May/June - Vol 69, No 8 - International Technology and Engineering ...

Classroom Challenge
Designing a Shopping System
for Senior Citizens
By Harry T. Roman
This project should give the
students a real-world feel for
what it means to directly interact
with customers.
Introduction
It is all about serving the customer. That is how capitalism
plays out. It finds a market need and then creates a product
or service to address that need. Well, here is one near
and dear to our country. The Baby Boomer generation,
all 76 million, will be retiring soon. Eventually, some may
find it very hard to move about and do their routine food
shopping. The challenge for your creative students is to
develop a shopping system whereby seniors may somehow
communicate with the store and then have their orders
fulfilled and delivered directly to their homes.
Getting Started
Probably the first potential solution that will come to a
student’s mind is to simply send in an email asking for the
Eventually, the Baby Boomer generation may find it hard to move
about and do their routine food shopping.
products needed by the senior citizen. Or perhaps students
might suggest accessing the store’s website and clicking
on the needed products . . . pretty much how we currently
shop from store catalogs—to buy books, or clothes, etc.
However, keep in mind that many seniors do not have
computers, nor do they possess the computer-savvy skills of
younger generations.
17 • The Technology Teacher • May/June 2010