Fyrkantifieringen av handeln

Abstract

This article addresses the squarification of Swedish retailing in the 1960- and 1970’s through an analysis of a Swedish packaging magazine. Starting with the geometric shape (round, triangular or square) of and corresponding cell (cuboids, cubes, cones, pyramids or cylinders) of milk packages we analyze how the square shape gradually became dominant. The transformation was not limited to the package itself, but included products, store layouts, handling equipment, staff, consumers and consumption as well as the transport of goods from the store to the home. Thus, these changes lead to an pervasive transformation of retailing and consumption from round to square, a development that probably has not yet ended.