Our group investigated the Whole Foods Market at Union
Square. I have been to two Whole Foods, one was this one, and the other one was
at East Houston Street. I had to say, this one was relatively crowded because
Union Square is a main transfer station and a site at downtown Manhattan. After
reading the Hiss and the Underhill articles, it really helped me to understand
a space, especially crowded space like Manhattan.
Not before entering the Whole Foods Market, one of the
things that we all agreed was the entrance was somehow confusing. Although
there is a small sign that shows the exit is “not an entrance” (duh!), people
that goes inside can be trapped by this inconvenient design. As soon as we
walked inside, my brain began to process and receive different information
about this place, although it was not the first time that I was here. The first
thing that showed up was some fancy juices and artesian water. Then the bread
and bakery products. It makes sense because people can easily get through a
meal with some bread and water or ever juice.
Next, some promotion products came to our sight. I
remembered it was coconut water, and I remembered it because one of my friends
told me this particular coconut water (100% Raw Coconut Water), that are
regularly $4.99 for 500ml that is now $1.99 for 200ml in a smaller size. There
was also a sign that was medium sized to promote it. Without further
calculation, this seems like a pretty great deal. However, if we dig a little
bit deeper, everything becomes clear---it was not a great deal. Signs like that
will create an illusion for customers that they will purchase it. Sadly, there
was quite an amount of people who really thought it is worth it.
As I walked to the escalator, there is a boiled food
section, which was a major reason people, or at least my friend and classmate
David come here---to eat some fresh but delicious food. After I took the
escalator to go downstairs, something was just off, or very different from the
first floor. Perhaps this is the “Simultaneous Perception” that Hiss wrote
about. As for design aspect, the first floor was more like an actual market,
whereas the underground floor looks like a supermarket, where everything is on
the shelves. As a pass through the pharmacy section, there was an artificial
scent like smoke mixed with perfume that really annoyed me.
When I tried to take the escalator to go upstairs, I had
some trouble finding it. In my opinion, the two escalator should be parallel.
After I got to the second floor, the simultaneous perception factor was restarted.
In comparison to the dining area at East Houston Street, this one is smaller in
size, but more reasonable in its layout. There are areas for to-go customers
who just need to finish their food and get lost, and there are also areas for
proper dining featuring long tables.
The Hiss and Underhill reading truly helped me with my
perception in a space. I wish to explore more open areas such as Times Square
or some boutiques such as Barneys or Bergdorf Goodman.
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