知識社｜超市篇01｜點解超市冇鐘？ | Knowledge Society Supermarket 01 | Why Do Supermarkets Rarely Have Clocks?

你有冇發現，行入超市之後，好容易忘記自己已經行咗幾耐？貨架、燈光、音樂同冷氣，令店內環境同外面世界分開，而「睇唔到時間」亦可能係零售設計其中一個細節。

Have you ever walked into a supermarket for a few things and suddenly realised much more time has passed than expected? With artificial lighting, controlled temperatures, carefully arranged aisles and few visible time cues, supermarkets can create an environment where shoppers become less aware of time.

中文版本

點解超市入面咁少見到鐘？其實第一個答案，並唔係「超市唔需要報時」，而係零售空間本身就希望顧客將注意力集中喺購物環境。好多超市冇窗，或者貨架、牆身同大型展示架遮住咗外面的景象，再加上全天候相對一致嘅人工燈光，令你未必容易分辨而家究竟係朝早、下午，定係已經接近夜晚。當外界嘅時間提示減少，顧客就比較容易失去對購物時間嘅感覺。研究零售環境嘅資料亦指出，超市通常缺乏窗戶同明顯嘅時鐘，目的之一係減少外界時間提示，令顧客可以更加專注於店內購物。 想像一下，你入超市之前只係諗住買兩三樣嘢，入到去之後先經過蔬果區，再見到麵包、飲品、零食，途中又遇到特價貨架，最後行到日用品區。原本只係一次快速購物，結果購物車入面已經多咗幾件原本冇打算買嘅產品。問題係，你有冇留意自己究竟行咗幾耐？如果牆上有一個大鐘，每隔幾分鐘就清楚提醒你「而家已經幾點」，你可能會更加容易產生時間意識。例如本來諗住六點半前離開，但一望鐘先發現已經六點二十分，腦袋自然會出現一個判斷：「差唔多喇，買完就走。」相反，當店內冇明顯時鐘，外面又睇唔到天色，你就少咗一個很直接嘅離場提示。零售心理學其中一個重要概念，就是盡量令顧客舒服地停留、瀏覽同接觸更多商品。英國《Which?》亦指出，超市會利用店舖設計、貨架安排等方法影響顧客購物節奏，而商店通常希望顧客有更多時間瀏覽商品。 不過，話「超市冇鐘」亦唔可以講得太絕對。世界各地都有超市設有時鐘，有些大型超市甚至會有外牆鐘樓；英國部分舊式超市就曾經以鐘樓作為建築特色，所以真正值得留意嘅並唔係「所有超市都故意唔放鐘」，而係「好多超市內部缺少明顯時間提示」。 而且，冇鐘亦唔代表超市一定係想「控制你」或者一定會令你多買嘢。超市冇窗、少鐘，亦有實際原因，例如窗戶會佔用展示商品嘅牆面空間，陽光亦可能影響部分食品、包裝及店內溫度。 所以真正有趣嘅地方係：超市設計從來唔只係「擺貨架」。燈光、溫度、音樂、通道、商品位置，甚至你睇唔到嘅鐘，都可能影響你點樣行、睇幾耐，以及最後買咗幾多。下次去超市，不妨做一個小實驗：入門之前先睇一次時間，買完嘢離開時再睇一次。你可能會發現，原來自己以為只係行咗二十分鐘，實際上已經過咗四十分鐘。原來超市最有趣嘅地方，有時唔係你「睇到」嘅嘢，而係你根本冇留意到「冇咗」嘅東西——其中一樣，就可能係一個鐘。

English Version

Why do supermarkets so often seem to have no visible clocks? The simple answer is not that supermarkets have no use for clocks. Rather, the shopping environment is often designed to keep attention focused on products, aisles and the experience inside the store instead of constantly reminding shoppers about the outside world. Many supermarkets have limited windows, controlled lighting and carefully managed indoor conditions. As a result, shoppers may have fewer natural clues telling them whether it is morning, afternoon or already getting dark outside. Research and consumer publications have repeatedly pointed out that the absence of obvious clocks and windows can reduce a shopper’s awareness of passing time. Think about a typical supermarket trip. You walk in intending to buy milk and bread. Then you pass the fruit and vegetables, notice a special promotion, walk through another aisle, see a new snack, and eventually arrive at household products. None of these stops seems particularly long. Yet when you finally reach the checkout, the basket may contain several items that were never on your original shopping list. One reason the shopping journey can feel longer than expected is that the store provides very few obvious reminders of the outside world. If there were a large clock above the aisle, you might glance at it and immediately think, “It’s already six thirty. I should finish this and go.” Without that reminder, the decision to leave may happen later. This does not mean that every supermarket deliberately removes clocks in order to make customers spend more. That would be too simple. Retail design has many practical and commercial considerations. Supermarkets want shoppers to move comfortably through the store, discover products and spend enough time considering what is available. Consumer organisations have also noted that supermarket layouts are commonly designed to encourage customers to spend time browsing before reaching the checkout. There are practical reasons for the lack of windows as well. Windows occupy valuable wall space that could otherwise be used for shelves and displays. Direct sunlight can also affect packaging, products and indoor temperatures. So the idea that “supermarkets have no clocks” should really be understood as a broader observation: many supermarkets provide surprisingly few visible signals about the passage of time. There are exceptions. Some supermarkets, particularly older British stores, have even used prominent clock towers as part of their architecture, showing that the absence of clocks is certainly not a universal rule. What makes the subject interesting is that supermarket design is much more than shelves and products. Lighting, temperature, music, aisle arrangement, product placement and even the absence of a simple clock can shape how we experience the space. The next time you go grocery shopping, try a small experiment. Check the time before entering the store, then check it again when you leave. You may be surprised by how much time has passed. Sometimes the cleverest part of a retail environment is not something you see, but something you never notice is missing.

總評

超市冇鐘唔一定係一場「陰謀」，但時間提示減少，確實可能令顧客更投入購物環境。下次行超市，記得留意自己究竟行咗幾耐。

The missing clock is not necessarily a secret trick, but removing obvious time cues can change how shoppers experience a store. Next time you shop, check the time before and after—you may be surprised.