Behind Enemy Lines

     I consider myself the typical male, especially when it comes to clothes shopping. I tend to find what I need, make sure it fits, and I am out the door. Quite often, I venture out on shopping expeditions with my wife. On one of those trips I encountered a store that amazes me so much that I decided to step outside of my comfort zone, and write my essay on it, that store is Anthropologie. Anthropologie by all definition is a women’s clothing store, that has very astutely followed some of the scientific formulas outlined in Malcolm Gladwell’s article “The Science of Shopping.” This article discusses the scientific selling techniques developed by Paco Underhill, an expert on consumer buying trends. Anthropologie follows some of these approaches to attract one of the largest groups of spending customers; the late twenties to early forties American female.

     Anthropologie is located in a fairly new shopping center with a majority of high-end stores that target female shoppers. Approaching the store and focusing on the front of the building, I can already tell it is not like the rest of the stores in the plaza. The foyer has an archway of weathered planks surrounding the enormous glass doors in the center of the foyer. The doors are oversized and each have handles that are made of tree branches. On either side of the entrance there are windows with eye-catching displays that are far from the everyday window dressing that I am accustomed to seeing. Both of the display windows are visible from across the parking lot, and immediately demand my attention. The positioning of both windows allows an unobstructed view from most anywhere in the general vicinity. This positioning gives potential customers time to slow down and take in the visuals presented in the windows. According to Paco Underhill, the faster people walk the more their peripheral vision narrows, and that the human down shift speed  takes anywhere from twelve to twenty-five feet (Gladwell 1). This means that if a stores display windows are not visible or prominent, the average person will speedily walk right past the store. The presence of the windows here give people adequate time to achieve this and take in what they have to offer.  The window on the left features a headless and armless mannequin in a stunning, single strapped, peach evening gown. At the waist, draped on top of the gown is a white piece of fabric that resembles the snowflakes that children cut out of paper at Christmas time. Both fabrics drop to the floor, fold towards the back, and then upwards towards the ceiling. The fabrics rise upwards about ten feet into the air where they are secured by five oversized clothespins that have been hung from the rafters of the building. The window dressing on the other side has an exhibit that has almost the same surreal charm about it . Mounted on a wall of time-worn, horizontal boards are thirty-five large yarn spools. The yarn on the spools is thick and you can see the fibers sticking out of it. Multiple colors of yarn, such as apricot, copper, tan, yellow, and white, flow off of each spool down to the ground. The yarn from each spool lands in a puddle atop an antique sewing machine that sits in the corner with bunches of similarly colored fabric piled around it. Both of these visuals achieve exactly what a good display window should do; peak my curiosity, and draw me in, because now I yearn to see what is on the other side of those doors.

      The moment I step through the entrance I am transported to another place and time. I get the feeling that I am getting a glimpse of some secret world that males aren’t permitted to witness. The first thing that grabs my attention is a dilapidated mining cart on the left. A very peculiar item to see anywhere, especially in a women’s clothing store. Beyond the cart, multiple images inundate the senses all at once. There is a distinct aroma of cherry blossoms in the air, and the relaxing sounds of cool jazz ripples through the shop. This helps to lull the shopper into a relaxed state of mind. The visuals that are presented in this boutique make the outside world melt away. Directly in front, the scene looks as if I have just stepped into a home in 19th century France. The walls are made to look like the plaster is old and worn. They are cracking and some sections are missing. There is a large table up against the far wall that appears to be made out of an old barn door. Alongside the table, a love seat that is exploding with color. All around the area there are knickknacks, old books, and other curios that beg to be examined. Over to left, I can see as patrons are drawn to strips of pastel colored fabric draped from the ceiling. It is an awning made of fabric that pulls the shopper into what is the housewares section of your typical department store. Typical is not the word I would use here at all. The center point of this area is a round, black, wrought iron table and chairs. Odd and uniquely shaped dinnerware is placed about the table. A little farther down I notice a shelving unit that has a dozen little cubbies that hold bedding, antique radios and surrounded by paper-mache sculptures of wild animal heads. Around the corner, white flowers made of paper creep up the wall and then make their way across the ceiling. All of this creates an ambience of another world and makes for a wonderful shopping atmosphere. Donna Karan states that she never wants customers to think that they are walking into a clothing store. She says, “ I want them to think that they are walking into an environment, that I am transforming them out of their lives and into an experience” (Gladwell 11). Anthropologie achieves that without question by the decor of their store. By far, one of the quirkiest store designs I have ever witnessed.
   
