1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,480 Speaker 1: Guess what gave? What's that? Man? Go? So I was 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: looking online and I stumbled into Michelangelo's grocery list. Well, 3 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: already like where this is going? So tell me what 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: what do I need to buy to be on the 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: Michelangelo diet? Well, a lot of bread and a lot 6 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: of fish apparently, and being a genius, he didn't write 7 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: out his list for others to do a shopping. Instead, 8 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,600 Speaker 1: he mostly drew it. So on a scroll you might 9 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: find like two bread rolls or a herring, like he 10 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: draw the specific type of fish he wanted. Also, he'd 11 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 1: have these like gloriously plump bowls of salad and anchovies. 12 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: And sometimes he draw out the preparations, like if he 13 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: wanted fennel served a certain way, he might draw stewed fennel. 14 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: And for wine, he drawed like not just a small 15 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: jug of wine, but also he placed that next to 16 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: a larger jug of wine, so to be clear, he 17 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: wanted two jugs of wine. Always okay, good thinking, but 18 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: I mean he was Italian. So what about pasta? Did 19 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: he draw out all the different noodle shapes too? Well? 20 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: Weirdly he wrote the pasta out like maybe he didn't 21 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: feel like his sketches did pasta justice. But reading about 22 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: Michelangelo's grocery list got is interested in the birth of 23 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: the grocery store, Like, how did these shops evolve into 24 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: the supermarkets we know today? What innovations have they brought 25 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: into our lives? And why are they always trying to 26 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: manipulate us? So that's what today's show is all about. 27 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: Let's dive in a their podcast. Listeners, welcome to part 28 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: time Genius and mongis Tigula and my good pal Will 29 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: Pearson is off on holiday, so instead I've got the 30 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: wonderful Gabe Luiz here on the line with me. How 31 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: are you doing, Gabe, I'm doing great, happy to be here. Yeah, 32 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: we're thrilled to have you too. And on the other 33 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: side of the soundproof glass trying his hand at the 34 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: fine art of citrus stacking. That's our friend and producer 35 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: Tristan McNeil and gave. I know you can't see it, 36 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: but this is a mighty fine pyramid of oranges he's 37 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: got going on over here. I'll take your word for it, 38 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: but I mean, you know what's funny is that Johannes Kepler. 39 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: He was the first person to suggest that a pyramid 40 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 1: was the best way to stack three D spheares, you know, 41 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 1: stuff like cannonballs or oranges. And this was way back 42 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: in sixteen eleven. But sadly, Kepler was never able to 43 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: prove his theory on paper. But in a university student 44 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: named Thomas Hales he took up the challenge and he 45 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: published a three hundred page proof on Kepler's behalf. But 46 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: Kepler was absolutely right in the end, like, pyramids really 47 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: are the best way to stack your spears. I can't 48 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 1: believe you brought this back to Kepler, but I do 49 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: like how it took four centuries and three of paper 50 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: to like confirm how to best stack fruit. And meanwhile, 51 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: like groceries have known the right way to do this 52 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: all along, right, Oh yeah, definitely. Over the years, grocery 53 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: stores have grown into a complex and carefully tailored industry, 54 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: and I was looking to this. You know, today they're 55 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: roughly thirty eight thousand grocery stores in the US, which 56 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: together bring in about six hundred seventy billion dollars in 57 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: sales each year. So with that in mind, I thought 58 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: we should take a look at the enormous role of 59 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: supermarkets have played. Not only in our economy, but in 60 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 1: the development of our society as well, from how they've 61 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: up ended the way we shop to all the little 62 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: and subtle ways they manipulated us. So I thought, maybe 63 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 1: gave you should kick this off. Sure, So I thought 64 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: we could start by tracing the evolution of grocery stores 65 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: and sort of charting all the ways they've gradually changed 66 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: over the years. And so the roots of modern grocery 67 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,640 Speaker 1: stores in the US they really lie in the small 68 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: regional chain stores that started cropping up drilling during the 69 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: early twentieth century. And these early grocery stores were much 70 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: smaller than what were you too. They typically were less 71 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: than a thousand square feet, and of course that also 72 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: meant they stocked much fewer products and in fact, stores 73 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: of this era they typically carried only one type of 74 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,839 Speaker 1: grocery and these were the so called dry groceries, so 75 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:19,479 Speaker 1: things like canned goods, spices, and other non perishable stuff. Right, 76 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: So there was no produced, no meat, no dairy, none 77 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: of that stuff. Nope, nope, none of that. This was 78 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 1: still a time when customers had to visit a number 79 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: of separate specialty shops in order to get every item 80 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: on their lists. So you'd head to the grocery store 81 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,600 Speaker 1: for your dry goods, but then you'd also stop off 82 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: at the butcher shop for your meat, a green grocer 83 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,119 Speaker 1: for your produce, a creamery for your milk and butter 84 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: and so on. I mean, really, if you think grocery 85 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: shopping is a hassle today, back then it was an 86 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 1: all day affair. You know, That's actually how it was 87 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: an India when I'd go there as a kid, And 88 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:54,679 Speaker 1: I mean, it was an all day but it definitely 89 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: took a few hours. And it used to be so 90 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,359 Speaker 1: fun to go to the market because my Grandmam actually 91 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: knew each of the like shop keeps, and she'd asked 92 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: about their families and their days, and then she'd love 93 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 1: haggling with them. And it's more like our relationship to 94 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: the farmer's market, you know that we go to every Sunday. 