Blog #5

CVS in Greensboro on Spring Garden Street falls under the category of a retail site location. CVS has direct competition with Walgreen's -another convenience store that offers similar products. The parking for CVS is fine, but it is sometimes dangerous to turn into the parking lot when stuck in traffic because you have to cross a busy street. I think CVS has an okay location, however for some reason more students choose Walgreen's because of its more convenient and safe location which is located on the corner of Spring Garden directly across from UNCG, so therefore students may choose Walgreen's because they can walk to it easier. I personally choose CVS most of the time because it offers pretty much the same products as Walgreen's except one can find cheaper or more affordable prices at CVS. Maybe this price difference is due to the fact that Walgreen's offers more than CVS so it is some what more upscale when shopping for every day items. CVS has a lot more locations than Walgreen's, so maybe even though Walgreen's is advertised a lot as being an "affordable store that offers a more variety of products," the store locations are sometimes rare depending on the location or city one is shopping in.

Blog #4

Linens 'n things' has been losing money for a couple of years now, and just recently over these past months the company had difficulty keeping up with payments to its lenders and vendors. Linens 'n things' will have closed 120 stores by this year, will have left 470 stores that they sell their products in, 2,500 employees will lose their job. Before Linens 'n things' filed for bankruptcy they urged all their customers who had gift cards to use them immediately. However, having a gift card was a nice plus to those loyal customers, in addition to all of the store closing sales that occurred for about a month. Consumers having less money to spend was creating problems for the nation’s retailers. Linens 'n things' filing for bankruptcy is one of the first major retailers to go under during this slowing and weakening economy. In efforts to save the company, Linens 'n things' had reduced inventory purchases and store staffing to reduce its costs. However, the competition of other house good retailers, and the lack of money that consumers are willing to pay all contributed to the fall of the company. Linens 'n things' filing for bankruptcy is just one of many companies that have and will continue to struggle in this harsh economy.

two sources:
http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2008/05/02/by-the-numbers-linens-n-things-bankruptcy-filing/
http://smartcanucks.ca/linens-n-things-to-file-for-bankruptcy-use-your-gift-cards-asap/

RCS 261 Blog #3

The VALS types survey said that I was an experiencer and a striver. I agree with the survey because the characteristics of an experiencer is someone who is enthusiastic, is motivated by self-expression, are impulsive buyers, and I find excitement in outdoor activities and social activities. We spend a lot of our money on fashion, and our purchases reflect the emphasis on looking good and having interesting stuff. The characteristics of a striver is someone who is trendy and fun loving. Because a striver is motivated by achievement, we are concerned about the opinions and approval of others. Money defines success for strivers, who do not have enough of it to meet our desires. Strivers are consumers who like shopping and treat it as a social activity. However, I disagree with the part of strivers that says we see ourselves as having a job rather than a career, and we have a lack of skills and focus which often prevents us from moving ahead. I do not think it corresponds with the target person my group presented on Tuesday because my store was Old Navy and in my opinion people who shop at Old Navy are on a budget and are not really fashion forward with what they buy. Old Navy is a great place to shop for families, but young adults who are trying to follow the trends would probably pick another place like Forever 21, Francesca's or Nordstrom to shop at.

RCS 261 Blog #2

Forever 21 is a chain of apparel retailers, who offer fashionable clothing targeted towards an audience of young men and women, and located world wide. Most of Forever 21's apparel is under a private label and is made in California. Forever 21 offers stylish up to date assembles that every fashionista enjoys. Its competitors are American Eagle, The Body Shop, Kiss, West Seal, and Charlotte Russe. The chain was originally called Fashion 21 and was started in Los Angeles California in 1984 by a Korean American named Do-Won Chang and his wife named Jin-Sook. The first store created is still located in the Highland Park district of Los Angeles to this day. It is very small, about 900 square feet, and keeps the chain's original name "Fashion 21." Fashion 21 quickly expanded at the rate that a new store would every six months, and changed the named Fashion 21 to the brand name Forever 21. Forever 21 is operating over 355 locations nationwide with brands Forever 21, Forever XXI, For Love 21, and Gadzooks. The business strategy which makes Forever 21 so successful is their budgeting of expenses in advertising, meaning that the company chooses to keep their money away from premium real estate that attracts heavy commercial traffic.

