Pet Hates........or FFS

[Marco]

No it isn't, it is designed to be uncomfortable for everyone, especially the target audience! If you don't believe me go in one and hang about for an hour and watch how quickly people of all ages are in and out.

Yes, but that could simply be because of their busy lives. It is a FAST FOOD chain, after all, for folks who want to eat something quickly!

Therefore, how do you gauge whether a customer doesn't stay long because of the 'psychological discomfort' you've subliminally inflicted on them, and simply their OWN desire not to stay long, no matter how comfortable or uncomfortable it was?

Everyone is running about like headless chickens these days, with no time to relax, for all sorts of reasons! And not just in fast-food restaurants either.

Marco.

[Marco]

And we all know what they do to you at the drive-thru...


yes a lot of people prefer to eat it in their car than go in. Because the interior of your car has been designed to be a psychologically pleasant environment - so the exact opposite of Maccy D's.

On the *very* rare occasion I frequent the local Burger King, the food purchased is taken home to eat, as that's my "psychologically pleasant environment"

Plus, no eating is allowed in my car, although it's so clean inside you could eat off the floor - if it was allowed!

Marco.

[Marco]

Well I heard that you put the 'linger' into 'lingerie department', and that you did go there. A lot.

I certainly used to 'linger' chatting to the manageress, who was a babe, and if she liked you, sometimes modelled the stock

Marco.

[Marco]

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/ho...ore-2018-03-23


Of course, McDonald’s — which did not respond to requests for comment on these strategies — isn’t the only restaurant that uses these techniques. Food retailers try everything from menu fonts to the color of the walls to influence how much a customer eats, how their food tastes, and how long they stay.

Also from your link:

Your craving for a quick Big Mac may send you to the door of a McDonald’s MCD, -0.57% but once you’re inside the restaurant, a carefully orchestrated set of sensory cues work together to maximize your spending and minimize your discomfort.

Note MINIMIZE, not maximize!

The rest of the article I don't dispute. There's no doubt that they don't want people to stay in restaurants any longer than necessary (so they will try to control that), but contrary to your suggestion, there is no deliberate intention to inflict 'psychological discomfort' on customers.

Marco.

[Marco]

What I truly hate is shopping at Ikea and/or B&Q. We always seem to spend ages drifting round them and either leave empty-handed or, in the case of Ikea, with something we don't really want or need, but feel obliged to buy to offset the hours of our lives we've wasted.

Why go though, if there's nothing you specifically need?

Especially to Ikea, as unless you're lucky enough to have one on your doorstep, it invariably involves a bit of a trek, in our case, around 40 miles, as our nearest store is in Warrington.

Therefore, we go with a written list of items we specifically want, having first identified them and verified stock availability at our nearest store on the IKEA website, so as not to have a wasted journey. When we go round the store in question, we usually pick up a few extra bits, but only if it's something we really need, otherwise the list is strictly adhered to!

It's called being organised, rather than wandering around aimlessly, like a zoomer

Marco.

[Macca]

Also from your link:



Note MINIMIZE, not maximize!

The rest of the article I don't dispute. There's no doubt that they don't want people to stay in restaurants any longer than necessary (so they will try to control that), but contrary to your suggestion, there is no deliberate intention to inflict 'psychological discomfort' on customers.

Marco.

It means minimize your discomfort at spending money. Look at the context.

[Marco]

Sure, but there's nothing that indicates a deliberate intention to inflict 'psychological discomfort' [or indeed any other form of discomfort] on customers, as you are claiming. The opposite is more likely, and making things comfortable/simple, in order to encourage customers to spend money!

Marco.

[Joe]

Why go though, if there's nothing you specifically need?

Especially to Ikea, as unless you're lucky enough to have one on your doorstep, it invariably involves a bit of a trek, in our case, around 40 miles, as our nearest store is in Warrington.

Therefore, we go with a written list of items we specifically want, having first identified them and verified stock availability at our nearest store on the IKEA website, so as not to have a wasted journey. When we go round the store in question, we usually pick up a few extra bits, but only if it's something we really need, otherwise the list is strictly adhered to!

I rarely go to Ikea, though the nearest one's only three miles away. Last time we went to look at sofas (nothing felt comfortable to sit on) and lamps (nothing we liked). We bought some tea towels. B&Q's five miles away; we went there to look at shower units, but also checked out lamps (all rubbish) but we did find a suitable shower unit. I just dislike big shops really.

[alphaGT]

I rarely go to Ikea, though the nearest one's only three miles away. Last time we went to look at sofas (nothing felt comfortable to sit on) and lamps (nothing we liked). We bought some tea towels. B&Q's five miles away; we went there to look at shower units, but also checked out lamps (all rubbish) but we did find a suitable shower unit. I just dislike big shops really.

I sympathize, I don’t have the legs of a young man, and I have not set foot in a Walmart or large hardware store in many years. There’s a grocery store within 2 miles of my house, and if they don’t have it, I don’t eat it.

When I shop, I would rather spend a few cents more and support a small, local business, that specializes in the product I’m shopping for. Increasingly I shop online! And I’m terrible about buying small items from eBay, it always seems like my birthday when a package arrives in the mail!

Russell

[Pigmy Pony]

Sure, but there's nothing that indicates a deliberate intention to inflict 'psychological discomfort' [or indeed any other form of discomfort] on customers, as you are claiming. The opposite is more likely, and making things comfortable/simple, in order to encourage customers to spend money!

Marco.

Marco, your argument seems well reasoned, but if you are drawing on your experiences in retail, you may be a little out of date - I'm sure that there have been plenty of re-thinking during the last 30 years or so, and the psychology of shopping will have become something of a science. And in an earlier post you questioned how we could tell whether our need to get out of there soonish is due to it being made psychologically uncomfortable by subliminal methods. The answer is: you can't! That's because it's subliminal!

Also, as you admit to never having darkened their door, then your view wouldn't necessarily be any more valid than me posting a review of say, Rammstein, having never heard anything by them. I reckon you should visit a Maccie's and 'take one for the team', you'll have burnt it off by autumn, a few days of raking leaves should do the trick.

IMO, they don't deliberately set out to make their restaurants uncomfortable, I think they look the way they do for practical reasons (primary colours to attract the young kids, after all they're the ones running things these days, and also wipe clean surfaces because they're sloppy little shites).

I do quite like their coffees, though I only ever use the drive-thru.

Fast food outlets get a lot of bad press, but I don't see what's wrong with them. Look at my avatar - that body didn't build itself you know.