OBSERVATION DAY

 

The subject (Vanessa Fuerte) is Wan Swen’s friend. She is a marketing manager that often goes for dark and classic styles. She was aware that she was being observed, however the observation was to be treated like a normal activity with her friend and she had no clue of the brand Wan Swen was studying.



​Sunday, 27th January 2013

Vanessa left house at 10.30am and headed to Vivocity to shop because it is just several MRT stops away from her residence. Vanessa walks really quickly typically and people who are strolling right in front of her easily irritate her. She was thinking of getting a pair of sunglasses because the days had become sunnier with the monsoon season gone. She claims that she would not shop without a specific reason and she does not like to browse leisurely.



Upon reaching the mall, she started browsing stores and decided to enter Mango because of the sleek look on the display. She picked up a few items and the first was a purple dress that comes along with a belt. She was attracted to it because she likes striking dark colours and the price ($89) was quite reasonable for her. She tried to think of an occasion where she would wear it and decided she would visit again if she decides to buy it. She also picked up some hats which she could buy for her husband and only scrutinized those with an elastic band at the back as it is more comfortable for big heads.



However, she also recalled her husband saying that she is not allowed to bring home any shopping bags. The couple keeps to a strict budget and does not spend unnecessarily because of expenses they might incur when they return to their new home in the U.S. (i.e. car, household items). Soon, she complained that the store was too warm and left the store. In this case, Mango did not manage to keep her there for more than 5 minutes.



Next, she headed to Zara, where she believed she could find a pair of cool sunglasses. Even though she entered the shop with a target product in mind, she got distracted by the apparels that welcomed her along the aisle. She felt for some of the materials of the clothes but nothing really impressed her. She had her eyes on a pair of 5-inch high heels and tried to find her size. Much to her annoyance, she had to squat and bend down all the way to the floor because the shoes were there. It was a major turn off for her as it is unglamorous and inconvenient. The disorderly arrangement of sizes did not help either. She grunted at the price of $109 too.



She moved on to the blazer sections and her eyes beamed with interest. She really likes the funky blazers that Zara holds. She liked the elbow patch on the blazer, because it adds some fun details to the otherwise formal wear. She is also very impressed by Zara’s cut of the blazer because it is fitting yet flexible. She picked up a blazer she had and said she recently bought the same one as a replacement for the first one which was worn out. She did not manage to spot any sunglasses by the end of 20 min and left Zara.



She stopped by Aldo as the SALE sign in red attracted her. She randomly thought that she needed cream colour shoes and tried her luck at the store. To her surprise, the shoe store is seriously in lack of full-length mirrors. She only pointed to a few heels of different shades of cream but none was perfect for her. She left the store in 5 minutes.



Vanessa suddenly recalled that she needed to visit Sephora. She went straight to the shelf which carried the brand she needed. She likes the function of a cream based foundation and has been using it for ages. She put it quickly into her basket without thought and moved on. She was a lot more decisive in a cosmetic store like Sephora as she knew exactly what she wanted and spent no time browsing other alternatives.



She picked up a Sephora make up remover because it was good the previous time she tried using it. This store was big, so she spent 15 minutes walking around but turned blind to most products on the shelves. It was obvious that she behaved very differently in cosmetic stores as compared to fashion stores.

This was the last destination and she decided to take a rest at a coffee shop. She headed to Starbucks and bought a sparkling water. Normal water was too boring for her and she thinks that sparkling water encompasses flair and excitement. She was very conscious about the time and only spent as much time as she can afford before taking her leave.

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She had to rush home by 2pm to start on her assignment for her Masters course.