RCS 261 Blog #1

My favorite retailer is Forever21 because it is a company that sells a wide variety of merchandise, to fit every individuals unique style. Their store website is displayed in an organized fashion, with sections for "women, men, new arrivals, fabulous finds, daily 21 specials, shop by outfit, shop by trend, gift cards, and sale." They play off of their unique name "Forever 21" by making a store return policy within 21 days of purchase. They sell stylish brands such as Forever 21, Heritage 1981, and Twelve by Twelve. Their clothes are very affordable, considering the up to date trends that every young fashionista enjoys. Each Forever 21 store located in various malls follows the same layout and are identical to one another in terms of appearance. When a customer walks in they will see bright lighting to accent the racks of clothing in an organized fashion by color and style, whether that be going out for a night on the town, going to class, or hanging out with friends and shopping. My favorite thing pertaining to the layout of the store are the accessories displayed on huge antique tables with full size mirrors, and the dressing rooms that have antique doors as well with big door handles centered in the middle. All of these unique touches ad a classy yet elegant and sophisticated look to the style that the company Forever 21 sells.

Five things that I like most about Forever 21:
- The wide variety of clothes to choose from.
- The organization of the whole store, with a separate section for accessories, styles of clothes made for different occasion's, shoes, etc.
- The mannequins used to display outfits are different and fashionable.
- I like how big the store is so you can walk around freely without feeling cluttered and overwhelmed by crowds of people.
- The prices!!!!!! Forever 21 is so affordable, and the clothes are actually made of quality material and look cute!

CRS 231 How has the housing crisis affected home fashion retail?

During the holidays there is much need for home fashions. Because families are having their relatives stay over for Thanksgiving and Christmas, they are in need of sheets, towels, pillows, and other bedding supplies. However, places like Bed Bath and Beyond, and Lenon's And Things are having to discount their supplies because the market is so bad. Houses are also not selling for as much due to the market. Because relatives are staying over the house needs to look nice and the bedding supplies needs to match according to color and feel. Having a colorful and comfortable environment and setting to stay in makes all the difference.

CRS 231 problems in apparel retail

There are various problems in apparel retailing, some of which include the dropping of sales, size standards to fit a wide variety of customers, and selecting a line of clothes that will be successful in a competitive market.

The market is poor right now, with the dropping of sales contributing to an over shipment of stock in stores that people are not buying. People do not have the money to afford big shopping sprees. Businesses are trying to over come this issue by promoting sales of "50 percent off", "buy one get one free" or "buy one get one half off." These sales encourage customers to buy more merchandise, and spread the word about the company's good sale to get more customers and business.

Size standards is a problem in the apparel retail industry because its the merchandisers job to fit all of the different sizes of the various customers who shop at a particular store. Size ranges have to fit those who have petite and short body types, those who are tall and slim, and others who are more heavy set. A business will lose a lot of customers if they do not have clothes which will fit all sizes. Because buying a lot of fabric to fit different sizes can become expensive, there are specialty stores that cater to the various sizes. Some of these stores sell clothes for pregnant women, clothes for children, clothes for plus sizes, and even clothes for disabled people. Size standards is sill a problem, but the method of mass production has helped to solve this problem by creating department stores that sell a variety of sizes. Even though mass production is found in sweat shops where they pay their workers a minimum amount of money, it is what keeps businesses running by creating a mass supply of a variety of clothes in different sizes.

Selecting a line of clothes that will be successful in a competitive market is a major part of what keeps a business running among other stores. Picking the right color, the right style, and the right sizes to sell can either make or break a company. If a company orders a large shipment of clothes in a brand new color, consumers might not be used to this new color and at first probably will not buy any of the merchandise. Therefore, to get business, the company may have to discount the clothes to get people buying them. However, if these clothes are popular then the business will be very successful and the color could be used as a line by line favorite because the merchandisers know that it is a favorite among consumers and that it will sell. The right size in the right style is a big factor because consumers all have very different body types and some colors will either make one seem bigger or smaller, and the certain style can either be too exposed or too conservative depending on the certain look that a consumer wants. Sizes and styles are hard to work with because if someone likes a certain style, they will not buy it unless it is in their size.