• UK to be different

    Date: 2012.07.12 | Category: Other Places, Reviews | Tags:

    On a recent trip to the UK (London & Aberdeen) I was looking for things that were different from an everyday life and of course from a consumer look. Here are some of my observations and comments

    • Tax inclusive pricing – if it says £1 on the shelf it’s £1 at the till, the NSLC does this  and we love it based on the outcry when they tried to change, why not have it that way everyday.
    • 3 for 2 deal – instead of the BOGO or BOGO1/2 we have it’s 3 for 2 and tends to be on a range of products instead of an individual item

    • small grocery stores – neighbourhoods have their own full range grocery store complete with prepared food and fresh meat and produce and Supermarkets are much more rare
    • Bookies all over the place, fills up empty retail space
    • The food in the grocers are sold in smaller packs, especially meats produce etc designed for 1 or 2 instead of out mega packs,  also the food is displayed much more condensed and stacked higher, the newer Sobeys have integrated this into some of the newer produce departments
    • they have luggage racks on Airport transfers :)
    • Scatter crosswalks – one direction of traffic goes then the other then the pedestrians can go on a diagonal, as a result retailers tend to have entrances right on the store corner

    • packaging of product in general is more minimalist
    • Buy British is very prominent and they are very proud to support their own food supply chain
    • many public buildings that have doors that swing both directions but look they are PULL based on the handles
    • rarely see people walking the streets with a coffee in hand or eating something as they walk
    • They do not stop for pedestrians, vehicles are king and people are always expected to yield
    • I did like this idea at Waterstones, they had shelves dedicated to books that appeared in recent online and print media and cited where the article was