95 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: But now my family in India just goes to like 96 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,799 Speaker 1: a supermarket, just the same way we do in the States. 97 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: And you know, it's much more efficient, but it's also 98 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 1: it feels so much more anonymous and less personal. I 99 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: I really missed that. But you know, thinking back about 100 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: the U S, I I guess the one stop shop 101 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 1: supermarkets that were used to really weren't a possibility until 102 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 1: things like refrigeration or whatever became more mainstream. Right, yeah, exactly. 103 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: But that's not to say that, you know, there weren't 104 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: plenty of grocery innovations in the meantime. For instance, one 105 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: of the biggest shakeups came in nineteen sixteen, and that 106 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:50,039 Speaker 1: was when an entrepreneur named Clarence Saunders. He opened his 107 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:55,280 Speaker 1: first Piggly Wiggly store in Memphis and uh and Saunders store. 108 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: It was special because it introduced America to the idea 109 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 1: of self service shopping. I mean, it's weird to think 110 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: about now, but old style grocery stores were set up 111 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: to have the clerks do all the shopping for you. 112 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: So customers would hand over a list of all the 113 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: items they wanted and then one of the employees would 114 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: move from shelf to shelf, bagging up the different items 115 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:18,599 Speaker 1: as they went. But in saunders knew do it yourself 116 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: style store, the customers collected all the items themselves for 117 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 1: the very first time. I mean, it's funny because you 118 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: have things like insta car and that's basically sending people 119 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 1: a list to do your shopping for you. But that's 120 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: a full circle. I'm curious, like, how did customers take 121 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 1: to that new approach, Like did they like the independence 122 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,039 Speaker 1: or did they miss being weighted on? There was a 123 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 1: mixer reactions. There were reports of confused customers who would 124 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:45,839 Speaker 1: flag down stock boys to fetch items for them, only 125 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: to be told that wasn't how things worked at the 126 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: Piggly Wiggly, So you know, there was a bit of 127 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 1: a learning curve, but for the most part, people took 128 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,359 Speaker 1: to the new self service style pretty well, and a 129 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,839 Speaker 1: big part of that was just how much faster the 130 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: do it yourself them was once people got to know 131 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:04,280 Speaker 1: the layout of the store. And of course it also 132 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: helped that the prices at the Piggly Wiggly were lower, 133 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:08,719 Speaker 1: and that was due to the fact that the store 134 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,400 Speaker 1: didn't have to employ an army of clerks. So in 135 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: the end, you know, customers responded so strongly to the 136 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: store that within a year of its opening, there were 137 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: already nine Piggy Wiggly locations around the Memphis area. And 138 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: Saunders was so pleased with his store of success that 139 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: he actually made a pretty lofty prediction to the people 140 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: of his hometown. So he said quote, one day Memphis 141 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: shall be proud of Piggly Wiggly and it's and it 142 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: shall be said by all men that the Piggly Wigglies 143 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: shall multiply and replenish the earth with more and cleaner 144 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: things to eat. So ridiculous. So I actually have this 145 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 1: total fondness for the Piggy Wiggly because that was the 146 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 1: first grocery store I went to when I moved to Birmingham, Alabama. 147 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: And this was back in the early two thousands. And 148 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: in fact, Will's dad told me, like, you'll know you 149 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: belong here once you start referring to it as the 150 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: pig which is what I refer to it as today. 151 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: But you know the company is still going strong today, right, 152 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 1: I mean, I know we've got a couple here in Georgia, 153 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 1: and I feel like I see them across the South. Yes, 154 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: I checked their website. We we don't have them out 155 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 1: here in California, and apparently there are over five hundred 156 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: Piggy Wiggly spread across seventeen states. So yeah, I mean, 157 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: I'd say Saunders left Memphis with, you know, a lot 158 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: to be proud of. So was it just this self 159 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: service aspect that Piggy Wiggly, like game changed in this 160 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: industry or I feel like because of their name, were 161 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: they the first one to add a meat counter as well? Well, 162 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:45,359 Speaker 1: that would make sense, but no, Piggy Wiggly was always 163 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: just a dry goods grocery store, at least back in 164 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 1: those early days. So I'm curious then, like, why did 165 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 1: they call it piggy Wiggly like if they didn't have 166 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:56,320 Speaker 1: a meat department. Well, it's honestly kind of a mystery, like. 167 00:08:56,600 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: According to Piggy Wiggly's own corporate history, Clarence Saunders was 168 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: quote curiously reluctant to explain its origin. One story says 169 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: that while riding a train, he looked out his window 170 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: and saw several little pigs struggling to get under a fence, 171 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:15,240 Speaker 1: which prompted him to think of the rhyme. But on 172 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 1: another occasion, someone asked Saunders directly why he chose such 173 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,439 Speaker 1: a strange name, and he said, so people will ask 174 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:27,760 Speaker 1: that very question. Well, I mean I like that he was, like, 175 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 1: I guess just trying to create something memorable or like 176 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,839 Speaker 1: a memorable brand, which I guess makes sense if you 177 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: consider the timeframe, like this is the nineteen twenties, and 178 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: customers suddenly had more decision making power, right, I mean, 179 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 1: food companies started placing a bigger emphasis on packaging and taglines, 180 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,959 Speaker 1: and you started seeing mascots coming about. Like. These were 181 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: all new ways that companies came up with to sort 182 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: of make their products stand out from the competition and 183 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:57,679 Speaker 1: also just better grab the consumer's interest. Yeah, that's right. 