The Evolution of Crowd Control
Pro Stanchions Field Report: Your Stanchions & Signage in Action
Pro Stanchions Breaks Down Crowd Control Equipment in Real Time Usages
Every day, no matter where you are, stanchions, sign and poster stands and crowd control barriers and equipment are surrounding you.
Pro Stanchions is in tune with the crowd control universe to the point that wherever we are, ALL WE SEE ARE STANCHIONS!
These reports will provide insight as to how other organizations implement the use of retractable belt stanchions, poster sign stands, barricades and other crowd control equipment, We will also show how NOT to use this equipment and provide simple, inexpensive fixes to these examples.
We'll start with this "A" Frame Outdoor Sidewalk Poster Sign Stand we saw outside an Office Max retail store.
This particular unit is double sided allowing for 22" x 28" posters to be displayed on both sides. The posters are protected by clear acrylic sign protectors. Both the signage and the protectors are held in place by four-sided snap frames which also allow for fast and easy signage replacement.
Pro Stanchions supplies "A" Frame sidewalk stands like this, that are rated for outdoor door use thanks to their aluminum construction and ability to keep outside elements from destructing the signage.
Below is an example of what not to do, demonstrated by this Tensabarrier Slimline retractable belt stanchion at major clothing retailer in an outlet mall.
Whether the retractable belt cassette that houses the retractable belt is broken or the store staff was not educated how to re-insert the unit, this presentation detracts from the store's aesthetics and needs to be addressed.
Pro Stanchions offers replacement belt cassettes for all Tensabarrier retractable stanchions. Where typical Tensabarrier belts are 7.5' long, QueueSolutions replacement cassettes for Tensabarrier posts come in 8.5' and 11' lengths, with the 11' option costing much less than a typical Tensabarrier 7.5' option replacement cassette.
Replacing retractable belt stanchion belt cassettes is very simple. However, there is one major mistake often made when replacing a cassette: over loosening the screws that secure the unit to the post. Screws on the plastic receiver ends of the cassettes only need a few turns to be loose enough to remove or insert. These screws actually keep the entire belt cassette together, so once they are loosened to the point where they can be taken out, the pressure of the retracting spring inside the unit will force the unit to "blow out" and the cassettes will again need to be replaced.
Lesson: NEVER LOOSEN THE SCREWS ON A REPLACEMENT BELT CASSETTES MORE THAN 3 OR 4 TURNS.
"Really? Another picture of these things? Fine, but this smile is fake!"
This picture sequence was taken at a Best Buy store during Black Friday 2013. Nylon ropes take the place of clean, crisp retractable belts. The idea of crowd management is to prevent the need for crowd control. Creating a calm, maintained environment helps to keep potentially volatile crowd situations from escalating into chaos.
Black Friday crowds are notorious for getting out of control due to the frustration of long queuing lines and the desperate need to be at the head of a line for low priced, highly desired items.
The ropes in these photos, the mismatching retractable belts, and the broken stanchions exude chaos and dishevelment. The idea that an eye-pleasing, uniform queue is sacrificed for perceived greater functionality will unconsciously create a negative effect on stressed shoppers psyches.
With such emphasis on shopper safety and crowd management during the Black Friday shopping period, queuing lines should be uniform. Uniform, clean single line queues unconsciously present calm and control.
Don't let your crowd control stanchions and signage make your organization look sloppy. If they do, call us and we'll make sure you get the premium equipment you need at the lowest prices...guaranteed!
Happy queueing from Pro Stanchions!
