Kohl's To Open 100 Small Format Stores

[storewanderer]

So the Kohl's+Sephora is done around Reno and I took a look at the completed store in South Reno.

The Sephora box encompasses the entire previous Kohl's Jewelry/Accessories area and is a big walled off box on 3 sides in the middle of the store. Same way it was in many JCP Stores. It blocks line of sight in the store. I didn't like this at JCP and I don't like it at Kohl's. There was no traffic in the department. I was in Kohl's for over an hour and didn't see one customer there.

So Kohl's has completely exited the jewelry category from what I can tell. They moved accessories to about 2k square feet that previously had some women's clothing so that and jewelry are the categories that received a space cut from this Sephora thing.

But there is more. Kohl's had both entrances open again for the first time since before COVID (maybe the fire department finally dealt with them), however, they have removed 100% of the checkstands at one of the entrances and have skids of boxed home type items piled up where those checkouts used to be. Also they went through and either re-carpeted or put down hard Pergo like flooring on the floors throughout the store. So the store looks a little better than before overall. The slight refresh actually really helped.

[Super S]

So I was near Tacoma Mall yesterday and decided to stop at the small format Kohl's.

Upon walking in, My first thought was that I walked into some kind of low budget clothing store with the open ceilings and concrete floors. I didn't even see registers anywhere near the door, they were way over by the left wall as you walked in.

This store has a very odd layout. Nothing follows any type of Kohl's I have been to in the past. The front as you walked in is the women's department. Off to the right towards the center was Sephora (which looked even more oddly placed to me) and off to the left in the center was men's. Housewares, towels, etc. were toward the back. One thing I found odd was a general lack of signage. Yes, Sephora was marked. But it took quite a bit of walking around to find any given department. I also noticed two small clusters of fitting rooms toward the center, not marked, I assume unisex?

What blew me away though was the lack of employees near the doors. This is not a good thing in Tacoma. It struck me as a store that could very easily have shoplifting problems.

This store, when compared to any traditional Kohl's, is an epic fail as far as I am concerned. It looks downscale, has a confusing layout, and gives off a vibe that Kohl's is not even trying to present itself as a traditional department store any more, but is still willing to charge their higher prices.

[storewanderer]

I took a look at the few photos online for that Kohl's and it looks very industrial. Was this deliberate for Tacoma or is this a new prototype?

The Kohl's that opened in Elko, NV (small format) in 2020 has similar warehouse type ceilings and does have some cement floors in some departments but still has tile/carpet in most places. The layout you describe is just like Elko.

The lack of signs is a new Kohl's thing. The new signs they put up are very small, so small you basically miss them unless you are really looking. They defeat the entire purpose of hanging signs in a department store (so you can see where department X is from a long distance away). Once you get close enough to read the new Kohls signs you don't need them anymore because you are already in the department and can just see what is there.

However I do not recall what kind of department signs they had before these tiny signs they have hanging now. I think the departments were more defined/more obvious due to the taller product display or pictures posted along the walls. Now that they don't have great displays and the walls are pretty much empty it isn't clear until you get real close what department is what.

[ClownLoach]

I took a look at the few photos online for that Kohl's and it looks very industrial. Was this deliberate for Tacoma or is this a new prototype?

The Kohl's that opened in Elko, NV (small format) in 2020 has similar warehouse type ceilings and does have some cement floors in some departments but still has tile/carpet in most places. The layout you describe is just like Elko.

The lack of signs is a new Kohl's thing. The new signs they put up are very small, so small you basically miss them unless you are really looking. They defeat the entire purpose of hanging signs in a department store (so you can see where department X is from a long distance away). Once you get close enough to read the new Kohls signs you don't need them anymore because you are already in the department and can just see what is there.

However I do not recall what kind of department signs they had before these tiny signs they have hanging now. I think the departments were more defined/more obvious due to the taller product display or pictures posted along the walls. Now that they don't have great displays and the walls are pretty much empty it isn't clear until you get real close what department is what.

They used wall graphics and lettering. It wasn't the most contemporary font, but it was clear and easy to read from across the store. They probably hired the same brain dead consultants who sold Hobby Lobby on the idea that the stores should not have any kind of navigation signs because the customer will be forced to wander around to find what they're looking for and will wind up buying more merchandise that they find along the way. A happy load of horse manure.

[storewanderer]

Well, Costco has no navigation signs either... same exact idea as Hobby Lobby. Major things like pharmacy or optical are signed (just like fabric and framing are signed at Hobby Lobby). So I guess the same criticism applies to Costco?

Sam's Club always had much better navigation signage. Maybe that is one of the reasons I've always liked it better. Never thought about it.

[ClownLoach]

Well, Costco has no navigation signs either... same exact idea as Hobby Lobby. Major things like pharmacy or optical are signed (just like fabric and framing are signed at Hobby Lobby). So I guess the same criticism applies to Costco?

Sam's Club always had much better navigation signage. Maybe that is one of the reasons I've always liked it better. Never thought about it.

