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114 Comments
- AriaStar, on 10/10/2007, -5/+27The item people are most likely to go to the store to get, with no other purchase planned, is milk. So milk is at the very back to force you to walk down other aisles, increasing the chance you will impulse-buy something else.
Also, regarding those end caps, they're more likely to put an item up that is NOT on sale to prevent you from going and looking at what IS on sale.
And if an item says "2 for $5," and the regular price is $4 each, many people think you have two buy two to get the deal, even if you only wanted one of that item. Basically the sale price is $2.50 each, but they're planting it in your head that you need two of them. However, if something is "buy one, get one free," then the deal is different. - Bahimiron, on 10/10/2007, -2/+20I can honestly say that in my years of being a grown up living on his own, I've never gone to a grocery store that regularly moved basic items around in an attempt to confuse people into staying longer. In fact, I imagine that a grocery store that routinely changed its layout would confuse customers into shopping elsewhere. People like knowing what they can expect down each aisle. Especially people who have a regular schedule for going to the grocery store and take with them a shopping list. Y'know, the sorts of people who shop for a family and are the bread and butter of a supermarket.
- JesterFPS, on 10/10/2007, -0/+17It's a conspiracy!
- EspressoNinja, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14The "shelf shuffle" thing is bull. When I used to work retail grocery, the management never just said "hey let's move the the entire store around just to keep people here longer". I always guessed that milk is in the back because that's where the dairy coolers and stockroom are typically located. Trust me folks, there's no conspiracy or "tricks". The most sinister thing you'll find at a grocery store are the discount cards that send you junk mail. Even those are pre-activated so you can usually get away with filling out false information.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -4/+15oh yeah what did you do at wal-mart? a cashier? a stocker?, even a manager? or say...the 'Head of Marketing'? if you were any of the first three than i seriously doubt you had any strategic say on how to use manipulative tactics to push item out the door.
- bromanct, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11I didn't know marketing and product placement was blatant trickery. Welcome to the real world.
- Slacker1031, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9we have bagels and muffins to sell. they go with milk pretty well, we'll put them next to the milk to help move them faster so they don't go bad. mmm, Filthy marketing ploy? or common ***** sense.
- jayyoung, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9Thats called rotating. Its not some kind of tomfoolery.
- FLaw, on 10/10/2007, -2/+9Although im not doubting that it might be true. i figure they put the milk in the back because of the coolers... easier to fill from the truck as you don't have to lug all the dairy through the store.
(from a guy that use to stock that damn dairy...***** eggs) - slyzxx, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11Ohh no its a conspiracy stupid bloggers and diggers
- BassMastr, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Sounds like smart business to me.
- rarson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Yeah, I like going into a store where I know exactly where everything is, because it saves me time and shopping is a pain in the ass in the first place. Most of the stores I go to, they rarely, if ever, move the food around.
I also worked at a grocery store for a while. Did quite a bit of shelf stacking, never did we change the arrangement of the items. All they would ever change were the end shelves. - Hoxie, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7Wow. Maybe I'm just too smart to be lured into such things, but I don't recognize any of this at my supermarket(publix).
1. Candy and sweets are located, conveniently, on the candy and sweets isle, located in the back left of the store.
2. They put odd stuff at the end caps, like sour cream and onion cheezits and cherry whipped cream on the end caps around here.
3. No, I'm pretty sure Isle 1 is dairy, isle 2 is organic foods, chips are always on the top right at the back on isle 8.
4. Ours has a bank. Not particularly cozy.
5. The bakery is near the exit, actually, so they may be trying to lure you into buying something when you leave, but the deli and chik-in-mart are in the back of the store behind the freezer maze. - turnlikeawheel, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Where are they tricking you? You smell bread, you buy bread, they're mind controlling *****? You're an idiot who buys everything that easiest to find, they're evil geniuses?
- phil.busch, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Having spent four years in high school working in a grocery store, I can say most of this is true.
Seriously, visit a Roundy's (Pick n' Save) store next time you're in Wisconsin. You will see what I mean. - jbob2000, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Another common practice is to move all the older products to the front of the shelf, so if you want a product with a later expiry date, look at the very back of the shelf
- rnelsonee, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Supermarkets are also usually designed to make you walk counter-clockwise, which apparently slows people down. They'll usually have two entrances of course, so you're not forced in any way, but the fruits + veggies, plus any Starbucks or bank kiosks are on the right, so most people walk in that direction. Then milk is in the back-left, making you walk through the whole store.
- bromanct, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4everyone's stupid, except for you - right?
- BassMastr, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Why am I not surprised there are so many diggers who work in supermarkets...
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Even better than that...Aldi's!
- bitweever, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3From working at a grocery chain's home office and my training as a dietitian, I can say that it's not Bull.