184 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: And Saunders actually gone into this kind of supermarket psychology 185 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 1: as well. Since his customers were free to wander the store, 186 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 1: he had to think carefully about the appearance and lay 187 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: out of that store, and this led to all kinds 188 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 1: of supermarket staples, like employee uniforms and shopping baskets so 189 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:19,720 Speaker 1: customers could carry and ultimately buy more items at once. 190 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 1: Though obviously these early baskets were made of wood rather 191 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,320 Speaker 1: than plastic. But you know that said, while many of 192 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 1: these breakthroughs are credited to Saunders and his Piggy Wiggly stores, 193 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:33,319 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean some of the same ideas weren't being 194 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:37,440 Speaker 1: experimented with by other stores around the same time period. Yeah. 195 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:39,199 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously this is a tough thing to pin 196 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: down definitively, but when I looked at the timeline, it 197 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: does seem to support Piggley Wiggle's claim as the first 198 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 1: modern supermarket, at least in terms of like offering self 199 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: service the way you expect. Now, well, we've actually been 200 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,720 Speaker 1: a little loose with our terms so far because the 201 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 1: early Piggy Wigglies they weren't technically supermarkets at all. So 202 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:02,439 Speaker 1: why is that. Well, at the time they were actually 203 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: referred to as grocer terrias and I guess it's grocer Terrea, 204 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 1: grocer grocer Terria, however you want to pronounce it, I like, 205 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: And that's because the setup of walking through a turnstile 206 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 1: and and grabbing what you want one item at a 207 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:23,880 Speaker 1: time that reminded people of the cafeteria style eateries. And 208 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,719 Speaker 1: you know, for a grocery store to truly be a supermarket, 209 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:30,040 Speaker 1: it has to have that variety of products and services 210 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:32,440 Speaker 1: that we talked about earlier. In that case, like who 211 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: gets the crown for being the first supermarket, A lot 212 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 1: of people would argue that America's first supermarket was actually 213 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: the King Cullen store that opened in Queens in It 214 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:44,719 Speaker 1: was founded by a former Kroger and a and P 215 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: exact named Michael Cullen and it was set up in 216 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:50,439 Speaker 1: a warehouse, with most of the food being sold straight 217 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,719 Speaker 1: out of the shipping cartons. So it was no frills 218 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,240 Speaker 1: to say the least, but it had all the makings 219 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: of a supermarket under one roof dry goods, produce meat 220 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,320 Speaker 1: and arey, and I mean it's easy to imagine how 221 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: things went from there, right, Like I'm guessing once the 222 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: regional grocery chains were able to marry that on one 223 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 1: supermarket approach with their knowledge of store layouts and branding. 224 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:17,239 Speaker 1: That really feels like when the modern supermarket was born, definitely, 225 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: and it was at a pretty perfect time too. During 226 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:24,200 Speaker 1: World War Two, thousands of small self service grocery stores 227 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 1: were forced to close because the few employees they had 228 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:30,960 Speaker 1: all went off to war. But for a well staffed supermarket, 229 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 1: the loss of a few employees wasn't the end of 230 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: the world, and that made the business model a lot 231 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:39,600 Speaker 1: more attractive to the food industry. Then, by the nineteen fifties, 232 00:12:39,679 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: a huge chunk of the population and relocated to suburbs. 233 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:45,080 Speaker 1: And you know, this was all in the post war boom, 234 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: so families were bringing their new refrigerators and cars with 235 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,720 Speaker 1: them and once the National Highway system was in place, 236 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 1: stores could receive shipments as often as needed, and that's 237 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: when everything truly started clicking for supermarkets. So it's funny. 238 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:01,720 Speaker 1: I was reading this story and time about how in 239 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 1: the fifties and sixties it was kind of a golden 240 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 1: age for supermarkets for all the reasons you just mentioned, 241 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 1: and it talked about how supermarkets were this uniquely American phenomena, 242 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 1: like apparently the US Information Agency even touted supermarkets as 243 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 1: a symbol of the American way of life, and uh 244 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,319 Speaker 1: that that was because of the level of variety and 245 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:23,840 Speaker 1: also this sheer abundance of food you could find under 246 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:27,319 Speaker 1: one roof. And it's funny, actually supermarkets were such a 247 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: draw that n seven, when Queen Elizabeth the Prince Philip 248 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,960 Speaker 1: visited President Eisenhower, they actually spent fifteen minutes checking out 249 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:37,200 Speaker 1: a grocery store in Maryland just to see what all 250 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 1: the fuss was about. Wow, So what did they think? Well, 251 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:44,440 Speaker 1: according to one source, the Queen was amused by the 252 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 1: grocery carts little collapsible seat, saying, quote, it is particularly 253 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 1: nice to be able to bring your children here, which 254 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: I mean is actually a great point, like and something 255 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 1: I hadn't thought about, because, you know, having gone to 256 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 1: markets in India, I'm sure I was such a pain 257 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:01,200 Speaker 1: to shop with, Like they'd have to drag me into 258 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 1: like eight different stores or I'd wander off. And if 259 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:05,840 Speaker 1: you have to do that all the time, it would 260 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:08,600 Speaker 1: be so annoying to shop with your kids. And and 261 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:11,800 Speaker 1: obviously this is a much better experience for parents. Yeah, 262 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:16,320 Speaker 1: that's a great point, especially considering how much nostalgia is 263 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: wrapped up in grocery store shopping, at least for most people, 264 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 1: Like who doesn't remember trying to decide which colorful box 265 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 1: of cereal to sneak into the grocery car. It's crazy, 266 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: you know, for me to think that kids who grew 267 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 1: up in the US even less than a century ago 268 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: wouldn't have had those kinds of experiences. I mean, it 269 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: really makes you thankful for the inventor of the shopping card. 270 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: I guess who, of course, we all know, was Sylvan Goldman. 271 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:44,800 Speaker 1: Shout out to Sylvan, I like that you knew that 272 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: off the top of your I got in my notes 273 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:49,840 Speaker 1: as well. He's the owner of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket 274 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 1: chain in Oklahoma. You know, of course, the cart was 275 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 1: a total innovation. But if you don't mind that, there's 276 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 1: actually another piece of supermarket tect I'd love to talk about, 277 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 1: and it's a humble, little st of black and white 278 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: lines known as the bar code. Al Right, well, I'm 279 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:06,400 Speaker 1: always up for a good origin story, but first, let's 280 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 1: take a quick break. You listen to part Time Genius 281 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 1: and we're talking about the rise of the American supermarket. 282 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 1: So Gave I thought it'd be a good time to 283 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: shine a spotlight on what's maybe the most unsung hero 284 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 1: of the supermarket. The bar code a k a. The 285 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: Universal Product code or the UPC and UPCs are obviously 286 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:39,920 Speaker 1: important because they allow a story to keep track of 287 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 1: its inventory and easily pull up information on each of 288 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,640 Speaker 1: these items that they sell. But you know, today we're 289 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:49,320 Speaker 1: so used to the system that is pretty easy to 290 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: forget not only how revolutionary this idea was, but also 291 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 1: just how necessary it became to the growing grocery industry. 292 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 1: And so what makes you say that? So when these 293 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: on one supermarkets became the norm in the US, stores 294 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: actually began stalking more distinct items than ever, and you know, 295 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: keeping track of all of this became a logistical nightmare. 296 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 1: And that's without factoring in how hard it must have 297 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:14,960 Speaker 1: been for cash years at the checkout lands, right, Like, 298 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 1: I mean they have to look up the prices on 299 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: like hundreds or even thousands of different items. Okay, yeah, 300 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,240 Speaker 1: I see what you mean, but I mean it's wild 301 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:26,240 Speaker 1: to think about. But that King Cullen store I mentioned 302 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:30,840 Speaker 1: the first supermarket, it only stalked about two hundred different items, 303 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 1: and that was considered a pretty extreme level of variety 304 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,120 Speaker 1: for the time. But you know, you fast forward to today, 305 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 1: when the average grocery store stock something like forty thousand 306 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: unique items. I mean, there's just no way we could manage, 307 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: you know, that kind of inventory without bar codes. And 308 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,480 Speaker 1: of course now we use bar codes for just about everything, 309 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:53,160 Speaker 1: not just groceries. Exactly. Have you actually seen this early 310 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: Mad magazine covers when they first put bar codes on 311 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: the covers? No, what was this? So? Like the editor 312 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 1: absolutely hated that they had to put barcodes on the cover, 313 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:05,440 Speaker 1: so they treated each one like a revolt, And like 314 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 1: on one cover they had this like extra large barcode 315 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 1: just to jam the system, and then they had one 316 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: that was like overgrown, and Alfred Newman was like trimming 317 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:17,919 Speaker 1: it with lawnmower, like one of those pushmowers. And you 318 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 1: know they had the thing because it ruined their pristine covers. 319 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,919 Speaker 1: But obviously, the supermarket industry is where the whole thing 320 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,439 Speaker 1: started in the forties, and it made tons of sense 321 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:28,960 Speaker 1: for them. Like just over a decade into the existence 322 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 1: of supermarkets, grocers were desperate for any way to get 323 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: customers through their stores more quickly. One store manager in 324 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 1: Philadelphia even went looking for help at Drexel and in 325 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:41,640 Speaker 1: Philadelphia to see if they had any ideas. And while 326 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,719 Speaker 1: the dean ultimately turned the guy away, word of all 327 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 1: these grocery store troubles caught the attention of the student 328 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,199 Speaker 1: named Bernard Silver, who was enamored with this idea of 329 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: helping the grocery store industry. And uh, he recruited a friend, 330 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,160 Speaker 1: this inventor named Joe Woodland, who was at a graduate 331 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 1: school at a different college. And I guess Woodland just 332 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,000 Speaker 1: jumped on this challenge and he even dropped out of 333 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 1: school to focus on a full time Oh wow, that 334 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:06,360 Speaker 1: seems like kind of a risky move. I mean, you'd 335 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:08,879 Speaker 1: think he'd at least want to stick around campus, you know, 336 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,120 Speaker 1: just to have access to like, you know, the school's 337 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:14,879 Speaker 1: labs and resources and stuff like that. Yeah, so I 338 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:18,400 Speaker 1: was thinking the same thing. But you know, actually being 339 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 1: away from school helped Woodland. So after quitting school, he 340 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 1: moved to his grandfather's apartment in Miami Beach where he 341 00:18:24,119 --> 00:18:27,080 Speaker 1: could live rent free. And it was during the getaway, 342 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 1: while he was sitting right there on the beach in 343 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 1: nine that Woodland had an epiphany. So he thought about 344 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:35,679 Speaker 1: Morse code, which he learned in the Boy Scouts, and 345 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 1: soon he was actually drawing the lines of the first 346 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:40,480 Speaker 1: bar code in the sand with his fingers. And when 347 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:43,359 Speaker 1: Woodland reflected on the event years later, this is actually 348 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 1: what he said. Quote. I remember I was thinking about 349 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:49,440 Speaker 1: dots and dashes when I poked my four fingers into 350 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 1: the sand, and for whatever reason I didn't know, I 351 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:55,439 Speaker 1: pulled my hand toward me and I had four lines. 352 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:58,159 Speaker 1: I said, GOLLI, now I have four lines, and they 353 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:00,199 Speaker 1: could be wide lines and narrow lines and st of 354 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,679 Speaker 1: dots and dashes. Now I have a better chance of 355 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 1: finding the dog on thing. Well, I mean, it sounds 356 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: like you found it all right, But I mean, wait, 357 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:11,520 Speaker 1: don't don't you need a laser to read a bar 358 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:17,919 Speaker 1: code because I'm pretty sure there weren't any lasers. Yeah, 359 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 1: I mean, Woodland and Silver didn't let that stop them. 360 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:23,679 Speaker 1: So back in Philadelphia they built this prototype of the system. 