I'd disagree on the Costco and Hobby Lobby comparison. Costco has very consistent layouts except in the oldest locations. Shop one and you've basically shopped them all.

Hobby Lobby intentionally lays out their stores in a manner that is not logical and forces the customer to walk around to find everything they need. No two stores are even remotely the same. Categories are intentionally split up. They believe it works, I believe customers leave without everything they need because they can't find everything. And good luck finding the glue aisle (always placed in the least logical and most hidden aisle in the store despite being the most heavily shopped aisle in the store - and they move it in each store once a year).

Costco is pretty much the same, food on one side, home merchandise on the other, fresh items at the back, clothing in the middle. If you let the Hobby Lobby folks lay out Costco they'd have meat, seafood and poultry in three different corners of the store. Paper towels would be on the opposite corner from toilet paper. Beer at the front, wine in the back.

[buckguy]

Well, Costco has no navigation signs either... same exact idea as Hobby Lobby. Major things like pharmacy or optical are signed (just like fabric and framing are signed at Hobby Lobby). So I guess the same criticism applies to Costco?

Sam's Club always had much better navigation signage. Maybe that is one of the reasons I've always liked it better. Never thought about it.

I'd disagree on the Costco and Hobby Lobby comparison. Costco has very consistent layouts except in the oldest locations. Shop one and you've basically shopped them all.

Hobby Lobby intentionally lays out their stores in a manner that is not logical and forces the customer to walk around to find everything they need. No two stores are even remotely the same. Categories are intentionally split up. They believe it works, I believe customers leave without everything they need because they can't find everything. And good luck finding the glue aisle (always placed in the least logical and most hidden aisle in the store despite being the most heavily shopped aisle in the store - and they move it in each store once a year).

Costco is pretty much the same, food on one side, home merchandise on the other, fresh items at the back, clothing in the middle. If you let the Hobby Lobby folks lay out Costco they'd have meat, seafood and poultry in three different corners of the store. Paper towels would be on the opposite corner from toilet paper. Beer at the front, wine in the back.

Costco 's center store merch changes over the course of a year. Overhead signs wouldn't work. The perimeter layout is pretty standard otherwise--I've been to their stores in a number of different states. The liquor location sometimes varies depending on the scope of what they can sell. In terms of the basic layout, the only major outlier I know is one in Gaithersburg. MD which probably started out as something else. The Pentagon City store (older than the 1990 location in Gaithersburg) has the same basic layout as the relatively new DC store.

[storewanderer]

Well, Costco has no navigation signs either... same exact idea as Hobby Lobby. Major things like pharmacy or optical are signed (just like fabric and framing are signed at Hobby Lobby). So I guess the same criticism applies to Costco?

Sam's Club always had much better navigation signage. Maybe that is one of the reasons I've always liked it better. Never thought about it.

I'd disagree on the Costco and Hobby Lobby comparison. Costco has very consistent layouts except in the oldest locations. Shop one and you've basically shopped them all.

Hobby Lobby intentionally lays out their stores in a manner that is not logical and forces the customer to walk around to find everything they need. No two stores are even remotely the same. Categories are intentionally split up. They believe it works, I believe customers leave without everything they need because they can't find everything. And good luck finding the glue aisle (always placed in the least logical and most hidden aisle in the store despite being the most heavily shopped aisle in the store - and they move it in each store once a year).

Costco is pretty much the same, food on one side, home merchandise on the other, fresh items at the back, clothing in the middle. If you let the Hobby Lobby folks lay out Costco they'd have meat, seafood and poultry in three different corners of the store. Paper towels would be on the opposite corner from toilet paper. Beer at the front, wine in the back.

Costco 's center store merch changes over the course of a year. Overhead signs wouldn't work. The perimeter layout is pretty standard otherwise--I've been to their stores in a number of different states. The liquor location sometimes varies depending on the scope of what they can sell. In terms of the basic layout, the only major outlier I know is one in Gaithersburg. MD which probably started out as something else. The Pentagon City store (older than the 1990 location in Gaithersburg) has the same basic layout as the relatively new DC store.

There are 3 different Costco units in my area and despite every one having the same basic layout with refrigerated/fresh departments on the back wall (or would you call that a side wall- let's call it the wall that runs parallel to the regular aisles), pharmacy in a front corner, electronics first department you get let into after entering, and clothing in the middle ish, they all feel like they have a different layout.

What I am referring to by this is that the items are not in the same place in each store. Crackers are on one aisle in one store, in another in another store. Bread is on one aisle in one store, but may be on a wall in another store. Light bulbs are in one aisle in another store and a completely different aisle surrounded by completely different products in another store. They are also constantly moving products around so even once you learn where something is, unless it is a perishable item in a small case, it is unlikely to be in the same location next time.

I found when shopping Costco I always had to walk around to find what I needed- yes I could guide myself to the general area of the store "food" but then to find the items I wanted I had to go up and down every aisle and on future visits at least a couple items were moved around.

