[13] "Trade Fixtures 04107-MBS", Tradefixtures.com. [Online].

Available:
http://www.tradefixtures.com/index.php?option=com_zoo&task=item&item_id=52&category_id=13&Itemid=
77. [Accessed: 19- Feb- 2017].

9. Appendices
9.1 Appendix A: Contact Information
Toronto Popcorn Company:
147 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T
1-844-767-8368 (1-844-POP-TDOT)
Store Hours: 11AM - 8PM on weekdays and weekends
Official Website: http://torontopopcorncompany.com/
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/TorontoPopcornCompany/
https://www.instagram.com/topopcornco/
https://twitter.com/topopcornco

Figure 14: Toronto Popcorn Company Location

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9.2 Appendix B: Notes from Interviews and Observations
9.2.1 Interview Notes with Joseph, owner of Toronto Popcorn Company
If possible, does he want to make all flavours available?? NO because wants to only offer best sellers to
scale down the number

why did they stop gumball machines? renders popcorn stale, staff had to change 4 to 5 times a day

first experience is sampling, if they try something that has be rendered stale by the air, what are the
chances they will buy bags *left for a minute to help a customer*

Wants to include employees but they dont have time if only 2 are working at once.

Better sampling process make customers more happy -> buy more

Talked about starting at a fair, people would ask to try a sample even then. Only offered old-fashioned
flavour.

New store wont have a new process. flagship location with bestselling flavours there

600 square feet retail location could have more space for sampling. Would require major renos in store
now to put in something very different. Doesnt want that.

Cant afford not manufacturing onsite (aka, want to make popcorn fresh onsite for sure!!, no matter
what)

Didnt see value scaling down in their current store; have become known for this in the market, ease
into process of expanding.

gumball machines were great but it takes a lot from staff. The crumbs and popcorn on the floor Not as
much crumbs on floor now as gumball machines because the machines crush the kernels on the way
out.

Joanna asks about how the employees have to refill the samples no matter what the process is. Asks how
often they refill. Joseph says they refill it only when samples run low, but will replace with new
batch no matter what every morning.

Kensington is a tourist destination.

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9.2.2 Interview Notes with Customers
First customer: It was pretty obvious that there were ones in the back and samples in the back so it was
pretty obvious to take a spoon or whatever, I dont know I didnt find it confusing. But the containers

Second customer: yeah its tough, like I have something in my hand like this right now, its hard to open
and close.

Customer suggest gumball machine. They say they think gumball machines are more intuitive, easier
option.

First: if someone is allergic and someone puts their spoon in one and then someone puts their spoon in
another one, cross-contamination, right?
Its dispensing what youre wanting without making you have to go in and get it.
Its been crowded before, and it makes it more challenging. Especially in the winter with big jackets and
to try and open the jars, it get a little bit *trails off*
It would be nice to have spoons in more locations than just the cash. Like while we were at cash, there
were two ladies behind us

9.2.3 Observations of Customers on Saturday, February 11th, 2017 at 12PM to 3PM

Weekends around this time are considered most busy times by Joseph

First customer: in the store for under a minute. does not sample, did not purchase. employee greeted,
customer stood around for a little bit then the employee explained how to sample. Customer said thank
you and read posters before leaving.

Second customer: made a big order. ordered right away without sampling. After a while waiting, tries
sampling. dropped some on floor.

Third customer: grabs spoon on their own and started sampling. put one popcorn on spoon and then in
hand. closed jar. ate popcorn from his hand. ordered two bags.

Fourth customer: stand around first. when asked says he knows what he wants. orders one bag. waited
for five minutes before being talked to because of large order ahead of him. Took roughly 2 minute to
serve.

Fifth customer: there are customers at the register where sampling spoons are located. roughly 2
minutes to serve after two minutes wait.

Sixth customer: has been there before. Second customer with big order is still being served at this time.
this customer samples and has difficulty closing jars.

24
Seventh set: Three people walk in together, five customers total in the store now. sample with spoon.
Joseph actively offers samples from behind counter.

Eighth set: Set of two customers use their hands to sample, later told us its because they did not know.
employee asks them to use spoons. often leave jars open and they take more than one sample. put their
mouth on the cup (does this contaminate the spoon at any point?) spend a lot of time in store sampling
before making purchase. told us they thought the complicated process discourages oversampling and was
on purpose. liked the employees and will come back.
*Not all customers were being greeted as they walked in
*are allergies an issue with cross-contamination of spoons?
*spoons blocked by paying customers
*another jar left open

Ninth set: Its been 50 minutes. two customers enter. they talk to each other without sampling.
Eventually are greeted and order without sampling. Employee writes down order of 3 bags. customer now
asks for specific sample that is not on display and the employee takes it down from shelf. They decide
they no longer want that flavor
Tenth customer: goes in front of purchasing customer to get sampling spoon after looking around. Drops
popcorn, leaves a jar open

Eleventh set: it has been one hour. set of two. employee explains everything.

Twelfth set: asked the employee if they are allowed to sample. lots of back-and-forth between walls.
Leave without buying <2 minutes in store

Customers came in groups of 1,2,3, rarely 4

Most questions are about the freshness of the popcorn
Quote from middle aged, male customer: This is a fun shop!
Most groups make purchases
Between 1:30PM and 3PM, 1 group sampled popcorn and left without making a purchase.
Between 1:30PM and 3PM, 1 group left without sampling any popcorn at all.
Customers frequently take photos of the colorful popcorn displayed on the wall.

