Assignment #4: Critiquing the Pro's

The first vendor my group visited was Nordstrom at the Natick Mall on a Tuesday afternoon. Since it had been spring break this past week for college students, the mall was definitely more busy than it would be on a normal Tuesday.

The employees at Nordstrom were all very friendly and took the time to greet us when we first walked in. They also made sure to offer us assistance whenever we were looking at items. I am aware that Nordstrom is based on commission, so employees are kind of forced to interact with customers, but their friendliness seemed genuine.

The target customer for Nordstrom would people in the middle-class because although they do carry more luxury-like items, people are still able to shop for things that are more affordable like shoes, makeup, and perfume.

Trending colors for clothing were more spring-like and bright. Prints that stood out to me were leopard print, snake print, and zebra print. I have noticed that these prints are very trendy in the fashion industry right now. Clothing is also loose, and more flowy for the warmer weather approaching.

The overall mood for Nordstrom was calm and positive due to the fact that employees took the time to offer us help. Even though there was more people in the mall this day, the Nordstrom in Natick is very big and has two floors, so it didn’t seem as busy/crowded.

The second vendor we visited that day was Neiman Marcus. Neiman Marcus is big and has two floors as well, but it was easy to tell that it was not busy there at all. Whenever I step into a Neiman’s I usually only see a couple of people there shopping, or passing by to get to another store. It was definitely more crowded with clothing if anything. Everything wasn’t laid out as nicely as Nordstrom’s.

The employees at Neiman’s did not greet us as we walked in and seemed a bit standoffish. I’m not sure if they are based on commission or not, or if they just don’t make customer service a priority. I think if they took time to talk to customers, people would be more likely to come back and it would be much busier.

The target customer for Neiman’s would be the same as Nordstrom, but the price point is higher. You would definitely be able to find items from Neiman’s for cheaper at other shops in the mall.

Trending colors for clothing were also spring-like and bright here. Many of the clothing items had prints and jewels and things of that sort. Nothing really stood out to me at Neiman’s that would make me want to shop here instead of a place like Nordstrom.

Overall mood for Neiman Marcus was disappointing. I can see why most retailers push for customer service because it helps them sell items and makes customer experience more intimate.

The third vendor we visited was Lord & Taylor. Lord & Taylor was fairly busy because at the Natick Mall most people park by the store, and pass through to get into the mall, but always stop to take a look around. I find that many people also go into Lord & Taylor for perfume’s and cooking supplies since they have such a wide selection of both.

Employees here did greet us, mostly those who worked within the perfume section, other than that the other employees in the store were standoffish like Neiman’s.

The target customer for Lord & Taylor would be older adults in the high-class, but they tend to attract younger people of the middle-class as well. Lord & Taylor has so many items in their inventory you can go there for almost anything.

It was a bit difficult to find trending colors/prints because they have so much stuff, but overall they seemed to be getting ready for spring with some of their brighter clothing items.

The overall mood for Lord & Taylor was stressful, but also positive. Stressful because of how big it is and how much items they carry, but positive because we did get some customer service.

***Check out my partner Hannah's blog post :)