Are you paying attention?

Rocío Rivera Cid

Store: Jumbo supermarket, Valparaíso

•The store did call my attention because on the outside it looks spacious enough so as not to get overcrowded.•It also called my attention because the advertisement is colorful.

Is the door open or closed?•The doors were closed because they open as you come closer.

How does this make you feel?•I did not like the fact that doors were closed because sometimes it’s difficult for them to open as soon as one comes close, so I had to wait until the sensor detected my body so that they could be open.

How big is the sign lettering?• The sign is big enough for anyone to see it from a long distance. Thefont is attractive.

What does it tell you about the store?•The fact that the sign is big suggests that the atore is one of the biggestin the city.

Before entering the store

Environment

The color scheme of the store is green. This makes it very attractive, specially for kids. Also, the store’s logo is a Jumbo elephant, and there are giant stuffed animales all around the store, and people dressed as huge elephants as well.

The store has ceramic floor tiles. It’s extremely bright. sometimes it’s dangerous because it’s easy to slip.

Environment

The ceiling is extremely high, it must be around 15 mts. It feels as if the store is endless from wherever the point youare standing in.

The lights of the store are very bright, there is no dark spacewithin it. It feels comfortable and welcoming at the sametime because it’s daylight, not artificial light.

Noise might be a bit of a problem in this store. Sometimes it’s quite annoying to listen to the music they set and the noise ofthe machines that are on (the ones slicing jam, cheese, etc.)

Environment

Fortunately, the store is always warm. Valparaíso can beextremely windy, specially in winterm so it’s nice to be insidethe sotre.

The store is crowded with merchanside, but the organizationmake s it easy to find the things you need. There is a widevariety of products in the store, but all of them classifiedin such a way you can always find what you need.

Environment

The store does not have a distinctive smell, it feels justlike the outside. But, if you are standing right next to the pastry section, it smells delicious!

The cash registers are located right next to the main entrance.There is a long line of about 30 cash registers. Not all of themare open at the same time, but if the place is crowded, the storemakes sure poeple can find as many as they need.

Environment

Security guards are never inside the atore, they are alwaysright at the entrance so they can make sure nobody stealsgoods from the supermarket.

When I took the pictures, I honestly did not want to stay a longtime in the store because it was the day before elections, sosupermarkets are not allowed to open the next day. People usuallygo crazy and the place is extremely overcrowded.

I believe the environment does influence the value of the merchandise because if I compare this store with other supermarkets which are more expensive, the organization of the products is different, the music and the lights are different as well. Other expensive supermarkets have security guards inside the store, and they help people find what they need.

Personnel

The cash register personnel is usually very friendly. They greetthe customer inmeditely.

The salesperson has a script to follow when greeting a customer.the first they they do is to greet the person, then they ask for ID tif they accumulate points in the store. Then, they let you knowthe amount of money you have to pay, ask for donations if youwant to donate, and finally they say goodbye.

Personnel

Salespersons do not treat customers differently. But I noticed that they make sure people with disabilities have the chance topay first.

The store has about 30 cash registers, and there are alwaysenough cash registers for people not to line up for more than5 minutes.

There are men and women employees. Regarding age, I’d sayfrom 18 to 70 more or less.

Salespeople use the store products and logo, and they wear uniforms.I believe they do match the store image.

Products

The first product I noticed was wine. When you enter the store,you can see a bunch of products in the middle of an aisle, theseare called islands. These are the central display products.

Items for sale are located in between the aisles: islands.

All the products are located by function within the store.

You can frequently find samples and demonstrations in the pastry section.

The products which are at eye level are the ones which are not extremely expensive but not cheap either.

The least accessible items in the store are the dog and cat items (food, toys, etc.)

Products

The prices of the products are quite easy to find, plus they havesmall devices where you can slide the bar code of the productsso that you can find out whether it has a discount and the finalprice of the product.

There are lots of impulse items near the cash registers. Most ofthem are chocolates, sweets, and magazines.

Customers

Most of the customers are not alone. There are many familiesthat go to the supermarket together.

The average age of the customers si 20 to 60. It seems to methere are are more women buying at the supermarket than men.

Customers who shop once a month (from what I could see) stayabout an hour or an hour and a half.

Customers touch products when choosing the items they will buy.this is not encouraged but not frowned upon either.

Most customers appear to be on a mission, because they use the big carts rather than the baskets.

I’d say 90% of customers purchase items in the store.