Praying to the Ritz?

When I was in Paris recently, I stayed near the Opera, also near the Place Vendome.  If you know anything about this area, you know that there are a bunch of expensive stores and hotels in this square - Cartier, Marc Jacob, Tiffany, etc. - and they all face a giant copper column with Napoleon at the top. 

We walked past Place Vendome several times, and it always had the most bizarre thing going on.  People stand in the open area in the middle of the square, in no apparent hurry to go anywhere.  Some read, some listen to music, talk on their phone, eat, or sell candles.  The strange thing is this: everyone, I mean EVERYONE, stands in a grid formation equidistant from each other.  Even if they happen to start a conversation with someone nearby, they awkwardly maintain the 10 foot space between each other.  They only stand on these larger square stones in the ground.  And they all face the same direction.  The kicker is this: it's not like they are standing and admiring a view or watching a performance.  Almost everyone in the square stands facing the Ritz, which is undergoing construction. 

Is it just me, or is this inexplicable?