Ethics and Sustainability

Ethics and Sustainability

Lawrence Richards Yr2 Ba DESIGN

For Mathilda tham and Hannah Jones. March 2011

The supermarket is a contemporary hub of modern community, economic infrastructure and social integrity. It has grown from the premise of necessity and become an idealised institution. As an institution, it is a place of disparates, constantly striving to be in balance.

It has become a community hub and a transport centre. It not only draws customers in on a local level but the siting of such places have impacted on transport links, neighbourhood layouts and town planning. The New Cross Gate Sainsbury’s has prime examples of this. Many buses terminate at the front door of the store, the 321 running a shuttle link to Lewisham in this manner, offering local connections and a feel of easy access from one town centre to another (even if the latter town centre is itself a supermarket). Other buses stop at a predetermined bus stop on the main New Cross Road closer to the store than other bus stops in the area, presumably altered at the time of the stores opening. The store is also located centrally to the Overground and National Rail station, plus a further 2 stations are nearby. The major transport link that is incongruous to other stores or alternates to the supermarket is the car park. For the location it is a massive part of the site, from a satellite image it takes up more than the footprint of the store itself. It is this mass of concrete that – often only half full – encourages car users in, gives an extra option transport tethering of the store to the network. The car park accepts a diversity of user, offering parking bays for regular users (whatever that may imply) Elderly, disabled and family bays. Pedestrians have their own direct access via covered walkway, zebra crossings and gated entrances. The site is afforded three legitimate entrances plus a further one through the back of the store that is less advertised.

Introduction

Site research.

Further internal research and dilemmas,

but, it is not the case. Drinks offers can be seen in isolation at random places around the store, on end aisles and occasionally at the main door.

The more I thought about it, and tried to find further semiotic descriptions of the layout, I came back to supermarket psychology. Reading into it the notion of having the bakery at the back is encouraged by “Supermarkets hit upon the idea of placing the essentials, such as bread and milk, at the back of the shop. This is in order to make people have to walk past the rest of the produce, and heighten the possibility of impulse buys..”2this concurs with the location of the bakery at the back of the store, in the centre, along with the diary. Another article argued positively that the supermarket had behaved ethically correctly on the subject of barn eggs versus free range eggs “I did notice some barn eggs which I would also discourage people from buying and it was obvious that Sainsburys felt the same way because these were on the bottom shelf. I would not have noticed them had I not been looking so hard at the whole display.”3 In this case a positive usage of the psychology of supermarkets has been enforced, drawing attention away from poorer quality, inhumanely produced products in accordance with Eye level marketing2. However, similarly the cheaper less quality foods are also raised to more prominent places. ‘Basics’ ranges, were almost solely placed at the bottom of racks, out of the way. Does this encourage users to purchase more expensive food because it is easier to locate and identify and also because it potentially would have social stigma to be seen reaching for cheaper food products on lower shelves? There is a real semiotic indication that the height of the item on the shelf would indicate it’s quality.

Inside the store the aisles are laid out in a seemingly linear pattern, adhering simply to the rectangular format of the footprint. Some items seem well placed to afford users an efficient and quick visit to the store, such as the magazine rack located on to the left of the entrance, along with cards, birthday/celebratory paraphernalia, stationary, snacks and cigarettes. Progressing further into the store you encounter the fresh produce aisles which give off relatively appealing aromas of fruits and vegetables, perhaps to coax in prospective clients, perhaps to present an appealing front to the store, a nature facade to the rows and rows of boxed and packaged, branded and presented. The deli’s follow a curvature around the left side of the store towards the back, continuing the fresh food theme, leading the customer through the best parts of the store (the fresh counters and store produced items) leading onto the bakery. With its appealing visual and olfactory sensations the bakery is a good place to have a relatively central location at the back of the store. The rest of the aisles are lacking in character moving from left to right in the store; chilled goods, dairy, seasonal ‘special goods’, free from aisle, dried foods, world foods, cleaning products, tea/coffee, biscuits and chocolate and frozen. The Alcohol section is at the back notably and here I think lies a product of supermarket psychology. Alcohol is usually bought as a sole item, especially so as off licences take the role of purveying alcohol without the necessity of extraneous foods or commodities. However in the supermarket instead of being easy access similar to the magazines and celebratory goods, they take up one of the furthest points from the front door. There is also the stigma of promoting goods of a alcoholic nature, therefore it could be possible they inhabit a clandestine area to conform with governmental conditions of legality1,

Response to visual research

DilemmasI identified to types of dilemma that were present at the site, many more aligned with these themes. The obvious dilemmas present themselves as obstacles4, these are the ones we are aware of, the ones we notice, accept, yet still pose a question to the necessity of their existence (as entities; signs, adverts, borders, fences, railings, car parks etc).

