Ambiance

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way..." and you know the rest. Heard this song lately? I have. Christmas is everywhere, not least of all at my work. The Salvation Army bell-ringers are outside JCPenney stores and in some cases they are a sight to see! The Christmas season seems to spark the need to be generous even in hard times. Yesterday night I worked the cosmetics counter and was treated to a serenade of Christmas songs, as was every other person who walked past the store. Three college age girls were the bell ringers for charity, complete with hand bells for all and I think I even saw an elf hat! They sang for at least 45 minutes ranging from "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" to "I'm going to let it Shine." And they were actually pretty good!

During the holiday season it is easier to see how ambiance affects a customer's buying habits. The customers that walked through that night listening to those girls sing Christmas songs weren't in as much of a hurry as the ones from earlier. And there was a definite change in the amount of donations that were given. This is a seasonal story, but can be a prime example of how an upbeat atmosphere can help sales in a retail store. Music, scent, and layout have all been discussed in class to be ways for stores to differentiate themselves and put customers at ease. This was aptly demonstrated by the group of charity ringers.