So I don't see it much different than Hobby Lobby. Same general idea. Though Hobby Lobby doesn't keep moving items around on different aisles in core categories. They do a lot of moving around on seasonal goods, etc., to try to sell them, but things like paint brushes, or felt squares, or fabric glue, or scissors, or hot glue guns/sticks, have been in the same place in Hobby Lobby locally ever since it opened many years ago here... so once you learn where core everyday stocked items are in Hobby Lobby, you know. In Costco that is just not the case.

[arizonaguy]

I'd disagree on the Costco and Hobby Lobby comparison. Costco has very consistent layouts except in the oldest locations. Shop one and you've basically shopped them all.

Hobby Lobby intentionally lays out their stores in a manner that is not logical and forces the customer to walk around to find everything they need. No two stores are even remotely the same. Categories are intentionally split up. They believe it works, I believe customers leave without everything they need because they can't find everything. And good luck finding the glue aisle (always placed in the least logical and most hidden aisle in the store despite being the most heavily shopped aisle in the store - and they move it in each store once a year).

Costco is pretty much the same, food on one side, home merchandise on the other, fresh items at the back, clothing in the middle. If you let the Hobby Lobby folks lay out Costco they'd have meat, seafood and poultry in three different corners of the store. Paper towels would be on the opposite corner from toilet paper. Beer at the front, wine in the back.

Costco 's center store merch changes over the course of a year. Overhead signs wouldn't work. The perimeter layout is pretty standard otherwise--I've been to their stores in a number of different states. The liquor location sometimes varies depending on the scope of what they can sell. In terms of the basic layout, the only major outlier I know is one in Gaithersburg. MD which probably started out as something else. The Pentagon City store (older than the 1990 location in Gaithersburg) has the same basic layout as the relatively new DC store.

There are 3 different Costco units in my area and despite every one having the same basic layout with refrigerated/fresh departments on the back wall (or would you call that a side wall- let's call it the wall that runs parallel to the regular aisles), pharmacy in a front corner, electronics first department you get let into after entering, and clothing in the middle ish, they all feel like they have a different layout.

What I am referring to by this is that the items are not in the same place in each store. Crackers are on one aisle in one store, in another in another store. Bread is on one aisle in one store, but may be on a wall in another store. Light bulbs are in one aisle in another store and a completely different aisle surrounded by completely different products in another store. They are also constantly moving products around so even once you learn where something is, unless it is a perishable item in a small case, it is unlikely to be in the same location next time.

I found when shopping Costco I always had to walk around to find what I needed- yes I could guide myself to the general area of the store "food" but then to find the items I wanted I had to go up and down every aisle and on future visits at least a couple items were moved around.

So I don't see it much different than Hobby Lobby. Same general idea. Though Hobby Lobby doesn't keep moving items around on different aisles in core categories. They do a lot of moving around on seasonal goods, etc., to try to sell them, but things like paint brushes, or felt squares, or fabric glue, or scissors, or hot glue guns/sticks, have been in the same place in Hobby Lobby locally ever since it opened many years ago here... so once you learn where core everyday stocked items are in Hobby Lobby, you know. In Costco that is just not the case.

I have numerous Costcos near me and they all have different layouts.

In some stores, diaper / formula / baby wipes are in the HBA area (near the pharmacy). In other stores they're co-located near the paper towels, toilet paper, trash bags, cleaning supplies (in the far back of the store).

In some stores prepackaged bread is located near the bakery in the back of the store, in other stores it's located down a food aisle towards the front of the store.

In both of the two above examples I've seen the same store with both configurations. Also some items (granola bars, etc.) are in the front center store aisles on some stores and are over on the side shelving in other stores.

It's designed so that even frequent shoppers have to "treasure hunt" through Costco.

[storewanderer]

I have numerous Costcos near me and they all have different layouts.

In some stores, diaper / formula / baby wipes are in the HBA area (near the pharmacy). In other stores they're co-located near the paper towels, toilet paper, trash bags, cleaning supplies (in the far back of the store).

In some stores prepackaged bread is located near the bakery in the back of the store, in other stores it's located down a food aisle towards the front of the store.

In both of the two above examples I've seen the same store with both configurations. Also some items (granola bars, etc.) are in the front center store aisles on some stores and are over on the side shelving in other stores.

It's designed so that even frequent shoppers have to "treasure hunt" through Costco.

This is the type of thing I've experienced with Costco. This is why I say it feels very much like what Hobby Lobby is doing. It forces you through the store and it is absolutely deliberate. It also worked on getting me to do many impulse buys of items that I was not actively looking to buy in the first place, and even if I had been actively looking to buy said items wouldn't have bought them from Costco, but since Costco kept moving stuff around and I noticed said items as I was turning a corner or looking for something else, Costco got those extra sales from me. And a few of those items are here at home 3-4 years later never opened or used so I really didn't need them...

Sam's Club does not do this. Items stay in the same place until the store remodels and they have various signs showing what is where. The only time I see some rearranging is when they have out of stocks and try to fill those holes in with overstock of other items.