361 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,240 Speaker 1: I guess Woodland have envisioned it on the beach and 362 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 1: it was the size of the desk and it used 363 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: this watt lightbulb and in a scilloscope to read the code. 364 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:35,159 Speaker 1: And as you can imagine, the device didn't work all 365 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: that well. Like, the idea was sound, but you know, 366 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 1: it was a couple of decades ahead of what the 367 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:43,200 Speaker 1: technology allowed for, so they had to just like sit 368 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,280 Speaker 1: on the idea until lasers came on the scene. Yeah, 369 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 1: pretty much. And even after the laser was invented, and 370 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:50,919 Speaker 1: this would be in the early sixties, there was this 371 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: long period where people were terrified of lasers because I 372 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:56,760 Speaker 1: guess they thought they might be some kind of death ray, 373 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: which I guess technically they can be, but the idea 374 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 1: of installing them at every checkout lane in America wasn't 375 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:08,160 Speaker 1: super popular. And finally these opinions shifted in the early 376 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 1: seventies and that's when this research team at r c 377 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: A dusted off the idea for the patent. But I 378 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,639 Speaker 1: guess Woodland and silver Head and they set to work. 379 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:20,200 Speaker 1: But to be clear, this wasn't the rectangular barcode you 380 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:23,040 Speaker 1: see today. So the idea of Woodland and silver Head 381 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:26,040 Speaker 1: was I guess this bulls eye shape design, which they 382 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:28,119 Speaker 1: thought would be better because it could be read accurately 383 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: from any angle. And while r c A did test 384 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: the bull's eye barcode, all those concentric circles were actually 385 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:38,120 Speaker 1: difficult to print without a lot of imperfections apparently, so 386 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:40,800 Speaker 1: whose idea was it to go back to the rectangle? 387 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: So the final design belonged to this IBM employee I 388 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:48,960 Speaker 1: guess his name was George laure Um, although Joe Woodland 389 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,119 Speaker 1: was actually working at IBM at the time, and he 390 00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: helped push for the company to take up the challenge. 391 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: And this was no easy task because during all this 392 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,520 Speaker 1: time of trial and error, the industry had actually formed 393 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:02,439 Speaker 1: a simple selection committee, like they had their own strict 394 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:05,600 Speaker 1: requirements for what a u PC should be. Oh wow, 395 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:07,960 Speaker 1: I'm kind of surprised to hear the grocers were like 396 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: so organized and picky about that, and like I would 397 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 1: have thought they'd take whatever they could get by that point. 398 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,800 Speaker 1: So that's what I expected to, and I think grocery 399 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:19,880 Speaker 1: store owners would have been happy with what they would 400 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: have gotten. But the committee also included manufacturers who were 401 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,320 Speaker 1: totally resistant to the idea, partially because they were worried 402 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: about the extra cost and all the inconvenience of having 403 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:31,440 Speaker 1: to print a code on every cardboard box or tin 404 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 1: or whatever. But after four years of back and forth, 405 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 1: the committee finally came to this agreement. And according to Smithsonian, 406 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 1: these are the requirements they settled on, so I'm just 407 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:42,320 Speaker 1: gonna read them to you. It had to be small 408 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:46,120 Speaker 1: and neat maximum one point five square inches to save money. 409 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:49,600 Speaker 1: Had to be printable with existing technology used for standard labels. 410 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:52,480 Speaker 1: It had been calculated that only ten digits were needed. 411 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,080 Speaker 1: The bar code had to be readable from any direction 412 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 1: and at speed. There must be fewer than one and 413 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 1: twenty tho undetected errors. So they were pretty specific. Yeah, 414 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,159 Speaker 1: that that does sound like a pretty tall order, but 415 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:08,359 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm guessing IBMS rectangle code fit the bill right. Yeah, 416 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:11,160 Speaker 1: And in the end about the committee said that they 417 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:14,160 Speaker 1: had high confidence in the symbol they chose. In fact, 418 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: the bar code worked so well that less than a 419 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 1: year after selection, the code was ready to be rolled 420 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,600 Speaker 1: out to actual supermarkets, and the very first to test 421 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:26,200 Speaker 1: the new technology was the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio. 422 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 1: It took place on June and the very first item 423 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 1: marked with the UPC was scanned there. And because this 424 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:37,440 Speaker 1: was such a historic event, we actually know all about 425 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: the transaction, Like the first shopper was this guy named 426 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:43,120 Speaker 1: Clyde Dawson, the first cashier, the person who actually scanned 427 00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:46,600 Speaker 1: the item was a woman named Sharon Buchanan. Well she's 428 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 1: a true pioneer, I guess with the checkout lane, but 429 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 1: I'm curious what was the item, so we actually know 430 00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: that too. It was a pack of juicy fruit, And 431 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,040 Speaker 1: supposedly the gum was picked on purpose because Riggleys had 432 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 1: actually helped to figure out how to print a bar 433 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:03,640 Speaker 1: code on something as small as a pack of gum, 434 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 1: which I guess have been this major concern during the development. 435 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: So choosing the gun was kind of a way to 436 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:12,280 Speaker 1: show off how well the UPC technology worked well and 437 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 1: has a way to say thank you to Wrigley's I 438 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:17,399 Speaker 1: bet right, Yeah, definitely. Well, it's kind of sad to 439 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 1: me that it wasn't Woodlands design in the end. Yeah, 440 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 1: but I mean, think about a thrill it must have 441 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:24,480 Speaker 1: been for him to see the idea come to fruition, 442 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 1: like after all those years. It was like, what twenty 443 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: thirty years in the making, And because Woodland lived until 444 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,200 Speaker 1: two twelve, he really got to see like how much 445 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:37,360 Speaker 1: his invention transformed the whole face of modern society. Well, 446 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:39,920 Speaker 1: I guess that is a pretty great consolation prize, and 447 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:43,760 Speaker 1: you've listed out. You know, bark codes aren't the only 448 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:47,280 Speaker 1: supermarket staple that's easy to overlook. In fact, there