I love these new handbaskets that have recently debuted in a NYC drug store chain. This evolved handbasket not only is more comfortable and easy to move for consumers, but it is deeper, and therefore can carry more items, thereby also encouraging higher ticket sizes for the store as one’s shopping is now no longer limited to how much weight one can carry up to the register.
Behaviors
March 29, 2009
August 01, 2008
Public Seating
To what extent does the provider of public seating (in a park, on a train, on a bus etc.) need to "recommend" an appropriate amount of space for one to occupy? Some subway trains have seating which is essentially one long bench - allowing passengers to negotiate and compromise with each other to conclude what is deemed a socially acceptable seat size. Other subway trains have designated seats in that each seat is colored alternatively against the next, and shaped concavely so people "know" how much room to take up. However, the barriers which are implied and signaled in this seat configuration are easily overcome as there is nothing to stop a person from spilling over into more than one seat. In other instances, such as the wooden bench in front of an office building, seat size has been designated by high barriers which are more difficult to overcome. It does seem that the seat space on this bench is wider, compensating for the difficulty of overcoming the barrier by allowing for greater variation in body size. Are recommended seat sizes different from country to country, assuming that average adult sizes vary from culture to culture? Do seat sizes need to be adjusted over time to reflect the changing average sizes of its citizens?
July 26, 2008
Religion at Work
A devout Muslim praying in the afternoon in the middle of midtown Manhattan got me thinking about religion in the workplace. Is this man able to freely practice his religion due to the relative un-restrictive nature of his workplace (essentially, a public sidewalk)? If he worked in an office, store, restaurant etc., would he still be able to take time out of his day, find a spot which pointed towards Mecca, lay down his kilim and pray in peace without drawing unwanted attention (or worse, criticism from his colleagues and manager)? Or would he have to conform to the accepted corporate culture of the establishment in which he works?
Traffic Flow
The trash can in the foreground is one located just before the exit to this subway station. Not surprisingly, it has filled up at a much faster rate than that at which the cleaners can empty them as passengers will drop off their garbage on their way out of the station. However, you will notice another trash can in the background of this photo that is completely empty. Even though it is merely a few steps away from this very full trash can, people are reluctant to “back-track” on their way out of the station and insist on leaving their garbage in (or in this case, around) an already full trash can. (Further, during rush hour, it is probably impossible to back-track as one would be moving in the opposite flow of traffic). Natural crowd flows should be acknowledged in this case by moving the garbage can in the background upfront next to the one near the exit.
