Retail Shops
Checkout Counter Lighting Design for Retail Shops
Place light where people work or read faces. Layer task light over ambient light and test glare from occupied positions.
Explore the ideas
Plan in this order
- Mark tasks, viewing angles and screen locations on the furniture plan before placing fittings.
- Separate regularly used tasks from the room's general lighting so each can be controlled independently.
- Test the proposed fitting and finish sample together. Glossy finishes can reflect a bright source directly into view.
Worked example
A laundry counter is shadowed when someone stands at the washer, even though the ceiling light seems bright.
Add a task source over the sorting and folding surface, controlled separately from ambient light. Check shadows with a person standing at the counter and with machine doors open.
How to test it
Check the space in daylight and after dark. Stand and sit where people actually use it, and check controls from the entry.
Apply it to this space
- Layout
- Place the counter near the exit but angle the queue along a wall away from high-interest displays.
- Detail
- Provide concealed storage for bags and supplies with task light on the transaction surface.
- Trade-off
- A larger counter improves service capacity but can feel imposing.
- Form a short queue and test aisle clearance
- Check staff can see the entrance
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