Then there are the hidden the clandestine dilemmas that although are subjective to the user, are capable of a similar form of intervention as are the former. These are the hidden dilemmas.

Overt dilemmas

Internal dilemmas I notice whilst inside were;The advertising of alcohol and the pressure on customers to purchase large amounts at once, inferring binge drinking.Placing offers on end of aisles, funnelling customers down a corridor of offers that are rarely what they intend on purchasing.Placing goods that are not traditionally attributed to supermarkets in prominent places, marking a monopolisation of the supermarkets presence.Placement of items in terms of height/shelf dependancy on price of popularity, implying a class based system of quality depending on the foods location.2

Hidden dilemmas

I believe the notion that the supermarket is, almost naturally regarded as a hub of transport is an affront to local businesses and as such an unethical entity. It was reported Tesco recently invested in a park and ride system incorporated at their large branch in Tunbridge Wells5. Having plowed a large amount into the scheme, Tesco not only secured “planning consent granted for a new store”5 but guaranteed another bus route directly to the new store door. Furthermore negatives included congestion with worries “buses would be caught in traffic congestion”, it puts into question, what is the outcome of a system added to a community centre without the intention of the people themselves? This attitude of large companies spending money directly on extracting customers from other areas creates a pseudo-buyer, someone who is forced through gratitude to accept and be grateful for the convenience of such implemented measures.

Deptford art map, now the South London Art map

Edinburgh ‘Innertube’ City bike map

Intervention 1

One solution would be to remove supermarkets ability to command such abilities to enforce modified transport, such as the park and ride system and local buses. But these are surely useful and practical benefits to local people. Elderly and Disabled surely benefit more from them than the majority. Perhaps the solution would better lie in the better access to other alternates to the over-bearance on the easiest option.

To tackle the problem of a proliferation of transport options linking users and oversimplifying the journey to and from the supermarket I propose a focus on informing and engaging people with other options for the local area. Like most neighbourhoods within the footprint of a supermarkets catchment there are a number of great and useful shops, markets and more community oriented institutions that are available but either unknown or only known by locals. The appeal of the supermarket is its brand value, its safety and integrity at providing a repetitive service. The notion once you have been to one Sainsbury’s the next will be the same or very similar, and that the discrepancy between layout, value and quality will

be little if none. This is something a local neighbourhood market has no problem with handling, although the influx of seasonal foods could affect the reliability a user would have, in a time where seasons in supermarkets have ceased to exist. So if local markets can support themselves then the missing link is local knowledge. To expand a businesses user base the most obvious solution is advertising. But does the local producer need to spend money on advertising? According to recent research “Markets create twice as many jobs as supermarkets and food is half the price”6 therefore there is no real necessity to create more revenue, in the way that current advertising is used. It is very much in the interests of the users that gain the benefits of the knowledge of where the alternates are. To remap the area, it is not just about collating a list of destinations but an integration of an already existing device in a subtle way. An existing example of revitalising and rediscovering the bike trails around edinburgh were made through the ‘Innertube’ map7 which appropriated the stylistic aesthetic of the london underground in edinburgh. A successful basis to build it on is the Deptford art map (now the south london art map)8. It recognised the need for a localised map that had enough scope to provide coverage for small studios and artists in the whole area.

171/172Bus route

171/172Bus route

171/172Bus route

436Bus route

436Bus route Deptford Market

453Bus route

453Bus route

Mapping the existing bus routes allows users to feel a sence of affinity with the map, having already memorised the routes if one would live in the local area. Therefore the addition would seem more sympathic rather than a hostile implementation such as the previously reference tesco schems

Proposed map, folded and positioned akin to an existing London underground map. The advantages of this style are the portability, plus appropriating a already comfortable prescedent facilitates an easy intergration.

