--- title: "The100: Choice paralysis, signal spotting, and stadium beer vendors" description: "The100: Choice paralysis, signal spotting, and stadium beer vendors" image: https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/The100%20Banners%20(1920%20x%201080%20px)%20(7)-2.png --- [![Bombayworks logotype](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/wmt-logo_inverse.svg "Bombayworks logotype")](https://watchmethink.com/) - [What we do](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Watch Me Explore](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-explore) - [Watch Me Develop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-develop) - [Watch Me Use](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-use) - [Watch Me Shop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-shop) - [Who it's for](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Consumer Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-insights) - [Shopper Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/shopper-insights) - [Category Management](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/category-mangement) - [Innovation & Product Development](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/innovation) - [Sensory & Consumer Science](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-science) - [Packaging](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/packaging) - [Marketing](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/marketing) - [About](https://watchmethink.com/about) - [The 100 Blog](https://blog.watchmethink.com/) - [Contact](https://watchmethink.com/contact) - [Login](https://watchmethink.com/dashboard) - [Sign up](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Corporate users](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Request registration here](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Consumer](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) - [Get paid to review products](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) Menu # The100: Choice paralysis, signal spotting, and stadium beer vendors - Home - [Blog](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) - The100: Choice paralysis, signal spotting, and stadium beer vendors - [Blog home /](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) [Fran](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/fran) 11/28/2025 [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) [0 Comments](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-choice-paralysis-signal-spotting-and-stadium-beer-vendors#postComment) 2 Minutes ### When choosing is confusing Dr Arry Tanusondjaja has been shaking his fist at [the persistent myth around choice paralysis.](https://www.arry-tanusondjaja.info/2023/01/12/when-choosing-is-confusing/) He acknowledges it exists, but argues we've over-simplified and over-emphasised its role. Instead, we should focus on cognitive aids: *“Rather than focusing on selection size, we should focus on better categorisation instead. Help consumers to make a decision more efficiently. Clear categorisation and cognitive aids have been reported as being useful for consumers, regardless of the selection size. Think about it - have you ever got lost and paralysed for hours in a ZARA store or Walmart, overcome by the thousands of product options? \[...\] When shoppers go to Walmart, they would quickly zip past irrelevant aisles, if all they want to buy is a box of breakfast cereal. The hanging signs, labels, and visual directions help us to narrow down our focus - regardless of the total size of the selection."*   ### Strategy cheat codes Treat your brain to Jasmine Bina and JL Rawlence’s [15 mental models](https://conceptbureau.substack.com/p/the-strategists-playbook) for spotting signals, making decisions, and taking action. It is, in the modern parlance, off the charts good. I particularly like the idea of conducting a pre-mortem:  *“Have your team imagine the initiative has already failed. Work backwards and ask yourselves how it happened. Capture every possible cause, rank them by likelihood, and design ways to prevent or mitigate each one before you launch.”*   ### A (somewhat) scientific investigation Hannah Waldfogel watched 564 encounters between “Cart Narcs” and cart abandoners to solve one of life’s great mysteries: [why don’t people return their shopping carts?](https://behavioralscientist.org/why-dont-people-return-their-shopping-carts-a-somewhat-scientific-investigation/) She catalogued every excuse and then dug into the behavioural science behind it all: *“Promoting cart return might be as simple as setting a new norm. The insight that people adjust their behavior to match what they believe others are doing has powered countless “norm campaigns” from hotel signs reminding guests that most people reuse their towels to university initiatives curbing binge drinking by publicizing that most students do not drink excessively. In fact, shopping carts had their own norm campaign. In 1969, a retired grocer declared February “Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket” month, in an attempt to recover stolen shopping carts."*   ### When life gives you lemons Sometimes it can be the little things that really push your buttons. Stubbing your toe. Sitting in traffic. Finishing the clean up after decorating, only to drop the can of paint all over the floor (felt like I was in a slapstick film with that one).  