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1、WhyWaitingIsTorture？发布时间：2012-08-30文章出自：纽约时报原文链接：点击查看Someyearsago,executivesataHoustonairportfacedatroublingcustomer-relationsissue.Passengerswerelodginganinordinatenumberofcomplaintsaboutthelongwaitsatbaggageclaim.Inresponse,theexecutivesincreasedthenumberofbaggagehandlersworkingthatshift.The
2、planworked:theaveragewaitfelltoeightminutes,wellwithinindustrybenchmarks.Butthecomplaintspersisted.Puzzled,theairportexecutivesundertookamorecareful,on-siteanalysis.Theyfoundthatittookpassengersaminutetowalkfromtheirarrivalgatestobaggageclaimandsevenmoreminutestogettheirbags.Roughly88percentof
3、theirtime,inotherwords,wasspentstandingaroundwaitingfortheirbags.Sotheairportdecidedonanewapproach:insteadofreducingwaittimes,itmovedthearrivalgatesawayfromthemainterminalandroutedbagstotheoutermostcarousel.Passengersnowhadtowalksixtimeslongertogettheirbags.Complaintsdroppedtonearzero.Thisstor
4、yhintsatageneralprinciple:theexperienceofwaiting,whetherforluggageorgroceries,isdefinedonlypartlybytheobjectivelengthofthewait.“Oftenthepsychologyofqueuingismoreimportantthanthestatisticsofthewaititself,”notestheM.I.T.operationsresearcherRichardLarson,widelyconsideredtobetheworld’sforemostexpe
5、rtonlines.Occupiedtime(walkingtobaggageclaim)feelsshorterthanunoccupiedtime(standingatthecarousel).Researchonqueuinghasshownthat,onaverage,peopleoverestimatehowlongthey’vewaitedinalinebyabout36percent.Thisisalsowhyonefindsmirrorsnexttoelevators.Theideawasbornduringthepost-WorldWarIIboom,whenth
6、espreadofhigh-risesledtocomplaintsaboutelevatordelays.TherationalebehindthemirrorswassimilartotheoneusedattheHoustonairport:givepeoplesomethingtooccupytheirtime,andthewaitwillfeelshorter.Withthemirrors,peoplecouldchecktheirhairorslylyogleotherpassengers.Anditworked:almostovernight,thecomplaint
7、sceased.Thedrudgeryofunoccupiedtimealsoaccountsinlargemeasureforthepopularityofimpulse-buyitems,whichearnsupermarketsabout$5.5billionannually.Thetabloidsandpacksofgumofferrelieffromtheagonyofwaiting.Ourexpectationsfurtheraffecthowwefeel