ImplementationTo implement this kind of scheme it needs to be something that can integrate easily and be appropriated without being a major financial or cultural shock. I’ve taken the design from the classic tube iconography that was also appropriated on the ‘Innertube’7 maps. The aesthetics will easily be recognised by users of the London transport system whilst retaining the integrity of the brand. There also has to be an element of tourist approval and the branding of the signage will reflect the iconic status of the london underground.

To incorporate it directly I mapped out the bus routes in the area that offer the most simplest and easy access to the local markets and alternate suppliers. Some of the suppliers are less well known or difficult to get to. This is where appropriating a strong visual aesthetic such as the London Underground iconography would potentially

help users, locals and visitors orient themselves. Also without changing any existing bus routes little new has to be learnt, whilst at the same time appropriating the convenience of supermarket shuttle bus systems and park and rides.

The maps would be available in all the shops and markets participating in the scheme, and in london transport stations and suppliers. This has been proven to work with the success of the Deptford8 art map, originally a scattered collection of artists promoting each other in the Deptford area, the popularity and enthusiastic network has enlarged to the whole of South London.

Intervention 2

Implementation

To combat the over-prominence of the supermarket psychology scheme taking over the opinion of the user I propose a user defined aisle-less supermarket layout. This would mimic tradition markets of the world that rather predict a customers desire, respond and supply through expeience only what the customer needs 9

I propose an entire redesign of the supermarket experience. Rounded aisles that rotate slowly allow a completely unprejudiced selection of goods, that never fall into the category of closest or further away from the user. With no middle aisle, no preference can be made towards any one end of the supermarket. Without a typical ‘wall’ of aisle there would be no funnelling from of the customer through end of line offers.

Each rotating ‘aisle’ would have a selection of products a similar genre that would be picked by popularity of customer. The least important products would be removed pending an investigation into whether their presence is justifiable.

User defined products fill the shelves.

modified ‘aisles’ revolve to show all stock without plac-ing a precedence on any particular item. Moving at a pace slow enough to allow less able users access.

The imparial nature of the ‘aisles’ transcends the fundamental notions of supermarket psychology, allowing more access and a beneficial floorplan.

The modified sections would be more accessible

to the Elderly and less able users, raising the

products up to an optimum level.

The methods I have put into place are grand and are an attempt at making a bold statement or proposal, much in the similar vein of the futurists in their manifesto10. They may not be ultimately investable on the scale I intend but their collective intentions should at least spark a consideration for whether the current system is really the best. In the case of improving food supply systems and accommodating for future hardships any knowledge or consideration will help in the adjustment to a less consumer culture and more holistic, localised network.

The future of the designs lay open, they can easily be added upon, particularly the modified map, changes in bus routes or additions in local companies that wish to be involved can be intergrated. The system could be extrapolated to other areas in London, and in a similar manner to the aggrandisement of the South London art map, could be the start of something that becomes in itself an entity and ultimately runs itself.

Conclusion

The Future

Bibliography

Reading list

1. http://www.parliament.uk/briefingpapers/commons/lib/research/briefings/snha-05351.pdf ALCOHOL SALE LEGALITY

2. eye level marketing, psychology of supermarkets http://www.syncrat.com/7jb

3 . http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/offline-shopping-misc/sainsburys/1436133/

4. Flusser, Vilém. The Shape of Things: A Philosophy of Design. 1999

5. http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/kent-and-sussex-courier-the-tunbridge-wells-ed/mi_8138/is_20110204/supermarkets-pounds-1m-park-ride/ai_n56806290/

6. http://www.neweconomics.org/press-releases/markets-create-twice-many-jobs-supermarkets-and-food-half-price

http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/T4PM/futurist-manifesto.html

7. Innertube map http://www.thebikestation.org.uk/innertube-map/

8. http://www.southlondonartmap.com/

9. The future of food / written & presented by George Alagiah; produced & directed by Gareth Williams. Episode 1. 2009.

10. Futurist manifesto http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/T4PM/futurist-manifesto.html

Dittmar, Hank. Transport and neighbourhoods. The edge futures. 2008.

Slater, Don. Consumer culture & Modernity. 1997.

Tilder, Lisa and Blostein, Beth (editors). Design ecologies. 2010.

Flusser, Vilém. The Shape of Things: A Philosophy of Design. 1999.

[Various authors of the RSA] On community and environment. 1999.

The future of food / written & presented by George Alagiah; produced & directed by Gareth Williams. BBC, 2009.