Explain why Sears or Wal-Mart cannot effectively create a trendy counterculture image:
By definition, counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. This being said, Sears and Wal-Mart cannot effectively create a trendy counterculture image because they are a big box stores. Sears carries everything from electronics to clothes to jewelry. Wal-Mart carries all of that and more; groceries. If you go to a store here in Richmond and then go to a store in Texas, the stores are exactly the same. Once you have been to one Wal-Mart or Sears, you have been to all of them. Wal-Mart and Sears have to maintain the social needs of the population, they can be trendy but it is very minimal.
Let’s say I go into Sears and purchase a brand new washer and dryer that just came out with new technology. I would think that I am being trendy because it is brand new and no one will have it, but because Sears is a big box store, I know that every store around the country has this exact same product with plenty of inventory. It is hard for a big box store to be trend because let’s face it; they are called a big box store for a reason; they buy products in bulk at a discounted price and sell them all of the country, wherever their stores may be; the United States or China.
Could the big box store sell merchandise identical to Urban Outfitters? Explain your answer:
Big box store cannot sell merchandise identical to Urban Outfitters because they are one thing and one thing only, a big box store. A big box store, also known as supercenter, superstore, or megastore, is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain. Typical characteristics include large, free standing, rectangular, generally single floor structure built on a concrete slab. The flat roof and ceiling trusses are generally made of steel, the walls are concrete block clad in metal or masonry siding. Floor space is several times greater than traditional retailer in the sector, providing for a large amount of merchandise; in North America, generally more than fifty thousand square feet, sometimes approaching two hundred thousand square feet. Just describing the basic characteristics of a big box store shows that they sell more standard merchandise, and each store is almost exactly the same in the lay out and merchandise. Urban Outfitters sells different merchandise throughout their stores. What they sell in their store in California is completely different then what they sell in the New York stores. Urban Outfitters trends are based off the culture around the stores. The trends are trendy and limited, meaning when a consumer is shopping at Urban Outfitter, they know that what they buy is not going to be sold in mass production and has limited quantities. Big Box stores make their money by buying a lot of merchandise at bulk and selling it throughout all their chains, making the most profit they can. If big box stores tried to sell merchandise identical to Urban Outfitters then they will ultimately loss money because they cannot buy in bulk at a discounted price.
Identify at least three reasons why exclusivity is valuable:
Exclusivity is valuable because mainly it guarantees a market. If I have a product that no one else can sell, then my consumers will come to me and only me to purchase it. Exclusivity also puts companies ahead of their competition. And exclusivity lets companies be distinct from others in their field. Let’s take the iPhone as an example. Apple introduced the iPhone and gave exclusive rights to AT&T back in 2007, thus giving AT&T an upper hand on their competitors. When they iPhone came out in 2007, it was unlike any other phone out there. Apply combined a phone, iPod and computer in one. No other phone manufacture had this technology, but since then they have tried to duplicate it. Before the iPhone came out, AT&T was losing business to Verizon, but once AT&T got the exclusive rights, their business increased because they introduced a product that no one else offered, making them distinct among their competition. Urban Outfitters does the same thing with their clothing lines; I cannot go to another store and buy exactly the same product that Urban Outfitters offer because they have exclusive rights on their products, making them profit over their competition and allowing them to target a niche market. For example, a consumer can go to Urban Outfitters and find a one of a kind sweater that she knows is not being sold a big box store all over the country; she has truly found a one of a kind sweater.
Senk says that shopping is largely entertainment. Do you agree or disagree with him? Explain you answer:
I agree with Senk when he says that shopping is largely entertainment. Shopping is meaning done by women, whether it be for groceries, clothes, appliances, electronics, or décor. Consumers like to make shopping fun and eventfully; trying to find the best deals, the new finds, or to upscale their friends and family. Also consumers like to shop with people; if it’s with friends or family, they like the company of others. They also like to go to stores that make the experience fun and non-stressfully. People have enough to deal with in their lives that when they go shopping they like to have a good time doing it, and finding the right stores that offer that experience is a great find. A consumer will not keeping go back to a store that makes them feel uncomfortable or if the customer service is not up to par. A consumer is going to search out the right stores for them and once they find that store that welcomes them in and makes them feel that they are getting a great buy and something unique, then they will keep going back over and over again.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-Box_Stores