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Observation Lab Assignment from Crash Course in Creativity, Stanford University, November 2012. A review of 4 Garden Shops, Whitfill Nursery, Home Depot, Walmart and Target.
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When Fall is Really Spring - Garden Shop Traveling in Phoenix, Arizona US
Submission by Rhonda Forsyth
A Crash Course on CreativityObservation Lab
Summer hits the garden hard
The garden stops growing
Phoenix Records Hottest Day in Nearly 5 YearsResidents of the Desert Southwest are enduring some of the highest temperatures in years. ... Impressively, Phoenix, Ariz., topped out at 118 degrees….
…..even some of my cactus gave up
In the Fall, temperatures drop* and
I want to garden!!!
What would a traveler observe at Phoenix’s garden
stores?
* High today is 90º F
Enticing entrance – celebrating the season with pumpkins!!
Lots of green here. Do we really live in a desert???????????
ObservationsNatural setting
COLOR!!
Glorious smells
Staff uniforms
Cool & refreshing
Do I hear peacocks?
Master gardeners ready to help
Carts that hold a hundred pounds and are easy to push on gravel
Cute high school kids available to do heavy lifting
5 acres with distinct plant climates
Crafts from the region
Prices for commodity items not much higher than other shops but there are unique ways to spend A LOT more money if inclined
Xeriscape options are abundant, but not highlighted
Plants from around the world
Approachable signs and good wayfinding
Staff act like they know you
Big business that feels like it is part of the neighborhoodike it
Whitfill Opportunities• Develop ways to extend gardening into the summer
o Hold classes on how to prepare the gardeno Teach "how tos" and supply materials for summer greenhouse (should
be a "coolhouse" in phoenix - and I'd buy this in a heartbeat!)o Hold summer classes for kidso Teach about organic gardeningo Teach classes on xeriscape gardening (we use too much water)
• Expand capacity, attract new clients and diversify by using the 5 acres in other collaborative ways. o Community gardeno Coffeehouse and bakeryo Small scale restaurant - pizza ovens or BBQ?
• Other retailo BBQ design and build serviceso Outdoor kitchen equipmento Garden design by landscape architecto Small garden/apartment garden equipment and expertise
Nice for a big box – The Home Depot
Welcoming entrance
Helpful, knowledgeable and friendly staff
Customers seemed happy
Well organized
Not much desert landscaping
Competitive pricing
Great job of having related merchandise – pools, BBQ
Home Depot Opportunities
Garden department is relatively undifferentiated.
o Focus more on service and expertiseo Get garden supplies for a desert
environmento Evaluate options for more hardscape design
and installation opportunitieso Teach and educate like you do in other parts
of the store
Only sign at the entrance
I feel so very special
I have the store to myself
Greeter at front door started crying when I asked her how she was doing (not actual employee)
Where is the entrance?
NOT
YET
Smells like chemicals and
fertilizer
Dark and Enclosed
Lowest prices of all the shops not seeming to make a difference.
Flowers need to be dead-headed and are likely root bound.
Walmart Opportunities
Get serious
• Garden department seems like it is going out of business
• Amplify or specialize on a few meaningful areas that fit with overall Walmart themes such as family experiences and low cost.o gardening to augment family food needso gardening as family activity
• Think about focusing on small gardens
• Reduce the "chemical" experience. Don't need half of department filled with a large stock of weed killer.
So Sad
Even better than a normal Target
Another special welcome sign Oh no, the garden shop is closed!!
Target Opportunity
Looks like they can start from scratch• Don't try and be a Whitfall which focuses
on variety and an engaging environment or Walmart which focuses on low cost.
• Differentiate!!!• Engage famous architects or celebrity
gardeners, much like they did with clothing and tea pots.
Dear Tina,
I appreciate the opportunity to have a happy day at the garden shops! I ended it by planting a passion flower vine - 4th vine in this location.
Hope springs eternal in the heart of a gardener!
Rhonda