Visuals are an important
ingredient in consumer marketing, so it is surprising to come across retail
managers who are so purblind as concerns the latent yet obvious passive
aggression in some of the visuals that those managers themselves approve in the
name of security. The espoused, yet utterly fake claim that customer experience
is improved by the added sense of safety—the actual underlying motive lies in
loss prevention—is typically outweighed by the very human negative experience
from being intentionally intimidated by passive-aggressive visuals. It may be
that such managers, frustrated by high rates of in-store petty theft (i.e.,
“shoplifting”), are unconsciously taking their latent aggression out of the
customers as a group. Even if not, the lack of judgment is palpable from the
visuals themselves. It is no wonder that an increasing number of customers
prefer shopping online.
The full essay is at "Retail Intimidation amid Social Pathology."
