1. I
don’t
have
a
lot
of
spare
time,
so
I
decided
to
combine
this
assignment
with
some
errands
I
had
to
do
anyway.
Hence,
the
six
shops
I’ve
been
at
are:
a
supermarket,
an
automatic
laundromat,
a
decorations
shop,
a
“1
euro
shop”,
a
bookstore
and
a
sport
bets
shop.
First
I
went
to
drop
my
laundry,
the
first
thing
I
noticed
is
that
the
place
seemed
very
unassuming,
a
bit
desolate,
quite
clean
but
somehow
sad.ù
Inside,
besides
a
change
machine
and
a
broken
digital
photo
sprinter,
there
was
nothing
more
than
7
washing
machines,
2
dryers
and
4
wooden
chairs.
This
first
made
me
think
that
they
don’t
expect
many
persons
to
be
sitting
contemporaneously,
either
because
not
all
washing
machines
are
to
be
used
at
the
same
time,
or
because
most
people
don’t
wait
while
their
laundry
is
done,
but
they
take
the
chance
to
do
other
errands
in
the
meantime.

2.
This
however
has
a
disadvantage
in
rush
hours
(many
laundromats
have
very
low
affluence
in
most
hours
and
a
sudden
raise
in
the
evening,
at
the
times
when
students
or
single
young
workers
get
out
of
school/work)
when
people
fail
to
be
back
by
the
time
their
laundry
is
ready
to
be
picked
up.
The
rotation
of
clothes
per
washing
machine
is
therefore
inefficient
right
when
it
matters
the
most.
Moreover,
the
place
wasn’t
very
appealing,
“warm”
or
welcoming,
from
the
closed
door
to
the
lack
of
personnel
or
any
“human
touch”.
Behind
the
washing
machines
it
was
also
very
dirty

3.
The
issue
of
efficiency
could
be
solved
and
combined
with
an
increase
in
the
number
of
clients
(and
higher
sales)
if
the
place
were
to
be
perceived
as
a
place
where
spending
time
is
nice,
rather
than
a
place
to
get
out
of
as
soon
as
possible.
This
could
be
done
in
a
similar
way
to
that
adopted
by
Starbucks
to
change
the
way
cafeterias
were
perceived.
Better
lighting,
a
personal
touch,
coffee
machines
more
and
more
comfortable
chairs,
perhaps
even
a
gas
fireplace,
could
make
it
a
place
to
hang
out
nicely
while
the
laundry
is
done.
On
the
one
hand
it
would
send
a
positive
message
to
passers-­‐by,
on
the
other
it
would
make
sure
clothes’
owners
are
nearby
when
their
session
is
over,
increasing
the
efficiency
in
turnover.
Additionally,
I
also
noticed
how
a
pleasing
smell
is
taken
advantage
of
in
other
shops
(e.g.
bakeries,
where
sometimes
a
small
fan
is
used
to
diffuse
the
scent
outside),
while
the
same
is
not
done
in
laundry
shops,
but
we
all
know
how
many
people
love
the
smell
of
freshly
washed
&
dried
clothes!
At
the
sport
bets
shop
I
noticed
the
principle
had
been
applied
wonderfully,
the
door
was
always
open,
for
people
outside
to
hear
the
screams
of
delight
or
disappointment
whenever
a
goal
is
scored,
comfortable
chairs
are
set
right
in
front
of
TVs
(they
obviously
want
people
to
spend
as
much
time
as
possible
in
that
shop),
colors
inside
and
on
the
shop
windows
remind
Casinos
and
a
playful
atmosphere,
as
if
betting
money
was
a
perfectly
normal
way
to
spend
time,
just

