contrast the store has too with the red and white, everything looks very cheerful and clean when you walk inside. (Also..... THE TARGET DOG is so cute!)


I always like to go check out which designers they have in their women's apparel with their collections. They always have a lot of cute patterns and accessories. A lot of items they have look vintage or European and very feminine, and again at a decent price. I'd compare a lot of the clothes to popular stores like Forever 21.

Accessories

Accessories are a very important part of fashion. They can turn the most simple outfit into something that looks like you spent time on putting together, if you know what you're doing. Overkill with accessories is a bad thing, and can make one look ridiculous and no clue what they are doing. Accessories are often times a lot cheaper than clothes too, so if you can't afford a new shirt, get a new scarf to add to things you already have.
The only reason I even like the winter season is because of accessories. I love wearing scarves, gloves, earmuffs and hats. I could wear a knitted hat everyday of my life, if they weren't so hot. I do think they are making a come back, because everywhere you go now you are given so many choices in different styles and colors.
Some trends in accessories that I like that are coming back are suspenders and glasses (fake clear lenses and retro sunglasses). I think they are fun and can look really cute if you know how to wear them. I've seen a lot of feathers this season in stores like Forever 21 on accessories, such as earrings and headbands.

(accessories shown are from Urbanoutfitters.com)

Gueat Speaker : Elyse Mullis

The speaker today was actually the best one we have had. She was only a few years older than us and knew the kind of information that we would want to know and needed to know. With just graduating and already having a job that she is really into, make me feel a lot better about life after graduation and I hope I am as lucky.

I really found it interesting that she learned graphic design at her internship and then was able to use that at her new job, when she graduated with a completely different major. Also, because I had initially planned on doing a concentration on graphic design because I really wanted to do some sort of advertising for a company of a magazine. She also really made me want to go on the New York trip, which I probably will go on next Spring, because it's a good way to meet contacts and get your foot in the door, an opportunity that is a lot harder living in North Carolina.

I also really liked how she showed us end uses of some of the fabrics from her job. And how she made curtains, aprons and bags from fabric she got for free at her job. And she has to be doing well because the South Park and Balentine areas of Charlotte are really upscale and the cost of living there is high. It just shows that the possibilities are endless.