are 449 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 1: all kinds of subtle tricks and invisible design choices the 450 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,639 Speaker 1: grocery stores used to get us to spend more time 451 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,199 Speaker 1: and hopefully more money inside of them. So before we 452 00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:58,920 Speaker 1: close out the show, what do you say we try 453 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: our hand in a little super market psychology. I'm off 454 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:03,679 Speaker 1: for it. But before we get to those, let's take 455 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:22,040 Speaker 1: another quick break. Okay, man, go, So let's pull back 456 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,800 Speaker 1: the curtain on all the mind games our favorite grocery 457 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:27,879 Speaker 1: stores are playing with us. We talked a little in 458 00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 1: the first segment about how Clarence Saunders self service approach 459 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,720 Speaker 1: to shopping really forced owners to think carefully about their 460 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:38,320 Speaker 1: stores layout, and now more than a hundred years later, 461 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:42,240 Speaker 1: the grocery industry has gotten layout down to an exact science, 462 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:45,440 Speaker 1: and it's a science that just about every store follows. 463 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 1: Like think about where you shop. Chances are the first 464 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 1: things you see when you walk through the doors are flowers, produce, 465 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:54,760 Speaker 1: and baked goods, and all of that is meant to 466 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:59,160 Speaker 1: enhance the stores image by dazzling your senses with freshness, 467 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:03,200 Speaker 1: bright color, is alluring smells. On the other hand, all 468 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:08,840 Speaker 1: the quick trip, grab and go items like milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, 469 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:11,919 Speaker 1: those are stocked about as far from the entrances you 470 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 1: can possibly get, and that inconvenience is on purpose. It's 471 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:19,200 Speaker 1: so that shoppers will have to walk the full length 472 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,520 Speaker 1: of the store past all kinds, attempting items that they 473 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: really didn't come there for. Here's another thing I was 474 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: surprised to learn, and that's just how predictable are walking 475 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:32,160 Speaker 1: patterns are. So you know, American shoppers tend to shop counterclockwise, 476 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 1: so um clever grocers make sure their primary entrance is 477 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: always on the right. And this turns out to be 478 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: a really smart business practice because studies have shown that 479 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:44,560 Speaker 1: grocery stores that go along with our counterclockwise inclination actually 480 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: make more money than stores that have their entrances on 481 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:49,919 Speaker 1: the left or in the center. That makes sense. It 482 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 1: also helps that as a right handed so that makes 483 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,840 Speaker 1: it so that when we're moving counterclockwise through a grocery store, 484 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:58,639 Speaker 1: we're always closer to the shelf, which puts as a 485 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,880 Speaker 1: prime grabbing system. So that really works, like we buy 486 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:06,680 Speaker 1: more just because items are easier to reach. Yeah, according 487 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:08,840 Speaker 1: to one study, I saw stores that switched to this 488 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: kind of layout side, I guess the sales increase of 489 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:15,439 Speaker 1: seven And apparently this doesn't work everywhere, Like studies have 490 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:19,520 Speaker 1: shown that British, Australian and Japanese shoppers prefer going clockwise 491 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:22,280 Speaker 1: through the store. So it is possible that just comes 492 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:24,359 Speaker 1: down to which side the road you're used to driving on, 493 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: Like if you drive on the right, then you tend 494 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:28,800 Speaker 1: to stick to the right side in other situations as well, 495 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:32,480 Speaker 1: and vice versa. Wow, we really are creatures of habit hunt. 496 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 1: But I mean, speaking of driving, you know those rumble 497 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:37,399 Speaker 1: strips on the side of the road, the ones that 498 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:39,600 Speaker 1: let you know if you're starting to drift into another 499 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:44,200 Speaker 1: lane or something. Well, grocery stores actually use a similar 500 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: idea to grab customers attention and get them to slow 501 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,520 Speaker 1: their role while shopping, and they do this by using 502 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:54,600 Speaker 1: small floor tiles throughout the store. This way, if customers 503 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 1: push their carts too fast, the constant click clack of 504 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 1: the carts wheels hitting the grooves will make them self conscious. 505 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: So suddenly a shopper who just wanted to get in 506 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:06,520 Speaker 1: and get out feels like they're racing around the store 507 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:08,959 Speaker 1: and making a lot of noise in the process. So 508 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 1: instead they'll slow down, take their time, and hopefully find 509 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:15,800 Speaker 1: an extra few items they otherwise would have sped right by, 510 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:19,120 Speaker 1: which is so devious, And there's there are other ways 511 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:21,159 Speaker 1: that grocery stores play with our sense of time to like, 512 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 1: you know, just like shopping malls or casinos like supermarkets 513 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,560 Speaker 1: really have windows or clocks. And the thing is, without 514 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:30,440 Speaker 1: these easy points of reference, you know, you lose track 515 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:33,360 Speaker 1: of time. You spend more time there, you stay longer, 516 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:35,600 Speaker 1: and the thining is the longer you stay, the more 517 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:39,160 Speaker 1: you'll spend. Another common tactic is to play background music 518 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,400 Speaker 1: so shoppers are relaxed, you know, their pace to match 519 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:45,320 Speaker 1: the tempo. And it seems like such a small thing, 520 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 1: but studies show that customers spend up to thirty four 521 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:51,199 Speaker 1: percent more time shopping when there's music being played. But 522 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:54,160 Speaker 1: the weird thing is it really does translate into more 523 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: sales as well. Like it in one famous study this 524 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:01,520 Speaker 1: is from on fast tempo music up to stores average 525 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:05,080 Speaker 1: growth sales by twelve thou dollars, while slow tempo music 526 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:08,480 Speaker 1: made the figure jump to nearly seventeen thousand dollars. Well, 527 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:11,520 Speaker 1: I mean that definitely explains why here so much, Kenny 528 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,520 Speaker 1: g when I'm sure just keeps you in the store 529 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:18,560 Speaker 1: for that much longer. Yeah, And you know, so far 530 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 1: we've talked about, you know, ways that supermarkets try to 531 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,520 Speaker 1: influence how much we buy. But I do want to 532 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:25,919 Speaker 1: switch gears and talk about a way to reclaim at 533 