Apple pancakes and computers, anyone?

Heaven called. It wants its storefront back.

How do you like dem Apples?

Today the Red River College advertising majors and I visited Polo Park to conduct some of the most important market research advertisers and marketers can ever do, but - ironically - they often forget about: personal observation.

Hangin' in "the Mac lab."

Among the questions we hoped to answer:

• Why do people shop the way they do?

• How long does it take shoppers to make a purchase decision?

• What are people buying? Which purchases appear to be "impulse-buys?"

• Who's in the mall at 10:30 a.m. on a Monday?

• Who are they with? What are they talking about? Etc...

• What do salespeople think of their shoppers' behavior?

• What's the deal with the new Apple Store?

• What differentiates the Apple Store from other stores in the mall?

• Predictions for the Apple Store's future success or failure?

• Are there any Hilary Druxman - this semester's client - competitors in the mall?

• If so, how do they compare to Hilary Druxman?

• Why do the pancakes at the Original Pancake House taste so good?

Growing kids need their pancakes.

Technically, the assignment meant that we were stalking store employees and customers, but officially it meant that we were, as I said, "conducting valuable market research."

The good folks at the Apple Store were only too happy to comply; one employee even volunteered to pose for a picture, but I declined his offer on the grounds of "not wanting to look too creepy," which has never stopped me before.

And I do believe that, if my observations of Thor at A&W are on the money, Polo Park registered a drastic uptick in sales during our visit. As the PR cliche goes: "A win-win scenario!"

Gina has her computer encased in solid carbonite.

Last observation: all classes on Monday at 9 a.m. should be at the mall.