I had to write a paper for marketing. I had to choose a product and document my shopping experience.
Here is the result:
Last week, I went on the hunt for a fantastic pair of red heels. Shoe shopping, for me, has always been a rough trip simply because of the sheer size of my feet. I was convinced that the elusive red heel would have been the perfect product on which to conduct my marketing research. Besides, it would at least be amusing to gauge salespeople’s reactions when I disclosed the enormity of my feet which would be shoved into those red, pointy toe heels.
First, I gathered up my support staff. Roxanne has been a long time friend of mine and enjoys indulging in my shoe shopping experiences. Furthermore, she’s much more blatant and outspoken, especially with sales people, which would make this trip even more entertaining.
Second, I lined up our conquests. Shoe designers, in general, aren’t too willing to create their masterpieces to fit size eleven feet. One never-fail stop was DSW in the Holyoke Mall. I can always count on their clearance racks for a grand supply of size elevens. Finding red heels amongst them might prove to be a challenge. The other chosen go-to place in the hunt for red heels was Marshalls. These two had lots in common: discounted prices, name brands and a gallery of shoes.
We started off at DSW for no other reason than it’s proximity to the pretzel shop. [Side note: as it turns out, pretzel bites and shoe shopping are really complimentary.] We started in the clearance section, which is located in the way, way back tucked away in a walled off section of the store. Uninspired signage directs consumers that this cramped back section is the Clearance section. We found a wide array of wonderful shoes, all in size eleven, neatly displayed against one main wall. That was very convenient as we witnessed a few shoppers get lost in the shuffle between shelves of size five and six (oh, how I wish!) due to lack of dividers. Above each wall display was a chart outlining the clearance prices of the shoes. There are different colors of stickers which indicate the clearance price. Easy stuff.
Not finding any red heels, we moved up to the full priced items in the main section of the store. Here, there were rows upon rows of sample shoes with the available sizes neatly stacked in boxes below each shoe sample. The displays were very efficient and the end caps call attention to high profile designers and the latest trends. It was clear, however, that the end caps were displaying the higher priced shoes as were the displays in the front entrance and the circular tables in the center aisle. The main walkways for consumers were smothered in very expensive trendy products and displayed in a fashion that even I, a devoted sneaker woman, started feeling a pang of desire. It’s entirely evident, if not completely obvious, that DSW caters to women and their shoe addictions. As for pricing, even the most oblivious of shoppers could not avoid the cost detailed on each display. DSW carefully marks each sample shoe with signage noting brand name, price and the “compare to” cost if one was to purchase the same pair of shoes in a department store.
We found a couple pairs of red heels. One pair was available in size eleven but was incredibly uncomfortable. The other pair was unavailable in my size. [I guess there’s a reason why pointy toe shoes aren’t made in size eleven..] When approached, the saleswomen were standoffish and unable to help. “Whatever is out is what we have in stock,” stated the employee. DSW, quite literally, is a Discount Shoe Warehouse and runs much differently than Macy’s, for example, in that a shoe salesperson does not acquire your specific sized shoes from the back room upon request. However, belying the name, the store was clean, well organized and visually appealing. Even though I did not locate any red heels, I did score a gorgeous pair of black peep toes at 40% off.
We darted over to Marshalls for our next stop in the Hunt for Red Heels, which has now morphed into a hysterical search for the most obscenely inappropriate size eleven heel that just happens to be red.
Marshalls is set up much like DSW but with much less space and even less selection. The sample shoe is displayed on a shelf with its available sizes stacked beneath it. However, this store is less organized and upon further inspection, many of the boxed shoes are intermingling with others. As in DSW, Marshalls does not employ a shoe salesperson of sorts. You’re on your own in finding your size amidst the pure chaos of disorganization. The prices are not as clearly labeled. Some have been vandalized. Some have been removed. Even others are just misplaced.
We happened to stumble upon the clearance section which was not visible from the front of the store and was not overtly inviting. The selection was of orthopedic shoes and neon green fuzzy slippers. The sizes of said shoes were not clearly identified as the clearance section in DSW. We were barely in the store ten minutes and I just wanted to leave. The experience was just overwhelming.
Convinced to continue, we worked our way over to the regular priced shoes. We immediately found a pair of red heels. They didn’t fit the pointy toe criteria but they were red nonetheless. Surprisingly, they were available in size eleven and weren’t that uncomfortable. I was excited until I managed to finagle the price tag. Unfortunately, there were out of my budget at $75.00.
One way that Marshalls outperformed DSW was in their end cap displays. Where DSW displayed the shoes that would satisfy the fashion conscious irregardless of price, Marshalls seemed to market the best deal. We found a pair of Merrell’s, normally priced at $90, prominently displayed on an end cap for $50.
In the end, I did not end up purchasing any red heels. It was difficult finding a pair that fit the criteria and were comfortable. After all, I was never one to follow that beauty and pain mantra. From a marketing perspective, I would appreciate a couple improvements to the whole shoe shopping experience. How about sorting shoes by color? Amazingly, there is very little selection when it comes to red heels. I honestly did not think it would have been an issue finding a pair. If they were sectioned out by the basics- Red, Navy, Black- can you imagine how much simpler this process would’ve been? Or better yet- create an entire section just for extra large piggies like mine (say, sizes 10-12) so we don’t have to drool over sample shoes, go digging through the boxes in vain because, in the end, they just don’t make those super cute shoes in our size. That would be fantastic.