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,679 Speaker 1: least a little bit of control. And this comes from 534 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: a study about this research team out of Erasmus University 535 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,880 Speaker 1: in the Netherlands, and they wanted to determine if there 536 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: was any correlation between making impulse purchases and shopping with 537 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:40,720 Speaker 1: either a card or a basket. So what they did 538 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,240 Speaker 1: was to covertly observe a hundred thirty six randomly selected 539 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 1: shoppers in the supermarket. Some of them used shopping cards, 540 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 1: some use grocery baskets, And then the team examined each 541 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:54,280 Speaker 1: person's receipt to see like how many of um these 542 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:56,440 Speaker 1: I guess they're called vice products, how many of these 543 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: vice products they bought? So this was typical junk food 544 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:03,120 Speaker 1: like cookies, candy bars, etcetera. And what they found was 545 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,920 Speaker 1: that those who shopped using a grocery basket were actually 546 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 1: seven times more likely to buy unhealthy treats. And amazingly, 547 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:12,040 Speaker 1: this held true even when the researchers factored and stuff 548 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 1: like how long a person spend the store, how many 549 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: products they bought, like how much money they spent, Like, 550 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:20,080 Speaker 1: no matter how they crunched the numbers and looked at them, 551 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:24,720 Speaker 1: the basket shoppers were considerably more likely to give into temptation. Wow, 552 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:27,840 Speaker 1: that I really is just so bizarre. Like I would 553 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 1: have thought that cart pushers would make way more impulse buys, 554 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 1: you know, since they're the ones with a bigger space 555 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:36,280 Speaker 1: to fill. Like I remember hearing that when Whole Foods 556 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:38,480 Speaker 1: doubled the size of their shopping carts a few years ago, 557 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:43,080 Speaker 1: customers started buying more food on average as a result. 558 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 1: So you think, you know, if you have a cart, 559 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 1: you'll fill it. So I thought the same thing. But 560 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,720 Speaker 1: here's this weird. So the researchers that Erasmus actually think 561 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:54,160 Speaker 1: it has to do more with the physical movements than 562 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:56,000 Speaker 1: the amount of space in a card or a basket. 563 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 1: And this is something that goes back to this concept 564 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,840 Speaker 1: called embodied admission. Uh. It's basically the idea that bodily 565 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 1: sensations strongly impact our thoughts and our emotions. So in 566 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:09,160 Speaker 1: this case, the simple act of flexing your arm to 567 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:12,160 Speaker 1: pick up a grocery basket might be enough to trigger 568 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 1: this like I want this now impulse. But but why 569 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 1: is that exactly? Like, what does flexing your arm have 570 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,880 Speaker 1: to do with impulse control? Yeah, I mean I I've 571 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:24,160 Speaker 1: wondered why it was different from like pushing a card 572 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:27,800 Speaker 1: to There's actually a good explanation in Pacific standards. So 573 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:32,240 Speaker 1: here's what the author rights quote. On an unconscious level, 574 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 1: extending one's arm is associated with rejecting undesired objects. Conversely, 575 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:40,800 Speaker 1: flexing one's arm, which directs motor action toward oneself, is 576 00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:44,760 Speaker 1: associated with acquiring desired objects. Think of putting a piece 577 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:47,480 Speaker 1: of food to your mouth, bringing an interesting object closer, 578 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:49,680 Speaker 1: so you can examine it or drawing the lever to 579 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:53,640 Speaker 1: your lips. This pattern gets repeated countless times throughout our lives, 580 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:56,440 Speaker 1: and in mind body terms, it creates something of a 581 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,120 Speaker 1: two way street. The act of flexing our arm to 582 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 1: bring something a pcen closer to us morphed into an 583 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:05,200 Speaker 1: unconscious belief that an object we are drawing close to 584 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:08,880 Speaker 1: us must be desirable. That is so weird, but I 585 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: know once you spell it all out, it does make sense. 586 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: Like I've heard that old school slot machines, like the 587 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:18,560 Speaker 1: ones where you pull a lever, those typically raking way 588 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 1: more money than the ones where you just push a button, 589 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:23,480 Speaker 1: And it seems like the same things that play there 590 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 1: with the shopping baskets. Absolutely, so if you're looking to 591 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:29,440 Speaker 1: curb your candy consumption, definitely go for the car on 592 00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:32,680 Speaker 1: your next grocery run. I mean, it's not a guarantee, 593 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 1: but at least it gives you better odds. Yeah, well, 594 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:37,360 Speaker 1: what do you say we flex our muscles in a 595 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,320 Speaker 1: completely different way right now? And UH do that by 596 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:51,760 Speaker 1: jumping into the fact. I'm for it, So why don't 597 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:53,719 Speaker 1: I kick this one off? We talked a little bit 598 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:55,840 Speaker 1: about Pickley Weekly at the top of the show, and 599 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:58,160 Speaker 1: for good reason. The stores we're bringing in a hundred 600 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:02,040 Speaker 1: eighty million dollars in nine thirty two, which meant there 601 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,640 Speaker 1: was room for plenty of imitators. So here's just some 602 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:11,800 Speaker 1: of the names that cropped up around the time. Handy Andy, Helpy, Selfie, Micker, mack, Jitney, Jungle, 603 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 1: and perhaps the most shameless imitator of all, hogly Woggly. 604 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:20,800 Speaker 1: All right, well, here's a quick one. Did you know 605 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:25,479 Speaker 1: that North Korean spies have to undergo supermarket training, Like 606 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,320 Speaker 1: the concept of grocery shopping is so unfamiliar to North 607 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:31,160 Speaker 1: Korean's that they need to practice making sure they don't 608 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:35,120 Speaker 1: stand out while they're hunting through the cereal aisle. So 609 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,760 Speaker 1: here's the fact. I didn't realize about the Trevy Fountain 610 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:41,120 Speaker 1: in Italy because so many tourists throw coins in. In 611 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:43,840 Speaker 1: two thousand and sixteen, they'd collected about one point five 612 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,960 Speaker 1: million dollars just that year, and what they do with 613 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:49,080 Speaker 1: it is that they donate it to a Catholic charity 614 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:51,520 Speaker 1: who puts the money towards a grocery store for the poor. 615 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: That's great, Well, I like that you had a piggly 616 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: wiggly fact but I'm not done talking about Clarence Saunders 617 