That's not how grocery stores put on a show. They do it by doing things like spraying the vegetables with mist, even though it doesn't do anything to help them stay fresh. And by making the floors look immaculately clean even though whether or not the floors are scuffed up has zero to do with food safety. And of course Asian food stores do the exact opposite; they make their stores look cluttered and dirty on purpose, which signals to their customers that the staff is hard working and their food is fresh and cheap.
But that articles and ars's comment aren't about the general practice of vendors putting on a show. They are about the specific case of customers estimating value by perceived vendor's effort.
