I remember hearing and reading that department stores used trickery to keep you in the store. Tinted the windows and glass doors to obscure how light or dark it was outside. No clocks, of course, so you wouldn't know what time it was, how long you'd been there. It was some time ago. Most of those stores are either out of business or nestled into malls, many of which are also in trouble. But I remember thinking it all sounded fiendishly clever.
That last one has spread all over now. The number of places where the time of day isn't showing has exploded. That's not because society has stopped thinking time is important. It's just that where certain kinds of knowledge were considered common property, now you're on your own.
That last one has spread all over now. The number of places where the time of day isn't showing has exploded. That's not because society has stopped thinking time is important. It's just that where certain kinds of knowledge were considered common property, now you're on your own.
2 comments:
The lack of clocks is definitely a big one when it comes to getting customers to forget the time. Another trick they use is to have eye catching displays of small items near the main entrances - thing like watches, jewelry or make-up. Unless you're prepared to look for one particular item this is a good way to start you wandering from one display to another in hopes you'll buy something you'd never intended to purchase. They also do the racetrack setup - hard flooring to keep you moving with carpets to the sides to make you comfortable in various departments. It is a fiendishly clever system, at least while people still have credit or money to spend.
Who knows, but if you can't see a clock maybe you'll be tempted to buy a nice watch.
I hadn't heard of the racetrack setup before. I'm quite sure I've seen it, though, and it makes a certain amount of sense. Gives the salespeople a steady stream of new customers. As for displays, I have just enough retail experience to know that they're hard to maintain. It's good when you sell a lot of a particular item, obviously, but putting it on a table with a bunch of other stuff can lead to a sense of disorder that turns potential buyers off. People are weird.
I wrote this post while I was in the process of replacing a dead watch. You can get some good deals on eBay, but delivery time may be longer than you expected.
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