The placement of items off the street – elevating them – could have two potential purposes. One already highlighted before, which was “cleanliness” (in this case, of straws at a drink store). Likely a carry-over from the rainy season, by elevating these important business-related items, it keeps them off of street level which – during rainy season at least – can become a river during a sudden downpour (especially if the storage area is near the gutter). The elevation off street level can also signal a separation from things left on street level – such as street shoes – ergo making them fair game for whoever would like to pick them up and put them to another use.