Urban Outfitters

1. I observed Urban Outfitters. They market to primarily college/younger-generation kids.

2. The store entrance is all glass, with large glass doors, and floor to ceiling window panels for walls otherwise. Some clothing on mannequins is displayed in the windows, along with some furniture/pillows/other miscellaneous items. Inside the store, they play trendy music such as The Strokes, and some techno-type music such as Radiohead. The merchandise is displayed mainly on tables constructed of plywood and metal supports, which contributes to the overall almost grungy style of the store. Also, some merchandise is on hangers on the walls, or on racks around the store. The men's section is in the back right of the store, while women's is on the back left and front right. The registers are in the middle, and there is a section for bedding and furniture at the front left. Additionally, there are miscellaneous items all throughout the store, especially around the register. There is only one floor, and you can see to the far wall from the entrance. There are many signs all around, describing sales, prices, or anything else. There is also a wall with fliers and other posts. The cashier area is circular, with registers facing outside the circle. There is a lot of small items such as jewelry or novelty items all around the registers. I would assume these there to get people to buy them while they are checking out.

3. This business projects a hip, stylized, current image that is reminiscent of the grunge style of the 90's. An example of this is the very simplistic tables that the clothing is displayed on. They are made of wood with erector set-like supports. Often they will have dried paint on them as part of the style. Another example is the employees working at the store. They are all young, dressed in trendy clothes (from the store of course), and perfectly reflect the style Urban Outfitters wants the customers to have.

4. Customers read the novelty books scattered throughout the store, sat on some of the couches, and generally made themselves comfortable. The store has a very relaxed atmosphere which helps with this. When looking at clothes, the customers would look through the items, and when they saw a certain one, they would feel it, or otherwise evaluate it. I think most customers upon entering the store went straight back to the rear, where most of the clothes are located.

5. I didn't think the design of the store was anything unique or revolutionary. They had some basic design, such as putting the most sought-after items in the back, and putting small, inexpensive trinkets around the registers, but I didn't notice anything else out of the ordinary. There was plenty of room to look at the clothes, so there wasn't any butt-brushing issues. Also, the store has only one floor, and no isles. It is basically one big room divided primarily by the registers and the sections of merchandise.