4. as
good
as
any
other
game.
I
have
been
strongly
discouraged
to
take
pictures
in
that
place,
so
I
don’t
have
any.
Unlike
all
the
other
shops
I
visited
during
the
day,
the
supermarket
had
a
sign
perpendicular
to
the
facade,
so
that
people
didn’t
necessarily
have
to
pass
in
front
of
it
to
see
the
logo
Inside,
human
psicology
was
clearly
taken
into
account,
and
mixed
with
other
non-­‐marketing-­‐related
choices.
Unlike
the
sport
betting
shop,
people
here
were
not
encouraged
to
spend
as
much
time
as
possible,
but
rather
as
few
as
possible
given
the
maximum
amount
of
purchased
items.
Hence,
it
is
not
possible
to
walk
in
and
go
straight
to
the
isle
and
product
you
want,
but
it
is
necessary
to
walk
through
a
mandatory
passage
in
the
fruits
and
vegetables
section.
That’s
not
something
I
notice
for
the
first
time;
what
I
never
noticed
before,
despite
having
visited
this
supermarket
for
5
years,
is
that
some
products
defy
the
“category-­‐related”
rule
that
seems
to
be
at
the
basis
of
any
supermarket
stock
exposition.
For
example,
in
the
breakfast
cereals’
section
there
were
crayons.
At
first
I
was
really
surprised
and
couldn’t
make
the
connection,
but
as
soon
as
I
realized
kids
love
cereals
and
they
also
play
with
crayons
it
seemed
so
obvious
that
I
was
almost
ashamed
of
not
having
made
the
connection
immediately.
It
must
be
that
it’s
been
a
long
while
since
I
might
have
played
with
crayons
at
breakfast,
if
any.
The
same
applies
to
other
products,
such
as
ice
cream
scoops
in
front
of
the
eggs
section.

5.
After
the
supermarket
I
went
to
the
1
euro
shop,
i.e.
a
place
where
really
cheap
items
are
sold,
ideally
all
costing
1
euro
but
actually
being
as
“expensive”
as
5-­‐6.
Here
I
noticed
customers’
psychology
was
far
from
being
taken
into
account,
products
were
randomly
displayed
(thermometers
together
with
air
pumps,
keys,
carabiners,
curtains’
accessories
etc.

6.
Unlike
the
supermarket,
customers
of
this
shop
mostly
didn’t
have
a
specific
product
in
mind
when
they
entered
the
shop,
they
rather
browsed
across
isles
and
products
to
see
if
there
was
anything
they
might
want,
kind
of
like
a
shop-­‐
sized
huge
impulse
purchases
section.
It
is
therefore
interesting
that
a
place
where
psychology
has
such
a
relevant
role
did
not
capitalize
on
this
aspect
at
all.
I
noticed
that
those
that
spent
the
most
in
the
shop
more
often
ended
up
buying
something,
rather
than
feeling
to
have
wasted
10
minutes,
they
preferred
to
spend
1
euro
on
an
item
they
didn’t
really
need.
Hence,
the
shop
might
lend
some
supermarket
technique
and
“lead”
customers
with
product
disposition
to
walk
a
pattern
that
makes
them
see
as
many
products
as
possible,
putting
the
highest
selling
items
at
the
end,
for
all
those
that
arrived
at
that
point
without
having
made
up
their
minds
yet.
Yet
a
very
different
approach
was
used
at
the
decorations
shop.
It
had
a
carefully
designed
sign,
with
a
sticker
on
the
entrance
door
reporting
that
it
was
among
the
old
shops
of
Milan.

7.
A
lot
of
attention
(and
probably
time)
had
also
been
put
in
the
way
things
were
displayed
inside
the
shop.
Unfortunately,
small
details
were
not
coherent
with
the
general
atmosphere
transmitted
by
the
shop,
such
as
for
example
the
shelves
holding
rolls
of
fancy
paper
seemed
straight
out
of
a
warehouse,
metallic
and
not
decorative
at
all.
On
the
one
hand
it
had
a
carefully
built
cozy
home
vibe,
on
the
other
behind
the
counter
one
could
see
a
very
modern
office,
with
computers
and
glass/metal
windows.
If
they
could
match
all
aspects
of
the
shop
their
message
would
not
be
diluted
and
the
shop
would
have
a
more
fitting
characterization.
Finally,
I
went
to
a
bookstore
and
I
immediately
noticed
a
difference
from
the
other
shops.
The
personnel
was
helpful
and
soon
approached
me
to
see
whether
they
could
be
of
help.
Eveything,
from
colors
to
signs
to
product
disposition
seemed
to
have
been
pondered.
The
creative/artsy
section
had
artistically
painted
walls
and
the
overall
feeling
was
of
a
pleasing
place
to
spend
time,
not
only
enter-­‐purchase-­‐exit.

8.
This
feeling
was
strengthened
by
the
presence
of
a
small
bench
to
rest
on.
Unfortunately,
the
bench
was
in
an
uncomfortable
position,
right
in
front
of
the
cashier,
making
it
unsuitable
for
some
reading.
I
think
more
could
be
done
to
involve
clients
into
spending
time
in
their
shop.
I
often
saw
in
Germany
bookstore
where
people
can
sit
in
living
room-­‐like
areas
and
read
as
long
as
they
want,
confident
that
people
will
sooner
or
later
buy
the
book
if
they
like
it.