25
9.2.4 Observations of Space
Basement is packed full of popcorn bags
Sample jars are arranged in three rows along three sides of the customer area
One corner of the store displays prepackaged popcorn, this corner is rarely occupied
Customers moving between samples interfere with customers making purchases
Each person can comfortably occupy a personal space bubble a meter in diameter
Customers can cross from the wall to the counter in three steps
14 sample jars are along the wall
11 sample jars are along the serving counter
16 sample jars are arranged on a display counter, adjacent to the wall
Maximum number of customers observed in the store at once is 10 (2:30PM)
Most customers sampled mainly from the jars on the display counter and along the wall
2 customers asked to sample popcorn flavors on display, or behind the counter
From 1 to 4 or 5 customers in the store, sampling is easy, employees not overwhelmed.
Between 4 to 7 or 8 customers, the store becomes noticeably cramped
Agitated customers are careful of their surroundings, often times bump into each other
Over 8 customers in the store and it is packed
More time is spent pushing through people to get to samples
Customers awkwardly pivot on the spot when there is no space to move
Purchasing popcorn becomes extremely difficult, as some customers continue sampling

26
9.2.5 Interview Notes with Becky, employee of the Toronto Popcorn Company

27
9.3 Appendix C: Interrelationships Between Stakeholders, Values, and Objectives

28
9.4 Appendix D: Testing Method

Objective:
To test if the container is airtight through whether water leaks from it.

Theory:
If the water leaks, the container must not be airtight, since water molecules in the liquid phase would pass
through the opening(s) or crack(s).
As the purpose of sealing the container was originally to prevent popcorn from moist and bacteria, the
water molecule not passing through means the container meets the objective.

Equipment:
Physical prototype or final product of the sample container.
Water, enough to cover each surface of container when it is laid down in different directions.
Paper towel or tissue paper.
Bucket big and deep enough that the container can be put in. [For test option 2 only]

Procedure:
Test Option 1 [For containers too big to fit in a bucket]:
1. Pour water into the container.
2. Properly seal the container in the way that popcorn samples will be sealed.
3. Completely wrap it with paper towel/tissue paper.
4. Shake the container for a few minutes to ensure water has been in contact with different inner
surfaces.
5. Unwrap the container and check if the paper is wet.

Test Option 2 [For more accurate results]:

1. Fill the container with paper towel/tissue paper.
2. Properly seal the container in the way that popcorn samples will be sealed.
3. Put the container into the bucket.
4. Fill the bucket with water until the whole container sinks.
5. After one day, take out the container, open it and check if the tissue paper is wet.

*Note that test option 2 is more accurate because sinking the container in water ensures that all crack(s)
and opening(s) will be covered by water for a longer time than option 1.

*Note that no professional test method is provided because they unfeasible by the skills and equipment of
3-4 first year engineering students. However, these two tests are examples and the design team is
encouraged to come up with their appropriate testing method.

29
9.5 Appendix E: Embedded Reference List
[1] "The Story Behind Toronto Popcorn Company", The Toronto Popcorn Company. [Online]. Available:
http://torontopopcorncompany.com/story-behind-toronto-popcorn-company/. [Accessed: 14- Feb- 2017].

[2] M. Henry, "Kensington Market's Toronto Popcorn Company pops more than 100 flavours of
popcorn", Toronto Star, 2014.

30
[3] J. Doser, "How safe are self-serve unpackaged foods?," Journal of Environmental Health, 2008.
[Online]. Available: http://search.proquest.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/docview/219712068.
[Accessed: Feb. 12, 2017].

[4] P. Parajuli, "A Life Cycle Analysis: A Plastic Fork", sites.google.com, 2011. [Online]. Available:
https://sites.google.com/a/pvlearners.net/sustainability/a-life-cycle-analysis-a-plastic-fork. [Accessed: 15-
Feb- 2017].

31
[5] B. Wansink and J. Kim, "Bad Popcorn in Big Buckets: Portion Size Can Influence Intake as Much as
Taste", Society for Nutrition Education, Ithaca, 2005.

[6] Prerequisite programmes on food safety, ISO/TS 22002-4, 2013.

[7]"Canadian Food Inspection Agency - Search the Reference Listing of Accepted Construction
Materials, Packaging Materials and Non-Food Chemical Products", Inspection.gc.ca, 2016. [Online].
Available: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/active/scripts/fssa/reference/reference.asp [Accessed: 16- Feb-
2017].

32
[8] ANSI/NSF 51 Food Equipment Materials, 1997.

33
[9] California Retail Food Code. 2017.

34
[10] S. Tiffin, "Self-Filling Pet Water Bowl", Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers. [Online]. Available:
http://makezine.com/projects/make-37/self-filling-water-bowl-2/. [Accessed: 05- Feb- 2017].

[11] M. Brain, "How do gumball machines work?", HowStuffWorks. [Online]. Available:

http://people.howstuffworks.com/how-do-gumball-machines-work.htm. [Accessed: 06- Feb- 2017].

35
[12] J. G. Sutcliffe, Gumball machine dispensing wheel improvement, U.S. Patent 6 536 623, March 25,
2003.

[13]"Trade Fixtures 04107-MBS", Tradefixtures.com. [Online]. Available:

http://www.tradefixtures.com/index.php?option=com_zoo&task=item&item_id=52&category_id=13&Itemid=
77. [Accessed: 19- Feb- 2017].

36