The other day I needed something freaky fast and freaky delicious, so, naturally, I went to Jimmy Johns. I was wearing Lululemon and Nike clothing, had my blonde hair pulled back, and was looking athletic, although I was actually just lazy and in between studying for finals. So I go in with an idea of what I want, knowing full well how delicious the Beach Club is, and then I see that there is a Vegetarian sub that has everything the Beach Club has but without meat. So as I’m debating these things in my head the 4 staffers behind the counter are watching and waiting and I hear “she is going to go for the six or the twelve”. 

I froze. This voice was lower than that of my conscious. I looked at the menu. #6 was the Vegetarian sandwich. #12 was the Beach Club. 

It was one of the guys working the sandwich line who spoke my innermost thoughts. I felt so naked and exposed! How could he know! My stubborn side said eff that, I’ll get the Italian Nightclub or the Vito! But my stomach said no. I wanted those crisp cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, crunchy sprouts, and creamy avocado in and around my mouth. I couldn’t hide it. The only choice was deciding if I wanted the turkey on the #12 or just the veggies with the #6! 

I went for the #6, and contemplated what had just happened as I devoured that beautiful sandwich. That guy at Jimmy Johns didn’t know anything about me other than what I looked like, and somehow, he knew that I wanted a sandwich with avocado and cucumbers. I was a victim of customer profiling. Judging by my athletic wear, he was correct in guessing that I am healthy conscious like to have nutrient rich foods, like tomatoes and avocados, on my sandwich, and the Beach Club and Vegetarian sandwiches have the same combo of veggies; the only difference being that the Beach Club has turkey and the Vegetarian does not.  All of this he could tell by my clothing. 

What’s more, is that this happened to me just one day after getting word that our next fashion class assignment would be about customer profiling. I need to determine a customer to profile and design outfits for them. The decisions people make based on their age, interests, income, region, and others truly do reflect in the choices we make as consumers. For example, I am a student in her early twenties who lives in the Pacific Northwest values health. This means I’ll probably need some versatile and comfortable clothing for running between classes to get Jimmy Johns sandwiches with avocado on them. 

For this project, however, I need to decide upon someone who is going to order a different sandwich than myself. For that reason, I’ve decided on the 60+ affluent urban sophisticate. 

This grey-haired fox is an independent lady of NYC. She walks her little spoiled dogs through Central Park daily, drinks one martini when she attends swanky art gallery openings, and is enjoying the twilight of her lucrative career. She shops, but not excessively. She is smart with her money and knows when quality is a factor of timelessness, yet, she also has the money to spend on quirky expressive pieces. She stays relevant with fashion, but dresses for herself and for fun! She loves to celebrate beauty, art, and laughter.

Inspirations: 

Next steps will be designing outfits, finding swatches, and creating a presentation. Stay tuned 🙂