Sha-SHEI Over!

As I walked past various student organizations at Festifall, one specific table caught my attention. Particularly, my eyes were drawn to the glossy pages of a magazine spread laid out on the table depicting a creative fashion shoot. From that moment on, I became a part of the SHEI Magazine microculture.

SHEI's latest magazine issue 

For those of you who don’t know, SHEI Magazine is a fashion and culture magazine here at Michigan. Flipping through each magazine, you’d be surprised to know that it is completely student run! Everything such as the design of the magazine, models, photographers, photo shoot directors, and writers are all students attending Michigan. As a part of this microculture, we share the common interest of fashion, but also the need to express our creative thoughts and ideas (Babin & Harris, 2015, p. 191). With so many diverse teams in SHEI, this microculture provides a group to bring our creativity to life. 

As a freshman, I joined the Fashion and PR teams within SHEI to blend both my creative and business interests. Whereas the business side allowed me to focus on organizing and publicizing events as well as forming partnerships with local businesses, being on the creative side gave me the chance to see what went behind the scenes during photo shoots and runway shows. Here's a few photos of various SHEI events:

State Street Fashion Show (left) and Magazine Launch Party (right)

Selling magazines in Mason Hall 

During a spring magazine issue, I had my first opportunity to bring to life one of my ideas. Since the issue’s theme was “The American Issue,” I drew inspiration from classic American novels to create a shoot concept based off of the 1920s era from The Great Gatsby. While directing the shoot, I realized how much work goes behind what you see on the page. From finding the perfect model to collaborating with local businesses for hair and makeup appointments as well as collaborating with the photography team and fashion assistants, there’s a lot of work happening before and during the shoot. However, it’s also a lot of fun working with so many creative people! 

Past SHEI magazines 

Preview of the 1920's shoot I worked on 

Being a part of the SHEI microculture has not only connected me with like-minded people interested in fashion, but it has also shaped my consumer behavior. In realizing all the work that goes behind each page of a magazine, I usually stop by the magazine aisle while shopping for everyday items. Additionally, I realized that in recent years I’ve also downloaded many new fashion-related apps onto my phone such as Pose, Poshmark, and Shopstyle.

Pose (left), Shopstyle (middle), and Poshmark (right) apps

If you’re interested in learning more about SHEI, come check us out by visiting www.sheimagazine.com!

Comment below to let me know if your consumer behavior has also changed due to the microcultures you're in. ☺

The Shopping Experience

For me, my mom was the one doing all of my clothes shopping up until middle school. At that time, I was perfectly fine with wearing whatever was placed in my closet. However, looking back, I now question her choice of buying me those bright pink pants and patchwork jeans.

Example of what my childhood style looked like

During my middle school years, I went through the phase where I shopped at the typical “teen” stores like Aéropostale, Hollister, and Abercrombie Kids. At this stage in my life, I was motivated to shop at these stores mainly because I had the perception that they were the brands that “cool” teenagers wore (Babin & Harris, 2015, p. 47, 85).

Some of the places I shopped at in middle school 

Sweaters for the cold weather

Transitioning into 20-year old me, I’ve now realized that my motivation for shopping has drastically changed from my middle school days. Whereas I previously perceived shopping as a means of fitting in with the crowd, I now perceive shopping as a means of buying clothes for comfort and as a way to express my personal style.  For instance, because of Michigan’s bipolar weather (although not complaining about that snow day we had!), I have a utilitarian motivation to go shopping and buy sweaters so that I can stay warm in Michigan's crazy zero degree weather.  

However, I also have a hedonic motivation to shop because of the in-store retail experience (Babin & Harris, 2015, p. 87). Since stores are getting creative with their clothing displays every season and especially during the holidays, I find it more enjoyable shopping in-store than online. When my friends come back home during school breaks, we always make sure to take a trip to our local mall because we are hedonically motivated to shop for the retail experience. Below are some stores that I think provide a great in-store shopping experience! Feel free to click on the links if you want to know more about each store. 

