M Kfivethousand
2023-09-04 23:05:59 UTC
this is a really good article
It describes a lot of what my problem is when I try to do what others
think is normal daily routine stuff.
I completely connect with the vitamin bottle anecdote. Some things
just disappear. And I never know when there is something that I
should have seen but didn't
mk
BUSINESSSEPTEMBER 14, 2009.Seeing Store Shelves Through Senior Eyes
.ArticleComments (13)more in Business ».EmailPrinter
.By ELLEN BYRON
BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. -- Before walking into a Walgreens drugstore here,
Todd Vang donned glasses that blurred his vision, slipped un-popped
popcorn into his shoes and adjusted tape that bound his thumbs to his
palms.
The get-up was part of an exercise designed to help retailers better
understand the physical challenges facing elderly shoppers. Mr. Vang,
a 42-year-old Walgreen Co. vice president, struggled to pick up a can
of soup. "I can't imagine how this would feel if the store were
crowded," he said.
this is a reallyth
Lauren Pond for The Wall Street Journal
In a training exercise, Kimberly-Clark executive Don Quigley tries to
shop while wearing vision-impairment glasses and gloves that simulate
arthritis.
.The program, run by Kimberly-Clark Corp. and delivered to retailers
including Rite Aid Corp. and Family Dollar Stores Inc., is a sign of a
next frontier in retail. The number of adults aged 65 and older will
reach 71.5 million people by 2030, twice their number in 2000 and
representing nearly 20% of the total U.S. population, according to
estimates by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related
Statistics.
As baby boomers turn 65 years old beginning in 2011, they are expected
to spend an additional $50 billion over the next decade on consumer
products in the U.S., estimates Sean Seitzinger, senior vice president
of consulting and innovation for market-research firm Information
Resources Inc.
Given their growing physical limitations and focus on health-related
products, "there will be dramatic shifts in what they buy and where
they shop," Mr. Seitzinger said.
Current store layouts present challenges for elderly shoppers, experts
say. Worsening eyesight makes finding items more frustrating,
arthritis complicates browsing and reduced balance intensifies the
strain of stooping or reaching for products.
Much as industries throughout Western Europe and Japan have been
adjusting to accommodate aging populations, American businesses are
stepping up their preparations. The consulting division of Van Kampen
Investments, a mutual funds unit of Morgan Stanley, recommends that
financial advisers ensure report colors and office lighting are
friendly to elderly eyes. Drug-store chain Rite Aid is revising its
private-label goods with bigger typefaces on packaging. Family Dollar
is weighing new lighting and shelf labels.
View Full Image
Lauren Pond for The Wall Street Journal
A Walgreens merchandise manager's hands are taped to simulate
arthritis during a sensitivity-training session.
.Walgreen said some of the elderly-friendly changes will appear in the
coming months as part of a broader revamping that costs about $30,000
to $50,000 a store. A spokeswoman declined to provide cost estimates
for specific changes, such as redesigning its store fliers. Over the
next year, Walgreen plans to install call buttons near heavy
merchandise like bottled water and laundry detergent in some stores.
It also will put magnifying glasses on store shelves and make its
aisle signs clearer.
Retailers that accommodate the elderly with amenities such as nearby
parking spaces, smaller store sizes and manageable carts will generate
loyal customers, Mr. Seitzinger said. When stores are too hard to
shop, senior citizens buy less, said executives from Kimberly-Clark,
maker of Depend undergarments, Kleenex tissues and Viva paper towels.
Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark runs the program to let retail executives
experience how difficult shopping can be for older adults. "Our goal
is not to make your store a senior shopping center," said Amy
Kuerschner, a Kimberly-Clark associate marketing-research manager, at
a recent training session. "But if we make it easier for them, we make
it easier for everyone."
Kimberly-Clark uses kits developed by Lee Memorial Health System that
include items that can simulate the world as elderly people might.
Cardboard glasses in the kits simulate common vision impairments
including glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and yellowing of
the eye lens. Large rubber gloves simulate the limited manual
dexterity brought on by arthritis.
Kimberly-Clark introduced its elderly-shopper training for developers
and marketers working on its Depend brand, whose packaging was
designed based on insights from its program.
Eventually, executives spotted a way to persuade retailers to make
their stores friendlier to older shoppers. About a half dozen have
participated in the program over the past two years.
At the Walgreen session, Ms. Kuerschner challenged the executives to
read their own store flier wearing glasses simulating glaucoma,
macular degeneration or cataracts. Pressing their noses against the
flier, the group struggled. "It's really small copy, and I just can't
see it," said Robert Tompkins, Walgreen's vice president for its
health and wellness division.
Next, the executives wore yellow-tinted glasses to replicate the
yellowing-effect that comes with age. "How are your vitamins showing
up?" says Ms. Kuerschner, pointing to the flier's front page where
vitamin bottles' yellow labels disappeared against a bright yellow
background.
Such glasses led Kimberly-Clark product developers to realize that
many older shoppers couldn't distinguish between green and blue
Kleenex wrapping. Kimberly-Clark now uses text and images as well to
distinguish between tissue versions.
