Cheeosk

We were able to visit four different stores each with cheese counters:

• Giant Eagle @ Waterfront
• Giant Eage Market District
• Whole Foods
• Pennsylvania Macaroni Company

We gained a number of key insights from our visits:

• Cheesemongers had varying levels of expertise and learned more about cheese as they helped different customers.
• Expert cheesemongers' knowledge goes beyond just the names and characteristics of cheese. Cheesemongers spend time with each customer to help them find the right cheese to buy.
• Option to taste cheese before buying is essential to customers.
• People may have an emotional connection to a kind of cheese based on where they ate it or who they ate it with. Sometimes the cheesemonger can help the person identify these nameless, yet meaningful, cheeses.
• There is no good or bad choice when buying cheese - every person has their own personal taste.