Target has the best holiday decorations ❅
Target

Sephora has great customer service
Sephora

Apple allows you to have fun with its products
Apple

Costco offers free food samples while you're shopping
Costco

Nordstrom has creative store layouts
Nordstrom

Although it sounds silly, I consider myself to be a highly involved shopper that finds a lot of value in shopping (Babin & Harris, 2015, p. 89). When it comes to store catalogs and in-store promotions, I always find myself paying attention to this kind of information (which unfortunately results in me spending more than I would like to). If you ever need to find me in-store, make sure to look in the back where the clearance is ☺. Let me know in the comments below if you prefer to shop in-store or online and why!

Shop for Less: The Consumer Guide to Target

Ever since I was young, I’ve had subscriptions to numerous fashion magazines. In my teenage years, I started off with the typical teen magazines like Seventeen and Teen Vogue, and then transitioned into reading Vogue and Lucky as I grew older. For me, it was always fascinating flipping through the pages and seeing new styles each month (and of course laughing at some of the absurd love advice in Seventeen). Over the years, I let the magazines pile up in my room to the point where I now have a mini library of fashion magazines with issues dating back to 2010. With trends constantly changing, I enjoyed following them not just through these magazines, but also by going window-shopping and seeing the latest clothing collection displayed in-store. However, being a student, my wallet was constantly low on cash and thus I always tried to find trendy clothing pieces at prices that didn’t break the bank. With this need in mind, I’ll now introduce you to Target, one of my favorite retailers!

What’s so special about Target? Is it their adorable dog mascot that makes the brand so likable? Well, yes, but there is also a lot more that Target has to offer. Here, I’ll provide a quick guide about Target from the perspective of a Target consumer—me!

Beauty products sold at Target

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Target, it’s a retailer that sells a wide range of products such as food, home products, clothing, beauty products, and other miscellaneous items. At Target, I not only get the utilitarian value of buying essential items such as food and trendy clothing at an affordable price, but I also receive a hedonic value. Specifically, this is found in the shopping experience that Target provides.  

Clothing and food sold at Target

Friendly Target employee providing help

Believe it or not, shopping can be an enjoyable experience, especially at Target! With a culture known for being fun and friendly, smiling employees will always greet you throughout the store and you’ll soon find that this positive vibe is quite contagious. From their creative promotional advertisements on digital platforms to the excellent customer service experienced in-store, Target creates an integrated shopping experience that’s bound to be pleasant for its consumers both online and in-store. 

Some examples of fun and creative Target advertisements

Example of Target engaging with consumers on digital platforms

Starbucks in Target stores

When shopping at Target, value is provided in multiple ways. I not only have a fun shopping experience, but it’s also extremely convenient by being a one-stop shop for trendy clothing, food, cleaning supplies, school supplies and more at affordable prices. There’s even a Starbucks in Target stores so that you can get your coffee fix!

If you’re like me and constantly look for trendy and affordable clothes, Target is the perfect destination. Although there are numerous other retailers available, Target is able to differentiate its clothing by collaborating with well-known fashion designers each year to create a customized designer collection specifically for the young and trendy female consumer that values brand names but not the high price tag that comes with it. What’s really exciting is that this year, Target is collaborating with Lilly Pulitzer for the upcoming spring season. So, if you’re looking for that perfect tropical sundress for the beach, be sure to check out the collection at Target! Here’s a sneak peek in case you’re curious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufbb96O0HPo.

Lilly Pulitzer for Target (2015)

I've also included some amazing designer collections that Target created in the past below. That navy Jason Wu dress you see is only $40 thanks to Target!

Jason Wu for Target (2012)

Peter Pilotto for Target (2014)

Prabal Gurung for Target (2013)

Rodarte for Target (2009)

I hope you’re ready to shop at Target now! To get there, you can take a bus (free for students!) to visit or…

Map of the nearest Target store in Ann Arbor

You can always visit www.target.com to start shopping now from the convenience of your sofa ☺ Have fun shopping and comment down below to let me know what you look for in your shopping experience! I also would love to know what trendy and affordable retailers you shop at too!