The supermarket is one of the places we frequent the most throughout the week, however, not everyone, when they go shopping, realizes that the majority of locations dedicated to this function do not have windows or, If you are tired, you will meet at the front of the store.
If we appreciate this curious detail, don't worry, it is possible that we pay close attention to the architectural characteristics of the building in which it is understood and that everything is to buy food, not to admire the designer. However, for those who avidly observed that the why of things is asked, it is possible that the following doubt assails them: if supermarkets had windows, would it be easier to deviate from our main task?
Why don't supermarkets have windows?
The truth is that there are several tricks used by supermarkets so that we do our shopping for longer. One of them is, of course, the absence of windows. "[Stores] want to create a separate environment within their store, where the outside world doesn't exist," explained Andrei Vasilescu, a shopping expert who has studied shopper behaviors and the psychology behind such acts. “You are not distracted by the rain, the sun or the fact that your children are waiting in the parking lot. Your whole focus is on the shopping experience,” Vasilescu revealed. This technique also prevents shoppers, for example, from noticing that it's getting dark. Therefore, this technique really contributes to an "immersive" shopping experience, both for better and for worse.
Also, keeping daylight out of these types of stores can help preserve produce, and some foods may spoil faster in direct sunlight. Too much exposure to soil can cause labels on containers to fade. Likewise, having large windows in supermarkets will decrease the space available for displaying products. “Exterior walls have strong structural supports and can hold the heaviest items on the shelves on those walls,” explains architect Margine Biswas. Not to mention that "windows and storefronts are expensive and retailers want to minimize the cost of construction." And finally, she adds that windows can present security concerns as "retailers want to minimize as many points of entry into their space as possible."
With light or without natural light?
However, there are certain stable foundations that are testing how customers will react to brighter supermarkets, whether with more windows or a dome on the roof. Some tests that Aldi supermarkets are carrying out in some areas of Germany. However, success was mixed.
Some of the shops that used this technique, suffered some mishaps in several of their gingerbread products, which quickly erred due to sunlight. Also, it is necessary to replace the video with specially designed panels to help reduce the calorific potential and ultraviolet radiation.
Finally, a 2002 National Renewable Energy Laboratory study evaluated the effects of daylight on shoppers and found that shoppers were much more comfortable when there was more natural light around. We will also be able to better identify both products and other people in the store. However, it's worth noting that this study evaluated natural light in all retail spaces, not just supermarkets.
