The World's Smallest Escalator

In the basement of More's Department Store in Kawasaki, Japan, is the world's smallest escalator, per the designation of Guinness World Records, with a total of five steps measuring 83.4 cm (2 ft 8 in).

Everything about this is confounding. First, why install an escalator in a location that already requires climbing stairs to use it? Between the architect, the builders, and Hitachi—which manufactured the escalator—did anyone question the utility of a five-step escalator? It takes just only six seconds to ride the escalator, but does that save time? If you add up the time saved from everyone who used the escalator since it was installed in 1989, is that more or less than the time it took to install it?

Ecologically, does a five-step escalator require less power than a longer escalator? Does it require less maintenance? Do the maintenance workers show up at More's Department Store and think, "Why does this exist?"