Product Placement vs. Clutter

I came across a New York Times article about how big stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy and the like place crates or piles of products in the middle of isles as a way to get consumers to spend more. The article discusses how various stores have tried different de-cluttering techniques (especially in Wal-Mart) to make the store seem more organized and open.  Surprisingly this lowered the sales as customers started to doubt that Wal-Mart had the lowest prices.  It seems crazy to me that the more cluttered a place is, the higher the sales would be.  I would think customers would like the organization and ability to move more freely throughout the store rather than assume that since the store is more open, it is more expensive.

I tend to shop at Target more frequently than I do Wal-Mart and I can relate the article to what I see in Target on a regular bases.  Today I even fell culprit.  If you shop at Target ever, you will know that right through the doors on one side is a little food court and the other side is the dollar deal section.  The dollar section is usually filled with holiday decor and trinkets that no one really NEEDS but are fun and festive and eye catching.  Plus you can't beat the price!  I can only imagine the struggle trying to get little kids past that first corner of the store.

The article had some interesting points about the layout, storage and placement of merchandise to maximize sales by "tricking" customers into buying more than they initially intended.  If anyone is interested in reading it, here is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/business/08clutter.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0

My Persuaders

After the in-class discussion on Thursday about MSU's way of getting students to choose them as their source of education, and being asked why I chose to come to MSU, I realized I didn't choose.  My parents did.

It was understood that after high school came college and I enjoy school so I was okay with it.  When it came time to start looking and applying to schools, I had high hopes of going out of state. I knew I wanted to study interior design so my search was pretty structured.  My parents had always had a say in everything I had done up until then because "while I was living under their roof, with them supporting me, I was to follow their rules." I knew my parents wanted to keep supporting me financially through my first year at college so I could focus on school, and not on making money to live off of.

I am realizing now that my parents had so many limiting factors as far as where I could go that "made the most sense" that I really didn't choose where I would go.  So while I am the consumer of the education, my parents are the ones that went through the pro's and con's and decision making process before the large purchase of my college education.

Surprisingly I do think my parents knew what would be best for me and while a part of me still wishes I would  have gone out of state, I am positive I would have ended up transferring to MSU eventually.

I received a card from my roommate when I graduated from the interior design program and typically I read cards and toss them but this one I decided to frame.  The quote on the front spoke to me.  "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." -George Bernard Shaw.  I began to think more in depth about this quote while reading Chapter 5 from the text as well as Possessions and the Extended Self.  While some say they need time to find themselves, I think they aren't really looking for who they are but trying to figure out how to react to a certain situation.  Thinking about all the things that make up one's extended self, and then losing one of those things can change that persons personality, appearance, and outlook on life.  I think the reason I like the quote so much is that it reminds me that although I may feel lost at times, I'm still me and my decisions, actions etc. reflect me at that time.  I have grown and changed myself from when I was in high school and I hope I continue to grow and change through my future life experiences.

Body Image

While reading Chapter 5 [The Self] in the text, the section Body Image caught my attention.  Some things the section talks about are how consumers view themselves physically, ideals of beauty, and cosmetic surgery.  The sections talk about the popular saying "You can't judge a book by its cover" but that is what our society does.  Research and studies have shown that physical appearance can affect how much a person will make and that generally "those who are below average in appearance make an average of 9 percent less than the norm." (Solomon, pg. 192)  Studies have also come up with what makes a face aesthetically pleasing to look at.  Such things as facial symmetry, distance between eyes, cheek bone location on females and jaw line on males all contribute to a "pretty face".

Today, cosmetic surgery is quite common which has raised society's standard of what makes someone beautiful.  People are able to alter or enhance the way they look if they have the money, however, most cannot afford such cosmetic changes.  While reading chapter 5, I remembered an article I read a few months ago.  It is about a girl, Nadia, who was bullied by kids at school for having big ears that stuck out and how it got so bad that she would do just about anything to avoid going to school.  Her mom found Little Baby Face Foundation which provides financial assistance to families seeking plastic surgery to fix facial deformities in children.  Nadia had her ears, nose and chin altered at no cost.  It was life changing for her and has provided her with the confidence and self esteem she previously lacked.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/08/09/bullied-14-year-old-girl-gets-plastic-surgery-to-fix-ears-nose-chin/

It is amazing how young of an age body image becomes important and how it can have a lasting effect throughout a persons life and career.