Thin-Slicing Stores

My friend Mike Wagner at Own Your Brand has "tagged" me with a meme of his own: specialized thin-slicing. The term comes from Malcolm Gladwell's book, Blink, in which Gladwell explores the world of intuition. Wagner's challenge?

Tom Guarriello - What do you thin-slice the moment you enter a fashion store?

OK, Wagner! Fair enough. One thing, though. I don't think these "slices" only apply to fashion stores.

Here goes:

1. Wow? - Do I feel the word, "wow" forming in my mouth? Ideally, great stores get me to feel the wow before I even get there. Windows, signage, something grabs me before I'm even aware of it.
2. Elegant? - Hard to put my finger on exactly what triggers, or doesn't, the "elegant" moment; I can usually tell it by the way I find myself moving in the store. Kind of gliding. It's kind of like a great bass line in  a terrific piece of music: You feel it more than you hear it. Opposite of elegant? Kludgey, I guess.
3. Eye Lust? - Does the place make my eyes jump. Look at this...oh, look at that...no, look over there... Again, more bodily than cognitive.
4. Multi? - Do I find myself listening, smelling, looking at, and touching stuff?
5. Harmony? - Does it all work together? Again, a vibe. You can pretty much  tell right off the bat. Some might think of this as "authenticity."
6. (Bonus Round!) Smart? - Does the place make me smile a sly smile? Like, "oh, I get it, you smart son of a ..." It's like feeling the presence of the designer, winking at you.

A couple of months ago, my friend Evelyn Rodriguez and I went shopping. She briefly wrote about it here, and I think it's relevant.

In fact, Evelyn, I think this "tag" is for you. What do you thin-slice when you walk into a store?

Comments

[Michael Wagner]

Tom - thanks for giving the thin-slice meme a shot.

I love your commentary on "elegant"! Moving from words to painting a picture of how you "glide" through a store really works.

Thanks for your encouragement and willingness to "play".

Will be fascinating to see what Evelyn sees.

Keep creating...WOW,
Mike

[Evelyn Rodriguez]

Hi Tom,
Great list.

The funny thing about intuition is I'm not so sure it's about pattern-matching, but I'll give the list a shot on Monday. (I was finishing off my question/wonder theme to kick off the first week of the year.)

Like winking ;-). And sometimes I call it harmony, sometimes congruency. That's definitely on my list too.

[Tom Guarriello]

Thanks, Mike. It was fun. And, Evelyn, we're all looking forward to your list. I agree; I think "pattern-matching" implies way too computational/cognitive operation and not enough embodied resonance.