So when something rumples your stiltskin, [how can you keep your cool?](https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-respond-to-annoying-things-with-greater-ease) Patricia Zurita Ona has some tips:  *"Every behaviour takes you closer to or further away from the life you want to build for yourself. So, you must ask yourself whether doing what an emotion pushes you to do in the moment would get you closer to that or further from it. You might ask yourself, for example: If I yell at this barista for getting my order wrong, does that help me live the way I want to live? Or: If I fixate on this person’s annoying hiccups, will it serve me later on?"*   ### And finally… A quiz! [How did these 16 Americans vote in 2024?](https://www.americansurveycenter.org/quiz/)  A question that I never thought to ask, but I’m now very glad to know the answer to… How did two mountain peaks become [the placeholder icon for a “missing image”?](https://theconversation.com/why-two-tiny-mountain-peaks-became-one-of-the-internets-most-famous-images-268169) Dan Heath, of Chip and Dean Heath fame, has a podcast called [*‘What It's Like To Be…’*](https://www.whatitsliketobe.com/2246914) He asks normal folk, who love their craft, all about what it’s like to do their job. You could duct-tape a segue back to market research here, but mainly it’s just a really lovely way to spend 30 minutes. I’d recommend [‘A Car Mechanic’](https://www.whatitsliketobe.com/2246914/episodes/17417178-a-car-mechanic) and [‘A Stadium Beer Vendor’](https://www.whatitsliketobe.com/2246914/episodes/13768110-a-stadium-beer-vendor) as starting points.  Bon weekend, *Fran* --- #### Tag: [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) #### Share: - [Follow us on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-choice-paralysis-signal-spotting-and-stadium-beer-vendors) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-choice-paralysis-signal-spotting-and-stadium-beer-vendors&text=The100:%20Choice%20paralysis,%20signal%20spotting,%20and%20stadium%20beer%20vendors) - [Follow us on Linkedin](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-choice-paralysis-signal-spotting-and-stadium-beer-vendors) - [Follow us on Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-choice-paralysis-signal-spotting-and-stadium-beer-vendors&text=The100:%20Choice%20paralysis,%20signal%20spotting,%20and%20stadium%20beer%20vendorsdescription=When%20choosing%20is%20confusing%20Dr%20Arry%20Tanusondjaja%20has%20been%20shaking%20his%20fist%20at%20the%20persistent%20myth%20around%20choice%20paralysis.%20He%20acknowledges%20it%20exists,%20but%20argues[...]&media=https://3461170.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3461170/The100%20Banners%20%281920%20x%201080%20px%29%20%287%29-2.png) --- --- ## From the archives If you like The100, maybe even found it vaguely enjoyable (steady now), you can have a ganders at our previous issues. 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[The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 16 October, 2026 #### [The100: Holier than thou, the death of the host and Andorran traffic lights](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-holier-than-thou-the-death-of-the-host-and-andorran-traffic-lights) Holier than thou Richard Shotton and MichaelAaron Flicker always make for a marvellous meeting of… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-holier-than-thou-the-death-of-the-host-and-andorran-traffic-lights) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 02 October, 2026 #### [The100: Fredkin’s Paradox, how to stop having ideas and the perfect circle](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-fredkins-paradox-how-to-stop-having-ideas-and-the-perfect-circle) Apply liberally to decision paralysis Russell Davies has completely rearranged the furniture of my… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-fredkins-paradox-how-to-stop-having-ideas-and-the-perfect-circle) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 18 September, 2026 #### [The100: Dyson’s toothbrush, funhouse mirrors and aerodynamic nose blowing](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-dysons-toothbrush-funhouse-mirrors-and-aerodynamic-nose-blowing) Dyson drops anchor Watching Richard Shotton and Rory Sutherland in a round of idea ping-pong is an… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-dysons-toothbrush-funhouse-mirrors-and-aerodynamic-nose-blowing) - Get started - [Login](https://watchmethink.com/account/login) - [Sign up: Corporate User](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Sign up: Consumer](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) - Resources - [Terms for Thinkers](https://watchmethink.com/terms) - [Terms for Adhoc Work](https://watchmethink.com/terms-for-adhoc-work) - [Terms for Subscriptions](https://watchmethink.com/terms-for-subscriptions) - [Terms for Agents](https://watchmethink.com/agent) - About - [Contact us](https://watchmethink.com/contact) - [About us](https://watchmethink.com/about) - [Blog](https://blog.watchmethink.com/) - [Privacy policy](https://watchmethink.com/privacy) - [Equality, diversity and labour standards](https://watchmethink.com/equality-diversity-labour-standards) - Social - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/watch-me-think) - [Twitter](https://twitter.com/watchmethink) ![cyber-essentials-plus](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/cyber-essentials-plus.png?width=96&name=cyber-essentials-plus.png "cyber-essentials-plus") ![mrs-logo-cps](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/mrs-logo-cps.png?width=216&name=mrs-logo-cps.png "mrs-logo-cps") ![watch](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/watch.png?width=213&name=watch.png "watch") Watch Me Think © 2026. 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