       Anthropologie is designed to capture the buying dollar of the woman who is sophisticated, fashionable, and unique. The type of woman who has her own personality and wants to stand out a bit from the crowd, but is not looking for a neon sign to announce her existence. Even though it is a chain store it is not a cookie cutter mall retail shop.The store is distinctive and creates a definitive shopping experience that draws the shopper through the store with it’s assortment of fashion, housewares, and whimsy. The objects that can be encountered are mildly eccentric and somewhat surprising, but seem to appeal to the women as they make their way through the store. are brass giraffe candle holders, bins full of exotic drawer knobs, chunky jewelry, and even garden markers made from antique spoons and forks. In addition there are countless books scattered throughout the store. They are not in a book section, but placed on tables, and various nooks and crannies throughout the store. Books about vintage cocktails, scrap booking, dogs, and Audrey Hepburn; almost any subject that one would think might be of interest to women.  They are like kids in a candy store, except that this is a place for them. I hear two women talking as they say, “I think this blouse would go perfectly with that skirt” and “I know those bowls would look delightful in my kitchen”, as they make their way through the spacious aisles. None of the areas of the store are crammed or tight. There is plenty of room to browse the wares for sale here. This idea of spacious paths through the store applies Paco Underhill’s “retailing commandment: a women’s product that requires extensive examination should never be placed in a narrow aisle” (Gladwell 3).
   
     Skillfully displayed amongst all of this is the primary focus of the store, the clothes. The clothes are deftly placed on the table and shelves through out room, hanging on hangers, or displayed on the curious looking mannequins. All of the clothing seems to call to the female customers to touch it. The apparel is colorful and richly textured. The sheer silks, the softness of the fleeces, and the warmth of the wools all create the sensation of coziness and comfort. Pants, sweaters, blouses, hats, and scarves all with a bohemian flair to them are served up in a novel way that sparks even my interest. Gladwell discusses in his article about “the increasingly critical role played by touching or, as Paco calls it petting, clothes in the course of making the decision to buy them” (Gladwell 4). Anthopologie plays on this theory extremely well in the way they present their products to their customers. The clothing that is on hangers is hung so that it is easily accessible. These items are not crammed tightly on a rack, but in small numbers, so shoppers can easily browse through all of the items without having to constantly push items aside. This interaction between the clothing and shopper creates a sort of dance as the women mingle with the clothing. This interaction is even more visible in “The Sale Room”, as notated by the sign hanging above it. All of the items here seem randomly placed about to give the perception of a giant rummage sale, and the feeling there are fantastic bargains to be found.

      Almost everyone I notice buys something. Whether it is a coffee table book, a new outfit, or an antique sea turtle bottle opener, the customers seem to want a solid remembrance of their visit here. Anthropologie seems to have a very good reading on the pulse of their buyers and have discovered a way to not only lure them in, but to keep them spellbound, and capture their business. As I walk outside, I feel a bit deflated much like the end of summer vacation. It was a much different realm inside those doors. The atmosphere was calming, magical, with none of the hustle and bustle that is out on the streets. Even though Anthropologie’s goal is to attract women between the ages of twenty and forty, through the use of the marketing skills discussed in “The Science of Shopping,” they have even attracted me, a fifty year old man. I may have to tag along on my wife’s next shopping trip to see if there are any new surprises.

Sources Cited

Gladwell, Malcolm. “The Science of Shopping.” The New Yorker November, 4 1996: 1 - 14. Print.