Scanning
I was walking through one of those "alternative" grocery stores that are so popular here in Southern California called Lazy Acres (basically, a Whole Foods clone) looking for Cilantro-flavored toothpaste. (Don't worry, I didn't actually find it.) I was wandering aimlessly through the aisles, and it struck me that I was having difficulty finding the toothpaste section.
This is unusual for me. If I go into a mainstream retailer like CVS, Target, or Ralph's, I'm going to scan the isles from the end, spot the toothpaste section very quickly, and make a beeline for it.
Why, then, was it so difficult to spot the aisle containing the toothpaste at this other store?
I realized it was because, in the absence of any major brands, there were no visual cues about where things should be. If you're walking around CVS looking for cold medicine, chances are good you'll spot the NyQuil bottles from a distance. The familiar green bottle stands out. And you can safely expect the other cold medicines to be located pretty close to it.
In this store, all of the boxes looked the same. I've got nothing against Tom's of Maine, but their packaging is not distinct in any way. Neither are the others. The colors are bland, so all the toothpastes look about the same if you're just scanning. And more importantly, just by scanning, you can't tell the boxes of toothpaste from the boxes of hemorrhoid cream. About the only way to do this is to lean in and read the words on the package.
I'm a savvy shopper. It's typical of most males, but I'm accustomed to getting in, getting what I need, and getting out quickly. My brain is full of heuristics that enable me to streamline this process. If I get tripped up, I'm going to get slightly frustrated, probably blame the store, and leave. Even if I find what I came for, it's one of those tiny events that, in aggregate with other things, can turn a good day into a bad one.
In general, I'm perfectly capable of learning, and I'm willing to learn, new heuristics...but they do have to be there.
This is unusual for me. If I go into a mainstream retailer like CVS, Target, or Ralph's, I'm going to scan the isles from the end, spot the toothpaste section very quickly, and make a beeline for it.
Why, then, was it so difficult to spot the aisle containing the toothpaste at this other store?
I realized it was because, in the absence of any major brands, there were no visual cues about where things should be. If you're walking around CVS looking for cold medicine, chances are good you'll spot the NyQuil bottles from a distance. The familiar green bottle stands out. And you can safely expect the other cold medicines to be located pretty close to it.
In this store, all of the boxes looked the same. I've got nothing against Tom's of Maine, but their packaging is not distinct in any way. Neither are the others. The colors are bland, so all the toothpastes look about the same if you're just scanning. And more importantly, just by scanning, you can't tell the boxes of toothpaste from the boxes of hemorrhoid cream. About the only way to do this is to lean in and read the words on the package.
I'm a savvy shopper. It's typical of most males, but I'm accustomed to getting in, getting what I need, and getting out quickly. My brain is full of heuristics that enable me to streamline this process. If I get tripped up, I'm going to get slightly frustrated, probably blame the store, and leave. Even if I find what I came for, it's one of those tiny events that, in aggregate with other things, can turn a good day into a bad one.
In general, I'm perfectly capable of learning, and I'm willing to learn, new heuristics...but they do have to be there.