I’ve noticed that people often put in near minimum acceptable effort to go optional tasks. The trick seems to be to make the easiest “acceptable” solution, to be an acceptable one.
Shopping carts are another example. The perfect solution is for people to return them to the front of the store. But that’s too much effort for many. They leave them wherever they can dump it. An acceptable one is to return them to collection points. It’s not optimal, but it’s better, and most people will actually do it.
In Germany (and I assume all throughout Europe) we solve the shopping cart problem by shoppers having to deposit a coin or chip into the cart to release it.
You get it back when you lock the cart again back where you took it
Also done in Slovakia. Well, was. Most shops have them unlocked even without coins nowadays, probably because people don’t carry cash much anymore.
At least in my area.
the next problem though is the asinine amount of people who bring their boxes to customer service stuff and expect the store to take care of it
the trash can would only work if people were either asked to break down their boxes (unlikely) or if it was mechanically able to break down the boxes for the person. then there’s the next problem of making it idiot proof because crunching machines and flesh don’t work well together.
sorry I’m extra salty because I just got back from a shift were I deal with these kind of people for the whole day. there’s no winning.
With this kind of problems there are always two solutions: one is pragmatic, one is wishful thinking.
Problem: people leave boxes in the room.
Pragmatic solution: give them a trash can that’s easy to use.
Wishful thinking: slap a sign that tells them to stop.
Germany needs more pragmatic solutions in general.
I’ve noticed that people often put in near minimum acceptable effort to go optional tasks. The trick seems to be to make the easiest “acceptable” solution, to be an acceptable one.
Shopping carts are another example. The perfect solution is for people to return them to the front of the store. But that’s too much effort for many. They leave them wherever they can dump it. An acceptable one is to return them to collection points. It’s not optimal, but it’s better, and most people will actually do it.
In Germany (and I assume all throughout Europe) we solve the shopping cart problem by shoppers having to deposit a coin or chip into the cart to release it.
You get it back when you lock the cart again back where you took it
That’s common in the UK as well, though mostly in the cheaper supermarkets. A lot of places rely on the honour system, and convenient drop off places.
I’m of the mindset that you can judge a society quite well by how they deal with shopping trollies.
Also done in Slovakia. Well, was. Most shops have them unlocked even without coins nowadays, probably because people don’t carry cash much anymore.
At least in my area.
in paper yeah the pragmatic solution would work
the next problem though is the asinine amount of people who bring their boxes to customer service stuff and expect the store to take care of it the trash can would only work if people were either asked to break down their boxes (unlikely) or if it was mechanically able to break down the boxes for the person. then there’s the next problem of making it idiot proof because crunching machines and flesh don’t work well together.
sorry I’m extra salty because I just got back from a shift were I deal with these kind of people for the whole day. there’s no winning.
They would peobably need a small trash compactor for the boxes to crush them.
I think it’s Austria. “Packerl”