Business

It makes you wonder, standing there at Euston station watching as two Sandwich shops selling identical products could be doing so differently.

On the left you have Delice de France, where one man stands dusting shelves and shuffling stock as next door the three women working at Upper Crust are working non-stop to put baguettes in hands and take their money.

I came up for a closer look and the actual produce was almost identical. So I got thinking how could one business have no customers where the other actually had a queue. It seems absurd to think that there was a perpetual queue where people could simply get served at the other instantly.

So - here's what I figured -- the small differences between them must have had something to do with it.

First, Delice de France has flat panels for displays whereas Upper Crust has slanted displays. It gives the illusion that there is far more choice and nothing is hidden from view. Maximum goods on show.

Second, Women. Three women beat one man - hands down. Men would rather buy from women. Women would rather buy from women. At least in catering I suppose. In the whole time I stood watching them only three people went to Delice de France. A woman who was dating an Asian man -- so would have felt subconsciously drawn to the Asian guy at Delice. Next was a man who saw the woman there and went to buy from the same shop. He frequently checked out her and her purchases. The final person to go there was an Asian mother. She obviously thought that it was better to buy from the smart young man than have the temptation on her husband/son of three pretty young women.

Subsequently her husband pulled her to Upper Crust where he insisted they buy from. Go figure.

There has to be an element of conformity in it, seeing others buying from a shop instantly has a snowball effect. Seeing no-one buying from there might as well be buzzing with flies.

Come to think of it. I've only ever bought from Upper Crust.

There's obviously more to Business than products alone...

~Fraser