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After a trip to the department store this afternoon, I make a few observations on toilet paper, paper towels and cash register aisles.
-Krishna
Why so few aisles are open at any one time? That’s easy to answer, to keep you in the store longer. The idea is that the longer you’re in there, the more you are going to buy. People rather go buy something extra than go wait in line.
My 2 cents.
I think that by having nothing to relatively compare to – every person brings their own assumption to fill in the blank.
It strikes me as a marketing equivalent of using non-realistic styles in art. Both create an abstraction: a space that allows people to fill in their own details. Though I’d argue that the marketing use is motivated to push the observer into an irrational choice and that the art-style use of the technique is more often used to help the observer identify with the art subject.
You know, I don’t remember rolls ever being much smaller even back in the 80s before all this mega-sizing terminology came about. I mean it’s not like toilet paper holders have gotten larger to accommodate right? Just goofy marketing…
As far as the aisles deal, I think it’s probably because less cashiers means the cashiers that are on duty stay busy. Even though it’s a bit of a hassle, if there were twice as many stations open then the customers would filter out twice as fast and there would be more lag time when employees are just waiting. I think most big stores do whatever they can to have employees always being busy. It’s more cost effective, and most people won’t just put their stuff down to go to a store that gives better customer service.