Burlington Coat Factory Ethnography

Burlington Coat Factory is not what I would call an aesthetically pleasing store. The fluorescent lights are almost blinding, the signs above the racks of clothing are incredibly plain, the displays don’t all match; Burlington Coat Factory is not the place to go for a relaxing shopping experience. But just because it doesn’t share the same aesthetic-oriented goals as retail establishments like Starbucks, doesn’t mean it doesn’t design its stores to best serve its customers. In fact, the plain, warehouse-like layout of the store is exactly what its target customers want. Burlington shoppers want to save and they want to know exactly what they’re saving. This is why Burlington Coat Factory has designed the layout of its stores and the displays to focus on the type of deal the customer is receiving and exactly how good that deal is. Burlington Coat Factory has also designed its stores to cater to its two main types of customers: shoppers looking for brand names at lower prices and more value-oriented shoppers who disregard brand names for low prices. If you enter the Burlington Coat Factory store at 11th and Market in Center City Philadelphia the first thing you will encounter is a massive sign reading, “BIG SALE Up to 80% off Department Store Prices”. At this moment, you know two things: one, you are not in a department store (so you shouldn’t expect plush carpets and lush decorations) and two, you are in for some BIG savings. Burlington Coat Factory is all about the savings. Everywhere you look you see ‘up to 65% off this brand’ and ‘up to 50% off that brand’; the deals are entirely unavoidable. The main decorations on the walls of the store are its slogans, which also emphasize a customer’s possible savings. “Everyone loves a great buy!” “Hot looks, cool prices.” “Fashion sense meets common sense.”
Phrases like these are plastered on every wall and every pillar in the store. Accompanying these catchy slogans are pictures of over-excited young adults