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:02,880 Speaker 1: just yet. That's because in nine seven he had an 618 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:07,520 Speaker 1: idea for a news store called Key Doozel and and 619 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:10,200 Speaker 1: I guess that was a play on the phrase key 620 00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: does all that common phrase key doesn't. Right. Basically, the 621 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:19,240 Speaker 1: Saunders wanted to turn shopping into an arcade game. So 622 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:23,120 Speaker 1: every customer got the special key before they were set 623 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:25,520 Speaker 1: loose in the store, and then they would put their 624 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:29,160 Speaker 1: key into these glass displays with various goods and they 625 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:31,800 Speaker 1: would unlock them, you know, through the case how many 626 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:34,440 Speaker 1: cans or dry items they wanted, you know, of a 627 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:38,120 Speaker 1: certain variety, and then that food was delivered to the 628 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: front by a conveyor belt. So it basically sounds like 629 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:44,480 Speaker 1: the set of prices right right, Like there were blinking 630 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:48,400 Speaker 1: lights and signs advertising low prices, and obviously it attracted 631 00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:51,280 Speaker 1: tons of people, but that was kind of its downfall. 632 00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:54,320 Speaker 1: The technology just couldn't handle more than a few customers 633 00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:56,840 Speaker 1: at a time, so there were always tons of quirks, 634 00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:00,160 Speaker 1: like shoppers often got the wrong food that they had ordered, 635 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:04,040 Speaker 1: and conveyor belts were super slow and broke down frequently. 636 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:08,400 Speaker 1: And Saunders ended up opening three Key doozel stores and 637 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:11,160 Speaker 1: you tried, you know, tweaking the system, but eventually they 638 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:13,480 Speaker 1: all had to be shut down. It was just a 639 00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:16,320 Speaker 1: little ahead of its time. Oh I love that idea, 640 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:20,439 Speaker 1: and I wouldn't mind them coming back. So so there's 641 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:23,360 Speaker 1: this idea that for discounted groceries, liberals tend to go 642 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,719 Speaker 1: to Trader Joe's while conservatives go to Walmart. But the 643 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:30,000 Speaker 1: reason for this is actually surprising. So according to research 644 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 1: from VISal Singh of n y U Stern Business School, 645 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:35,960 Speaker 1: it all comes down to brand name products. Walmart is 646 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:38,360 Speaker 1: full of brand names while t JS, you know, doesn't 647 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:42,520 Speaker 1: have any, and conservatives like the brands and the brand 648 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:45,320 Speaker 1: loyalty kind of makes sense. So according to sing Quote, 649 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:49,640 Speaker 1: these tendencies are consistent with traits typically associated with conservatism, 650 00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:54,400 Speaker 1: such as aversion to risk, skepticism about new experiences, and 651 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,759 Speaker 1: a general preference for tradition, convention, and the status quo. 652 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:02,920 Speaker 1: Interesting well, according to mental flaws, the expiration date on 653 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:08,240 Speaker 1: grocery store meat might be meaningless. So as Matt Adams, 654 00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:11,200 Speaker 1: who spent twenty eight years as a supermarket meat cutter, 655 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:15,040 Speaker 1: as he told the website, his employer frequently used nail 656 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:19,280 Speaker 1: polish remover to wipe the cell by date off outdated meat, 657 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:22,759 Speaker 1: and when he complained, it turned out this wasn't really 658 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:26,040 Speaker 1: illegal if the if meat is packaged under the watch 659 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:29,320 Speaker 1: of federal inspectors, then of course supermarkets can't change the date. 660 00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:33,759 Speaker 1: But if the retailers butchered and packaged the meat themselves, 661 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:37,240 Speaker 1: they're technically within their rights to change the label however 662 00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:42,080 Speaker 1: they want so. As the website points out, thirties states 663 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:46,680 Speaker 1: do not regulate the expiration dates from most of their items, 664 00:35:45,719 --> 00:35:50,960 Speaker 1: which is so gross. So the craziest thing to me 665 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:54,480 Speaker 1: is how grocery stores actually stay in business. Uh This 666 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:58,879 Speaker 1: journalist Michael Ruhlman told Atlantic Quote, the typical grocery store 667 00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:02,640 Speaker 1: chain operates on a tiny one percent margin. It's a 668 00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:05,279 Speaker 1: crazy business and nobody in the right mind would get 669 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:08,120 Speaker 1: into it, which is dunning. Yeah, no, I mean, and 670 00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:10,359 Speaker 1: that's exactly why they need all those tricks to get 671 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:13,280 Speaker 1: you to to buy things, right, Like I guess, Speaking 672 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:17,160 Speaker 1: of which, grocers have done so much research on bananas 673 00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:20,920 Speaker 1: that they actually know what shade you're most likely to buy. 674 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:25,560 Speaker 1: It's called pantone twelve oh seven fifty two a k A. 675 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:31,480 Speaker 1: Butter cup. Well, I do know that fact, but I 676 00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:34,399 Speaker 1: like that you ended with banana fact, and you know 677 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:36,560 Speaker 1: how partial I am to banana, So I am going 678 00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:39,120 Speaker 1: to give it to you, but I'll take it. Thank 679 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:42,120 Speaker 1: you so much. Well, thank you for unning into today's show. 680 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:44,359 Speaker 1: Everyone out there, you know we love to hear from you. 681 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:46,359 Speaker 1: If you want to send us comments or questions, We're 682 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:50,040 Speaker 1: always checking Facebook or Twitter, and if you're feeling particularly generous, 683 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:52,040 Speaker 1: feel free to give us a nice review on iTunes 684 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:54,120 Speaker 1: from Tristan will Give and all of us at Part 685 00:36:54,120 --> 00:37:10,959 Speaker 1: Time Genius. Thank you so much for listening. Thanks again 686 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:13,160 Speaker 1: for listening. Part Time Genius is a production of how 687 00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:16,040 Speaker 1: stuff works and wouldn't be possible without several brilliant people 688 00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:19,000 Speaker 1: who do the important things we couldn't even begin to understand. 689 00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:21,920 Speaker 1: Tristan McNeil does the editing thing. Noel Brown made the 690 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:24,720 Speaker 1: theme song and does the MIXI mixy sound thing. Jerry 691 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:27,600 Speaker 1: Rowland does the exact producer thing. Gay Bluesier is our 692 00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:31,000 Speaker 1: lead researcher, with support from the Research Army including Austin Thompson, 693 00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:33,640 Speaker 1: Nolan Brown and Lucas Adams and Eve. Jeff Cook gets 694 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:35,759 Speaker 1: the show to your ears. Good job, Eves if you 695 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:37,680 Speaker 1: like what you heard, we hope you'll subscribe. And if 696 00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:39,600 Speaker 1: you really really like what you've heard, maybe you could 697 00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:41,600 Speaker 1: leave a good review for us. Do we do we 698 00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:43,160 Speaker 1: forget Jason? Jason who