Business: Store
Fibonacci Sequenced Shopping Mart   (+8, -1)  [vote for, against]
Aisles are arranged in the fibonacci sequence.

(linky).

With the proper spacing of aisle tabs, one could stand in the center and see every section very clearly. Then, when ready to go to that section, one would simply choose one of the twelve outwardly spiraling lanes to traverse.

Each section sign would be colored, and each lane entrance would be likewise colored. The center is at the highest point, each of the lanes bieng a very smooth slide down to the outward edges of the store, where little green men in goldcarts will ride you back to the top for your next purchase.

In fact, the whole ensemble would end up looking much like my linked image. I think all types of catalogued stores could do this: grocery stores, librarys, black market arms dealers etc. Seasoned shoppers would learn how to jump sections and take much advantage of the harmonious design.
-- daseva, Jun 21 2005

(?) Fibonacci Sequence http://www.moonstar...ay/images/fibo1.gif
[daseva, Jun 21 2005]

(?) there's nothing random about retail psychology at all! http://www.bized.ac...e/2004_5/140305.htm
not sure quite what you are after at all. [po, Jun 21 2005]

Possible muzak http://www.mcpaulbarman.com/seven.html
[calum, Jun 21 2005]

http://xkcd.com/289/ [normzone, Jun 21 2011]

How’s that again? How do you see everything?
-- ldischler, Jun 21 2005


With thine eyes.

This layout will essentially promote curved design, and this is very chic and space saving. See, you'll start in the center, man. the small aisle cubes will have little signs, and little common items. The larger Aisle cubes further back will have larger signs and larger items.

The signs will be arranged in staggard fashion, and the larger signs will be posted higher than the smaller ones. This way, when you look around you above the aisles, all you see are multicolored signs all around you in a fibonacci pattern.

This is quite neat, because you can then look at the sign color, and choose a lane to walk. Also, judging the size of the sign, you know just how far you have to walk to get there. No wandering, no jumping and scurring around corners looking for the right aisle signs. Just pure fibonacci shopping.

Getting lost? Any lane will take you directly back to the center, provided you are keen enough to walk in decending sign sizes.
-- daseva, Jun 21 2005


What's an "aisle tab" and an "aisle cube"? Sorry.
-- phundug, Jun 21 2005


No, its really me being hasty with words.

An "aisle cube" refers to the four walls of stocked items carved out by four seperate lanes. The "aisle tab" refers to the aisle signs, the aisle markers, if you will, providing a general list of items found at tabbed aisle cube.
-- daseva, Jun 21 2005


This would allow you to find what you wanted quickly, get it, and then leave. I'll bun that, but Tesco's will bone it for sure. The only drawback that I can see is the crowd of people all stood in the centre trying to get the best view.
-- wagster, Jun 21 2005


The center shall be quite large, after all, affording space enough for twelve, say, 5 foot wide lanes. That's a 60 ft circle. That's a 20 ft. diameter. or about 6.5 meters. Probably actually make it a little bigger than that, and the checkout area/parking lot will be completely underneath, with a ramp leading downwards from the center ring of the store.
-- daseva, Jun 21 2005


Good idea but I agree with Pa've. Peapod (stop'n'shop's service) still exists.
-- sartep, Jun 22 2005


I like the idea, but the 20' diam. checkout circle is way, way too small, unless the merchandise is all equipped with RFID tags, the exits with appropriate scanners and something like Exxon's Speedpass system to automatically debit your account, and the entire center circle dedicated to ingress/egress.

Storefronts (big box dealers, of course) around here have as much as 60' of their width dedicated to getting people in and out of the building, and one Target in particular has about 200' of in-store width dedicated to two-deep cashier stations. Local grocers are similarly large scale; 20' won't get it.
-- elhigh, Jun 22 2005


Yeah, definitly true. I didn't realize that, not only would the center circle accomodate 12 radial lanes, but would also need to accomodate 12 aile cubes spaced between. And, given your numbers maybe a diameter around 60 or 80 feet would do. The checkout will not be located in the ring, mind you, so that relieves some of the traffic.
-- daseva, Jun 22 2005


EDJ, that's pretty crummy critisism. Do better or just relieve yourself the effort and bone sans anno.
-- daseva, Jun 22 2005


Only if there was a big mirror across a high ceiling where all this harmony and pattern could be properly appreciated.
-- Soterios, Jun 22 2005


Capitalist pigs suck the big fish bone in grocery distribution.

To mention Mr. Fibonacci in the same paragraph as these smelly holes is pure sacrilege.

On the hunt for gangstyer 234 trying to sell shit to New Zealand. Are you too chicken to sell in your own useless a?
-- mensmaximus, Jun 22 2005


[Sot], check it out. The mirror idea is very good, but visual patterns will already exist. standing in the center, you'll see a condenced fibonacci pattern all around you in the "aisle tabs". this is because the tabs at the front will be smaller and will raise of the top of the aisles less. As the Aisle cubes move outwards, their cooresponding tabs will become larger, and will be raised higher in the air. This way, you see all the tabs when standing in the center. The tabs will be color coded based on the leading lane that passes them, so there will be a rainbow fibonacci sequence of increasingly larger tabs as you look upwards off the tops of the aisles form the center. N.B. this beauty will, for the most part, only work when standing in the center... Capice? I'd draw it, but it's actually harder to draw than describe. Anyone up for it?
-- daseva, Jun 22 2005



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