Critical shopper Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical shopper - Article Example The staff at the luxury store Louis Vuitton seems to think so; given the quality of some of the merchandise that they have been selling lately. While the above-mentioned damaged goods were the objects of anecdotes, which frustrated customers of Louis Vuitton have shared online, there is always a second side to the story. This is why I judged it necessary to take a trip to one of their stores with the eyes of a critical shopper. The image that a store earns is a product of its goods, its store, and its management. The horror stories of the expensive products turning out to be of poorer quality than expected are nothing short of a revelation with regard to the high price equals high quality formula. However, I believe in giving the other two factors a thorough analysis as well before making any final judgments. Thus, I write this critique with a perspective that encompasses several different aspects of Louis Vuitton. The image this brand sets in the minds is one of class, grace, and be auty. It means to set a high standard in fashion, while proving its appeal to the upper middle class and the elite in specific. Louis Vuitton engineers the atmosphere of its stores to map on precisely to this image. The elegance with which the store is decorated and made sends out an implicit message of higher-level class. One can tell by the look and feel of the place that this brand spends several thousands of dollars to design the palate of the walls and then embellish them with graceful designs and shelves (Louis Vuitton, 2011). Thus, Louis Vuitton succeeds in having a store atmosphere, which is identical to the image they portray of the brand. Another thing that the store apparently invests heavily in is the decoration done throughout the store. This includes the way the different products the store has to offer are arranged throughout the store, and how well their tidiness and order is maintained. These were all posh and strategically maintained, so that the look of the store did not lose its clean and well-maintained charm during any part of the hour which I spent there. One especially striking feature of the store was the manner in which the decorators have arranged the different merchandise on sale. Several of the stores that Louis Vuitton has, do not sell clothes. They specialize in leather goods, which is why their tag line is ‘Epi Leather.’ These goods include wallets, bags and purses, and shoes. Other accessories they sell include sunglasses and jewelry. Even the store window displays the goods in an exquisite manner, which would attract a consumer to enter the store and have a look around. This is one aspect of the store, against which the customers will most likely not have any complaints. It satisfies the image of the store due to which so many people visit and buy from Louis Vuitton. As the ambiance of the store passes inspection, we move on to the second factor, which makes up the true image of the store amongst its customers. Th e store was well equipped with sales assistants so that the sales assistant to customer ratio never got low. There was perhaps a slight arrogant air as to how these assistants greeted their customers (Louis Vuitton, 2010), which is inexcusable unless most of their customers have matching pompous dispositions. They were, however, present nearby the customers throughout the time that the customer was browsing, willingly discharging information about the products available in stock, as well as their location in the vast display throughout the