These Boots Were Made for.. Rain?

If you’ve been in my close circle of friends over the past three years during my time on the East Coast, you will know (and probably roll your eyes) at how long I’ve been in the market for a solid pair of rainboots.

To give you some background, I moved from Los Angeles to Burlington, VT for college three years back. In addition to the new things I had to buy for my college dorm, I also had to purchase an entirely new wardrobe. this included everything from sturdy snow boots, a heavy snow jacket,  wool socks, fleeces (it literally took me an entire month to decide between a Patagonia and a North Face), wool socks, and insulted mittens.

Unfortunately for me, one of the things I failed to purchase in my first few months was a pair of rainboots for the fall and for the dreaded mud season that we Vermonters are so painfully familiar with.  So here I am, in my third year at Saint Michael’s College, in the middle of Fall, without a pair of rainboots.

I know, I know—why would rainboots, something that could easily be classified as a shopping product,  an item for which the consumer compares several alternatives on criteria such as price, quality, or style, take me three years to purchase?

Well, for me, rainboots were initially an unsought product; I knew about them, I thought I might need them one day, but I didn’t exactly know that I needed (or even wanted) them at the time. Now, after ending most of these Vermont rainy days with soaking wet socks and freezing toes, I realize their importance.

So now, the seemingly mundane task of finding a good pair of rainboots has taken me the same amount of time and effort that it would normally a consumer shopping for a specialty product, items that the consumer makes a special effort to search out and buy.

It’s not that I’ve put off buying a pair out of sheer laziness, it’s just that I want to make sure I’m making the best purchase for my money and that I am investing in something that’s going to be durable enough to last me a couple of years.

Although I am much more familiar with the brands that are the most popular here on the East Coast (*cough* L.L. Bean *cough * Patagonia), I still find myself conducting tons of research when in the market for durable products, items that usually last over many uses.

Although many people have highly recommended Hunter’s and Bean Boots (which I’m honestly leaning more towards), I still have my doubts about what will be the most suitable for my needs and satisfy my desires as a consumer.

I certainly never thought that buying a pair of rainboots would be such a high-involvement task for me and that I’d be stuck in the third stage of the purchase decision process for three years, but you know, I’m sure the right pair of rainboots will come into my life eventually.

Until then, I’ll just have to keep stepping around those big puddles on my way to class.

$$$$

Ariana

"What do you mean you don't carry True Blue Spa, anymore?!"

So by now I'm sure you all know that I work at Bath & Body Works and spend my weekends inhaling Japanese Cherry Blossom and Beautiful Day fragrance mists until I'm blue in the face and sneezing my brains out. 

Sounds like a beautiful time, right?

Well, let it be known that a customer yelled me at yesterday because we no longer carry a certain line of product, called True blue Spa, in our store.

After trying to explain to her that we do not carry the line of product in our store anymore and that Bath & Body Works has reduced the line of stores that carries the product, she stared at me and said, "But why would they discontinue it at all? It’s such great stuff!”

My mind automatically went into marketing mode and I, without thinking, responded, "The company most likely decided harvest the item because it wasn't bringing in enough revenue. I would check online to see if it's still available." 

For those who don't know, when a company introduces a new product, it goes through four stages of the product life cycle. The last cycle a product can go through is known as the decline stage, which occurs when the sales of a product drop. When a product reaches the decline stage, the company has one of two choices: it can either delete a product, which means a company drops the product from its product line, or it can harvest a product, which is when a company retains the product but reduces its marketing costs (see video below).

 This it most likely what Bath & Body Works did in terms of the True Blue Spa product line considering it is still available online and there are still some stores that carry it, but it is no longer delivered to every store.

So after trying to explain this to the upset customer and after a brief look of confusion, she straightened up a little and said, "Well maybe I'll send the company an email and see where else I can find it" and then turned away and walked right out of the store.

Besides feeling like a marketing wizard and like I had inadvertently made my marketing professor extremely proud, I had the realization that this class has slowly begun to impact my every day experiences with, and as, a consumer, which must mean I’m learning something!

But back to all things Bath & Body Works, considering that this particular customer was not the first to come in and request a product that the company had decided to harvest or completely delete from their product line, I think it would be useful for the company to issue out a survey to detect the needs and wants of their target market.

It would also be useful for me so the next time an angry customer tries to yell at me for a company decision that I clearly have no authority or control over, I can just refer them to said online survey, find them a new fragrance to be happy about in the meantime, and bask in the fragrance of Japanese Cherry Blossom peacefully.

$$$$

Ariana