How the Local Rotary Club got the Geography Right for its Donation Drive

It was a busy spring weekend in Somerville. It was our annual open studios event, the YMCA hosted a bouncy castle and lots of garage sales popped up across the city. By my house a Honk band came down the street leading a parade of supporters for a "fossil free" city. Over at the shopping center, the Somerville Rotary Club was hosting a donation drive at the Star Market. Because someone thought through the paths of shoppers, the drive looked like a booming success.

Before I get to the geography story, I have to point out that the manager of the grocery store is a member of Rotary, so he was instrumental in supporting the drive on a busy Saturday. The team that implemented the drive did their geography homework. The Rotarians noted there are three sliding doors into the large store. There's one main entrance, one main exit and one smaller door that is both an entrance and exit. The organizers set up two teams at tables: one was at the main entrance, which I'd guess captures 70% of the shoppers as it's near the middle of the large parking lot, and the other was inside the store in the middle of the exits of the ten or so check out lanes. The indoor table had helium balloons flying above it.