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US Only - Share feedback on your shopping experience this holiday weekend!
Challenge Type: business
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$1,100
top 25
123
submissions
DONE
66 months

Calling all holiday shoppers – Here’s your chance to earn some extra holiday cash while you do your holiday shopping this weekend! Whether you’re shopping among the crowds in stores, or browsing from your computer or smartphone, we want to hear about your shopping experiences both in store and online this Thanksgiving weekend (November 28 – December 2).   

We are giving $100 to each of the five most authentic, creative and detailed answers. The next 20 top solvers will receive $30 each. Remember, to win the cash prize, please include as much detail and creativity as you can!

To qualify:

  • Participants must intend to do some shopping both online and in store at some point between Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28) and Cyber Monday (Dec. 2).
  • Note: “Shopping” does not necessarily entail purchasing; browsing and pre-purchase research is also considered “shopping.”
Deliverables

You must reside in the US to be eligible to participate for a prize.

Please submit a well-organized response to each of the following:

  1. Describe your experience shopping in the physical store(s):
    1. What types of physical stores did you shop in (e.g., department stores, big box stores such as Walmart, specialty stores, etc.)  and what product(s) did you shop for in a physical store? 
    2. For the product(s) you listed in part a, why did you decide to shop for this/these item(s) in a physical store, instead of online?
    3. How would you describe the crowds/foot traffic when you were there?
    4. How would you describe this weekend’s in-store holiday shopping experience to previous year’s holiday shopping experiences?

  2. Describe your experience shopping online (computer, phone, tablet, or voice assistant):
    1. What types of websites did you shop in (e.g., department store website, big box store website such as Walmart, specialty store website, Amazon, etc.) and what product(s) did you shop for online (on a computer, phone, tablet, or voice assistant)?
    2. Why did you decide to shop for this/these item(s) online, instead of in a physical store?
    3. How would you describe this weekend’s online holiday shopping experience to previous online holiday shopping experiences?

  3.  Share your feedback on your shopping experience as a whole:
    1. Overall, how was this year’s Thanksgiving Weekend shopping experience different from the previous year’s? (e.g., my favorite retailer’s mobile apps were redesigned to help me discover new products, etc.)
    2. Please describe your take on the promotions/deals/sales this holiday weekend? What sales blew you away? What sales seemed new/creative this season that you haven’t seen before?
    3. What role did mobile and social media play in your holiday shopping and to what extent was it used before, during, and/or after purchases?
    4. Please describe how external factors, politics, and/or companies taking stances on political/social issues factors impacted your shopping behavior?


    Submissions will be graded on the following criteria:
  • Completeness
  • Authenticity / Candidness
  • Level of Detail
Reward Tiers
5 Winners
will receive $100 each
20 Honorable Mentions
will receive $30 each
Leaderboard
$100.00 Lauren Wachenfeld Washington University in St. Louis
$100.00 Megan Lynch University of Connecticut
$100.00 Ingrid Montenegro Penn Foster
$100.00 Brian Wynder Ursinus College
$100.00 Joe Agan University of Toledo
$30.00 Joey Latimore Centennial College
$30.00 Katie McMullen University of Wisconsin
$30.00 Robert Goodman University of California, Merced
$30.00 Ankush Gupta Boston University
$30.00 Paige Nye Oral Roberts University
$30.00 Jennifer Miller Walden University
$30.00 Lauren Junda Ramapo College of New Jersey
$30.00 Saaema Alavi Illinois Institute of Technology
$30.00 Constance Ankomahene University of California, Los Angeles
$30.00 Raja vikram Vangala University of Michigan
$30.00 Karen Miller West Virginia University
$30.00 Julian Schulz
$30.00 Lee Betteridge University of Central Missouri
$30.00 Dr. Janelle Christine Simmons Liberty University
$30.00 Sumana Mahata UCSD
$30.00 McCartney K University of California at Berkeley
$30.00 Amy Fernandez University of Central Florida
$30.00 K B Ferris State University
$30.00 Camille Esteves University of Central Florida
$30.00 Katherine Matveykina Drexel University
Submission questions


What is your age?

(Required)
18 – 20
21 – 25
26 – 30
31 – 35
> 35

What is your gender?

(Required)
Male
Female
Prefer not to answer

What is your average household income?

(Required)
<$50,000
$50,000 - $75,000
$75,001 - $100,000
$100,001 - $125,000
$125,001 - $150,000
>$150,000

What is your employment status?

(Required)
Employed full-time
Employed part-time
Self-employed/freelance
Student
Military/Forces
Retired
Homemaker
Unemployed
Not able to work
Other

In what region do you reside?

(Required)
Northeast
Southeast
Midwest
Southwest
West

What percent of your holiday shopping would you say you completed this weekend?

(Required)
0%-10%
10%-20%
20%-30%
30%-40%
40%-50%
50%-60%
60%-70%
70%-80%
80%-90%
90%-100%

How much do you plan to spend this holiday season?

(Required)
<$300
$300 - $500
$501 - $999
$1,000 - $1,500
$1,501 - $2,000
>$2,000

Is this more. less, or equal to what you spent last year in 2018?

(Required)
More
Less
About the same as 2018
0 characters Average: 1675 characters
Your solution must be at least 200 characters long