As your average fun loving, adventure seeking BCom student, I have a passion for traveling, eating, and of course…. shopping!  A few days ago, I made a stop into my favourite store, Aritzia, and while sifting through the vast array of chiffon tops and cardigan sweaters, I asked myself “Why do I love this store so much?”

Truth be told, most of us fashionable young women realize that many of the clothes in stores such as Aritzia can be found elsewhere for less.  In fact, many of us have experienced that light headed feeling that can only be felt when one finds that really cute leather bomber seen at Aritzia for $550 priced at Danier for a whopping $300 less.  What keeps us debt-burdened university students going back into a store that we know is overpriced?  Why do we buy into it?

The fact is that this company has mastered the art of giving an ordinary girl a tremendous amount of confidence.  From the moment that one walks into the store, they are ushered by a sales associate to the newest arrivals and introduced to what are conveyed as the trendiest garments.  Once they pick something out, they are escorted to a fitting room where they try their selection on and, because of a lack of mirrors within the private stalls, are forced to come out into the open where everyone can see.  This presents the sales associates with their opportunity to sell; like pigeons to a handful of birdseed, they swarm the consumer and dish out compliments faster than I sprint to my 8:30am class on an average morning.  However, more often than not, I have fallen into this trap and purchased that super cute and cozy TNA sweater that I believe is above par despite the fact that my mom sees me wearing it and thinks “I could have bought you a similar sweater from the Bay.”  No Mom, it is not the same.  The entire Aritzia experience gives a young woman a break from her busy day and puts her into a setting where she is the most important thing.  As a result, I believe Aritzia’s ability to sell its product at an inflated price has little to do with its superior quality, and a lot to do with the customer-focused experience that it provides its purchasers with.