Sunday, December 20, 2015

Clutter, clutter, everywhere

From The New York Times, Paco Underhill on clutter, retail and domestic:

In supermarkets and big-box stores, the strategic placement of goods is essential in building incremental sales. The origins of the “stack it high and watch it fly” mentality come from the way goods were originally brought into big-box stores: via forklift. As a result, the aspirational spaces we all long for in our homes — clean, uncluttered, perhaps with a few white phalaenopsis orchids sprinkled around — are completely at odds with the stores we shop in.
He goes on to offer some good advice for “consumers” — which would be all of us.

[I have only a slight acquaintance with Underhill’s work. But I can recommend his 1999 book Why We Buy .]

comments: 2

Frex said...

"perhaps with a few white phalaenopsis orchids sprinkled around "

*snorts*

Having just come home from a long day sorting detritus at the Thrift Store, I am delighted with this post
--I can just imagine the thrfit donors thinking,
"I must give all this crap--my water-pic tooth brush, my beat-up old catcher's mitt, my Hello Kitty alarm clock, my valentine candle-holders, my.... [etc.]-- to the Thrift Store so I can live an uncluttered life...[for a minute]."




Michael Leddy said...

Ha!

I’ve wondered whether Marie Kondo’s book has led to increased donations. Certainly our Habitat ReStore has become more cluttered because of our streamlining.