The Art of Stacking up

Some of he fruit store-keepers at Granville Island Public Market possess the art of stacking up their fruits. To stabilize the stacks, they need to make use of the geometric structure and form of a “pyramid”.

It is neat, tidy and beautiful to pile up fruits in this way. The problem is that the customers cannot select their fruits freely. They definitely can’t pick their favourite ones lower down the stacks, otherwise the whole structure will turn unstable and collapse. The fruits will run down and roll everywhere.

I guess the customers cannot select at all. What they do is to request for the quantity they want and the store-keepers will then place the fruits in plastic bags and weigh them. Money is paid. Trade is finished in this way.