Write to Ellen Byron at ***@wsj.com
It describes a lot of what my problem is when I try to do what others
think is normal daily routine stuff.
I completely connect with the vitamin bottle anecdote. Some things
just disappear. And I never know when there is something that I
should have seen but didn't
mk
BUSINESSSEPTEMBER 14, 2009.Seeing Store Shelves Through Senior Eyes
.ArticleComments (13)more in Business ».EmailPrinter
.By ELLEN BYRON
BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. -- Before walking into a Walgreens drugstore here,
Todd Vang donned glasses that blurred his vision, slipped un-popped
popcorn into his shoes and adjusted tape that bound his thumbs to his
palms.
The get-up was part of an exercise designed to help retailers better
understand the physical challenges facing elderly shoppers. Mr. Vang,
a 42-year-old Walgreen Co. vice president, struggled to pick up a can
of soup. "I can't imagine how this would feel if the store were
crowded," he said.
this is a reallyth
Lauren Pond for The Wall Street Journal
In a training exercise, Kimberly-Clark executive Don Quigley tries to
shop while wearing vision-impairment glasses and gloves that simulate
arthritis.
.The program, run by Kimberly-Clark Corp. and delivered to retailers
including Rite Aid Corp. and Family Dollar Stores Inc., is a sign of a
next frontier in retail. The number of adults aged 65 and older will
reach 71.5 million people by 2030, twice their number in 2000 and
representing nearly 20% of the total U.S. population, according to
estimates by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related
Statistics.
As baby boomers turn 65 years old beginning in 2011, they are expected
to spend an additional $50 billion over the next decade on consumer
products in the U.S., estimates Sean Seitzinger, senior vice president
of consulting and innovation for market-research firm Information
Resources Inc.
Given their growing physical limitations and focus on health-related
products, "there will be dramatic shifts in what they buy and where
they shop," Mr. Seitzinger said.
Current store layouts present challenges for elderly shoppers, experts
say. Worsening eyesight makes finding items more frustrating,
arthritis complicates browsing and reduced balance intensifies the
strain of stooping or reaching for products.
Much as industries throughout Western Europe and Japan have been
adjusting to accommodate aging populations, American businesses are
stepping up their preparations. The consulting division of Van Kampen
Investments, a mutual funds unit of Morgan Stanley, recommends that
financial advisers ensure report colors and office lighting are
friendly to elderly eyes. Drug-store chain Rite Aid is revising its
private-label goods with bigger typefaces on packaging. Family Dollar
is weighing new lighting and shelf labels.
View Full Image
Lauren Pond for The Wall Street Journal
A Walgreens merchandise manager's hands are taped to simulate
arthritis during a sensitivity-training session.
.Walgreen said some of the elderly-friendly changes will appear in the
coming months as part of a broader revamping that costs about $30,000
to $50,000 a store. A spokeswoman declined to provide cost estimates
for specific changes, such as redesigning its store fliers. Over the
next year, Walgreen plans to install call buttons near heavy
merchandise like bottled water and laundry detergent in some stores.
It also will put magnifying glasses on store shelves and make its
aisle signs clearer.
Retailers that accommodate the elderly with amenities such as nearby
parking spaces, smaller store sizes and manageable carts will generate
loyal customers, Mr. Seitzinger said. When stores are too hard to
shop, senior citizens buy less, said executives from Kimberly-Clark,
maker of Depend undergarments, Kleenex tissues and Viva paper towels.
Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark runs the program to let retail executives
experience how difficult shopping can be for older adults. "Our goal
is not to make your store a senior shopping center," said Amy
Kuerschner, a Kimberly-Clark associate marketing-research manager, at
a recent training session. "But if we make it easier for them, we make
it easier for everyone."
Kimberly-Clark uses kits developed by Lee Memorial Health System that
include items that can simulate the world as elderly people might.
Cardboard glasses in the kits simulate common vision impairments
including glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and yellowing of
the eye lens. Large rubber gloves simulate the limited manual
dexterity brought on by arthritis.
Kimberly-Clark introduced its elderly-shopper training for developers
and marketers working on its Depend brand, whose packaging was
designed based on insights from its program.
Eventually, executives spotted a way to persuade retailers to make
their stores friendlier to older shoppers. About a half dozen have
participated in the program over the past two years.
At the Walgreen session, Ms. Kuerschner challenged the executives to
read their own store flier wearing glasses simulating glaucoma,
macular degeneration or cataracts. Pressing their noses against the
flier, the group struggled. "It's really small copy, and I just can't
see it," said Robert Tompkins, Walgreen's vice president for its
health and wellness division.
Next, the executives wore yellow-tinted glasses to replicate the
yellowing-effect that comes with age. "How are your vitamins showing
up?" says Ms. Kuerschner, pointing to the flier's front page where
vitamin bottles' yellow labels disappeared against a bright yellow
background.
Such glasses led Kimberly-Clark product developers to realize that
many older shoppers couldn't distinguish between green and blue
Kleenex wrapping. Kimberly-Clark now uses text and images as well to
distinguish between tissue versions.
Write to Ellen Byron at ***@wsj.com