The world of books, my world :)

This week, as part of a group-project, we had to perform Market Research to identify the 'Reasons for choice'  why consumers prefer a particular brand / company over others in the same category.

My group, we selected book-stores; Thalia.de vs. Buecher Bender. Think of Thalia as a Landmark/Crossword (the bookstore chain, organized retail, books 70% non-books 30%, cafe, lounge area, sitting area, carpeted floors, the works!). Now, think of Buecher Bender as a Strand; been here for ages (since 1775 to be precise). A quick check on Wikipedia tells me that the printing press has been around since 1440, so 300 years later, God's gift to Mannheim was born.. Anyways, in this store, they make it a point to greet you, with a smile that reaches their eyes. The proprietor is a grey-haired man in his 50s or 60s, with glasses and a twinkle in his eyes. The book-shelves reach the ceiling, almost and there are little nooks and crannies, where you could lose yourself in. There is a basement section which I am yet to discover, but am kind of saving it for a rainy day. I feel like if I discover everything about the store in a day, it'd be a bit like unwrapping the presents before Christmas.

We spoke to several 2 customers from Buecher Bender, all of whom professed their undying love for the store, its personalized touch, its knowledgeable sales-personnel (who themselves were a fan of the written word), its service in terms of out-of-stock books, its tie-up with the University and its nostalgia-factor. 

Initially, the proprietor was curious about us questioning his customers, once they stepped out of the store. We did not question any customers in-store, since its rather small and wouldn't be appropriate. The proprietor, he approached us cautiously, asked us our purpose, read through the questionnaire and pretty much gave us his OK :) Yay! this was in the afternoon, around 3.30 p.m. Since the walk-ins were low at that time, we asked one of the sales-personnel an appropriate time to step-in and she said around 5.30. So, we were back at 5.30 and the proprietor remembered us and checked in on us. SO.VERY.NICE! We ended up with 6 respondents, around 1/2 our target for the day. The rest, we'll cover on Sunday. Before leaving the store, I made it a point to thank them and told them that I'll be back soon as a customer.

This Sunday is going to be very, very special, since its a 'Verkaufsoffener Sonntag Mannheim', which means' A Sunday open for selling!'. They do this around thrice a year, for me, I can't wait! Its been 6 weeks since I have shopped and since I did study well and had a good week (7.5/10) studies-wise, I can afford to shop; rather window-shop :D

Zara or not, H&M or not, Body Shop or not, Buecher Bender it will be am Sonntag, den 10. Oktober 2010.

SO SO GLAD that books are a part of my life; one way or the other.

Thank you to my parents for encouraging me and my sis to read!

XOXO,

Anya