Michael Bacos

A Crash Course in Creativity

Looking at Going to the Mall in a Different LightOn a Tuesday afternoon, I took a trip to Chiang Mai’s

Airport Plaza Mall to observe shopping in a different light. I am not an avid shopper and usually shopping in Chiang Mai is done on the nightly street markets. Since this was a Tuesday afternoon, the mall was pretty slow, full of mainly university students and tourists. However, I still took the opportunity to observe the mall in a different light….

Watson’s

Initial ImpressionsWatson’s is a chain pharmacy here in Thailand. Coming from America, I always thought it was unique to have a pharmacy inside the mall. There was a lot of fluorescent white lights and many colors hitting the sight at once. The store had a lot of merchandise, but it was evenly spaced, just like supermarket aisles, making it easy to move around. I felt like it was just a cookie-cutter drugstore, like a Walgreen’s or CVS Pharmacy back home, just inside of the nicest malls in Chiang Mai.

EmployeesWith my Thai language skills at a low-intermediate level, I was fairly able to communicate with some of the workers. It was hard for me to get candid shots without being easily noticed. The store was small enough that someone taking random pictures would easily be noticed by an employee. The employees had different uniforms communicating their purpose. This lady in the black worked in the makeup section. Anyone dressed in white and looked like lab technicians were in the pharmacy. While any in a green polo shirt was a stocker or cashier. This communicated well to customers in that it showed each employee’s specific knowledge set.

ProductsThe picture shown here is the sales bin. This shows the price of each item, while the top bin displayed shows that 3 items can be bought for 299 baht (about US$10). The products beyond the sales shelf were neatly arranged and organized by function. The pharmacy was all the way in the back along with the other beauty and health products. There were no demonstrations being offered, even at the makeup counter, where it is not unusual back home for makeup ladies to be applying make up to potential customers. Then again, it was noon on a Tuesday, so this may have had something to do with the lack of customers.

Sofia

Initial ImpressionsSofia is a specialty soap store. Of course, the initial impression that it smelled very nice and clean. However, I felt like I was walking into a café with the counter and two stools to the right, along with the hardwood floors. The displays were very visually appealing, arranged very neatly. The store had an edgy feel to it. Definitely edgier than a Bath and Body Works back home.

The Center Display

Front DisplayI found how the soap was marketed very interesting. It made it seem that a simply changing to this soap brand would immediately change your life. There are not many ads for this brand on TV, so I think this message is similar to the ones brought on by Axe or Old Spice, but instead of marketing as a way of being simply attractive to the opposite sex, it will change your life. The soap is made from natural ingredients and is 100 baht a bar ($3, which is kinda pricy here).

The employeesThere were four employees working total. The guys in green were on the sales floor, while the girls in black, were dressed like baristas and working behind the counter. The cash register was directly across from the center display and I assume all of the employees had training in operating the cash register, since no one was behind it when I walked in. Overall, they were very nice, but the Thais are a pleasant people, in general.

Candy Berry

Childhood MemoriesI was drawn to this place because it invoked childhood memories. What was even more surprising was that all the candy that I had grown up with in America, was found in Thailand. The “store” (it basically was just a huge open kiosk) was wide open with all of its sweets insight. The color scheme made it feel like that I was in Main Street, USA at a little candy shop. My friend, even bought herself a pack of this cylindrical minty gum, that brought her back to her childhood in Thailand.

A Wider Shot of the Store

The Employee(s?)From what I can tell, I assume the lady in pink is the only one working there and the other lady in the black polo shirt just stopped by to talk to her. It would be a waste of personnel to have two people staff the store, when it is easy to watch everything from behind the counter with a mall security guard stationed in between the store and the exit.

Soray Waan (I can read Thai, but I don’t know what that means)

What caught my eye was the American flag and the Bob Marley banner

Inside the Store

Personal ThoughtsI obviously thought the store was a little

cramped, especially with two employees running the show. But despite its cramped quarters, everything seemed to flow perfectly and arranged neatly. Everything was arranged by type of products (belts with other belts, bags with bags, trinkets altogether, etc.). The least accessible items seemed to be the stuffed figures, which were behind the cash register. There are two openings in which a customer can walk in and out easily, keeping the traffic flowing smoothly.

Teddy House Chiang Mai

Once inside….

Personal ThoughtsThis is another store in the same section as the previous

one. However, instead of two entrances, there was just only one coming into the store. On a crowded day, it could cause a traffic problem. The store was perfectly lit, instead of using long fluorescent lights, which I thought was fitting for a store that sold teddy bears. It gave a comforting feel to the place with the paneling and white floor. There was only one person working, which was all that was needed to monitor the store. The bears were neatly arranged and even lined up from shortest to tallest.

Nautica

Once Inside…

Personal ThoughtsAs I expected, everything was very neatly arranged for a corporate, higher-end store. Everything was neatly arranged. The sale items were right in front of the store. Unlike in America, there was no music playing in a store like this. In a way, it felt nice. There was also only one person in the store when we walked in. A pleasant person to deal with, but for the most part, that seems to be the norm in Thailand upon initial contact. The store was brightly-lit with fluorescent track lights but it seemed to match with the white fixtures and hardwood floors. It gave it a bit of an upbeat, modern feel.

Common Factors in All the Stores There was no music playing in any of the stores

95% of the female retail staff looked very attractive (the Thais put a lot into aesthetics).

The Thai retail staff are generally friendly people and are happy to help out (they did seem a little weirdedout with me taking pictures, however, but most were happy to help)

Since this study was done on a Tuesday afternoon, conducting a study on the weekend may have been different, since there would’ve been tons of people shopping.