Straßenbahn 10 Consumer Survey

This is a picture of a five year old proudly displaying her new snail collection.

In an attempt to capture the essence of German consumer socio-economic behavior, I collected data on the way to school with a newly developed investigative method. I now present the method and results of what I call the Random Straßenbahn Route 10 Business Survey. Before leaving the house, I wrote down several categories of businesses I've noticed in the area. While on the Straßenbahn, I frantically tallied everything I saw and added new categories as they came along. Everything I recorded was something I saw from the Straßenbahn. I missed some stores because I was looking down to write but it's reasonable to assume the ones I missed would follow the trends. The trip took 17 minutes. The following are the numbers (in no particular order) (NOTE: A Döner is a delicious sandwich of Turkish descent, an Apotheke is where one goes to get medicine, dietary supplements, and such, a Tabak store is kind of a convenience store that sells tobacco, drinks, candy, and magazines.):

Drug Stores: 4
Fitness-Suntan: 6
Hobby: 1
Auto: 7
Döner (and similar): 7
Mattress: 2
Kitchen Utensils: 1
Casino, Dance/Party Hall: 2
Fuel Station: 1
Bakery: 8
Travel Agent Office: 9
Bank: 11
Cafe: 13
Grocery: 3
Restaurant: 15
Cellphone: 8
Bookstore: 1
Sport Clothing: 2
Shoe Store: 3
Eyeglass store: 1
Apotheke: 7
Flower Shop: 7
Clothes Store: 8
Tabak: 7
Video/Theater: 3
Hair/Nails: 4
Fast Food: 1
Malls: 1

Audience participation time! On your commute to work, school, or on a drive through the city, and notice what sorts of stores you pass. Do the different types of stores and their number reflect what is important to Americans? My my measure here, Germans are into fresh flowers and bread, health, fashion, international travel, and eating out, especially in cafes. But that's just what I can tell from looking out the window on the way to school.

*Note: if you commute by car, leave the observation and recording activities to the passenger and focus on the road. Safety first.