Choice breeds paralysis
I'm at a Pei Wei right now. I kind of hate Pei Wei but also kind of tolerate it. It's a classier version of Panda Express but a less classier version of P.F. Changs. And if you ask me, all Asian cuisine tastes the same anyway.
Pei Wei, to me, is a nice compromise between American and Asian cuisine. I think most would agree.
But the thing I absolutely HATE about Pei Wei is that they always have those 1000 flavor coke machines. You know, the ones where you can literally have any flavor soda your heart would ever desire?
Those machines are the worst. And here are three reasons why.
First of all, there are certain flavors of soda that your heart should NEVER desire. Which means they should not exist. But they do anyway, because of this stupid machine.
Second, these machines serve exclusively one customer at a time. The standard fountain usually allows for at least two people to fill up at the same time. Which helps keep the line moving. But these machines... Whoa buddy. One person at a time only. And on top of that there's only one spout. Which means you inevitably get the residual flavor of whatever the person before you was drinking. Nothing is worse than Dr Pepper with a hint of Purple Fanta...
Third and final reason: choice breeds paralysis. One of my favorite TED Talks covers this concept. You can view it here. But basically it's the idea that marketers exploited the selling point of "choice" to the point where consumers are now paralyzed and filled with buyer's remorse. With so many options of something to choose from, how can you make a quick decision that you are 100% confident in? Additionally, how can you not be left with the feeling that there was a better option out there and you failed to pick it? The smart marketers know that the fewer the options, the better the sales. One size fits all, if you will. The Ford Model T mentality.
Fortunately choosing a soda flavor is a pretty low involvement decision. So they can get away with these machines. But I still argue that it's the principal of the matter.
Every time I come to Pei Wei I end up waiting at the soda fountain behind some adolescent teenager who simply doesn't know what to do. It's the worst. And they always end up dumping out whatever concoction they've decided to sample and instead go with a standard coke or something. Because true satisfaction isn't found in the false free will that choice provides, but rather it is found in the familiarity of consistent limitations and boundaries that we (or the world) set for ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment