Before you enter the store:
-Parking lot and sidewalk cleanliness, parking lot maintenance
-Clean and attractive signage
-Adequacy and convenience of parking
-Exterior lighting
-Are there parking spaces for the handicapped?
-Does the outside of the store look like a store you want to shop in?
Upon entering the store, look for:
-A natural, warm, comfortable décor
-Clean flooring
-Adequate lighting
-A festive air of merchandising excitement
-Clean and well maintained shopping carts
-An attractive and adequately staffed customer service station
-Are there restrooms? If so, are they signed clearly and are they clean?
-Is the store easy to shop in?
-What kind of image does the store present? Low price? High or low quality?
-Is there background music?
-Is there a new-item section? How are new items merchandised? Same for local items
Employee presentation:
-Are employees well-groomed and do they have a neat appearance?
-Are employees cheerful and helpful?
-Do they have a common dress code?
-Are employees wearing name tags?
-Is there an employee recognition program?
In all departments, look for:
-High standards of cleanliness for product, equipment and shelf fixtures
-Convincing proclamations that I am getting exceptionally good value
-Adequate aisle widths, easy shopping
-Merchandise placement for easy shopping
-Product directional or aisle signage
-A layout that controls foot traffic to expose shoppers to the maximum range of products
-Is pricing easy to find/read?
-Is pricing complete and understandable?
-Are some sections overloaded with too many SKUs?
-Does the store use center-aisle displays? Are the aisles wide enough?
-How does the store smell, especially around fresh foods?
Store private label program:
-Is there a store brand program?
-Is the store brand left or right of the leading national brand?
-Does the store use point of sale on its corporate brand?
-How does store brand pricing compare to national brand counterparts?
-Are the labels in the store brands consistent from item to item?
-Is the label styling up to date with today's standards?
-How is the quality of the store brand promoted in relation to the national brand? Equivalent, superior, below
-Are there exclusive store brand products?
Observe the store layout:
What type of layout does the store use? Is it appropriate for the type of store? Would another type of layout be better?
To what extent are the store's layout, design, and merchandising techniques flexible?
Notice the lighting. Does it do a good job in highlighting merchandise, structuring space, capturing a mood, and downplaying unwanted features?
Are the fixtures consistent with the merchandise and the overall ambiance of the store? Are they flexible?
Does the store layout help draw people through the store?
Evaluate the retailer's use of empty space.
Has the retailer taken advantage of the opportunity to sell merchandise in feature areas?
Does the store make creative use of wall space?
As you leave the store, look for:
-Checkout labor utilization
-Short checkout lines
-Efficient and courteous checking
-Proper bagging to avoid product damage
-A sincere "thank you"
-A quick checkout aisle for small orders
-Appropriate product merchandising at checkouts
-Self-service checkouts
Store Walk Analysis
Each student must complete one store walk analysis, and it can be submitted anytime during the term between May 30th and June 5th. This timing is so that we'll have a chance to cover some of the key areas in class before you do your store walk. Suggested retailers and approach will be discussed in class.
Visit a retailer and analyze the store's overall operation to produce a detailed store walk analysis. (See the checklist at the end of this syllabus to use as a guide for an in-depth discussionabout the retailer's strategy and execution.) Relate your observations to learnings from the class; do not simply answer the questions on the form. This will also be useful in helping you engage with our guest speakers.
When choosing store locations for store walks, be sure to choose recently built or remodeled locations that are typical formats for the chain. This will ensure you are experiencing all aspects of the retailer's current market strategy.
If you would like to improve your grade, you may complete a second analysis. If you choose to complete a second analysis, your grade for this portion of the class will be the average of the two analyses you complete.