For more insight, see Marion Nestle's book "What to Eat". - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4What you say?! Businesses actually try to set their stores up to sell MORE?! OH SHI~~
- gcauthon, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Where does this person shop? I've shopped at a lot of stores and even worked stocking a couple. 1 - I've never seen the candy aisle across from the cereal. 2 - End caps are for specials where they don't have enough room on the shelf for the extra stock... duh! 3 - I've never seen basic items shuffled around. 4 - Cozy spots to relax? I've never seen or heard of this. I've never spent all afternoon at the grocery store either. Is this a store for chronic over-eaters? 5 - Tantalizing smells? I guess if you're a complete pig, you can smell wrapped twinkies from across the store.
- ThraxyWaxy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I work at a grocery store and I can proudly say we're only guilty of having the deli smell when you walk in, and putting stuff up on the ends of the aisles. The candy and cereal are separate for sure, there's no cozy places to sit down, and stuff doesn't' get shuffled around on the shelves, that just makes our job a whole lot harder.
- CyberBlade, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3he forgot a major one.
"Blanket marketing" - where the likes of coles or safeway/woolworths start selling their own home brand ***** and forcing all the named brands to have very few or none in stock.
people are dumb enough to buy it instead of voting with their wallets. :P - FLaw, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I worked at then local shopright for a while.
The candy was located in the cereal isle. The end cap and shelf shuffle is bs (we are WAAAYYY to lazy to do the "shelf shuffle" crap).
The "spot to relax" is located right next to the bakery which is located next to the entrance. But that doesn't mean they planed it out in that manner... - d03boy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Aldys!
- mousky, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2That's a weak argument. Plenty of grocery stores have freezers and fridges along their regular aisles - the cords are plugged into outlets in the floor. Stocking is not an issue. Aisle based freezers and fridges have to be stocked out in the open, where the customers are - stocking milk would be no different - that's why carts exist.
Milk (and OJ) is located where it is because that point represents the farthest distance from the entrance, thereby forcing customers to walk by as many end caps as possible and at least one or two aisles. It's not a conspiracy. It's good business sense. - compgeek, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4like this is new news. buried as old old old and hey it's called marketing people
- mousky, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2No, only part of that back wall will have milk. The rest will probably be a bakery, fresh meats and/or some frozen goods. When you walk into your typical grocery store, look straight back at the rear wall. I doubt you will see the dairy section there. Yes, it's located along the back wall but at the corner diagonally opposite of the main entrance. Milk and OJ are popular products. If I owned a store, I would want people to see as many other products and aisles before they were able to put the milk and/or OJ in their cart.
And most end caps do NOT have sale items. Why would you put sale items in places with high traffic and/or places where people are forced to slow down? No, you put your sale items in the aisles - you want people to walk by as many regular priced items as possible. End caps are for impulse buys. - mousky, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Then explain why many grocery stores have freezers and fridges that are NOT at the back of the store? They have to "lug" all that product through the store.
The location of milk has nothing to do with coolers and everything to do with is popularity as a grocery item (ever notice how OJ - not a true dairy product is located right beside the milk?) and forcing customers to walk by as many end caps and aisles as possible. - pyrotoad, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5buried for gross add to content ratio.
- rdoger6424, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I didn't realize that until now, but it's so true!
- dearsweetbriar, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Yes, but listen to the larger point of your post:
There IS strategy involved! - zerodaysoon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2no wonder im fat!!
- leftcoastfunk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2since when was good business synonymous with trickery...oh wait...
- turnlikeawheel, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Doyyyeeeee! Gad-dangit, I was buying expired milk all this time! Thank you, sir!
- joshdare, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Yeah, "You'll love Coles" my ass! I got their peanut butter yesterday - tastes like ***** :(
- ukthom, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2You Americans need to experience Aldi and Lidl. Truly, a must-do whenever you come to Europe. You'll never look at Albertsons/Food Lion/Star Market/etc the same :)
- VFreitas, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The whole shelf shuffling thing is bull. In most stores there are specific aisles and sections of those aisle for specific items. The only time those sections are "shuffled" are when new products are introduced and old products are taken out. And for everyone who thinks the companies don't want you to buy their sales product, you're obviously mistaken. About 90% of those products that are on sale GO on sale because they were sold to the company for a lesser price from the manufacturer. ALSO, most stores have special codes on their shelf tags that can tell anyone who can decipher them a lot about the product. They can tell it's tagged with an EAS sticker, hell, even the cost (not retail) of the item. Also, be sure to look down when you walk around certain stores. Many non-expensive children products are kept on lower shelves for a reason. They grab that damn bouncy ball and chocolate bar from a couple different aisles and it's game over for the parents.
- kronix2, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1In every store I've been to, the milk has been in the middle of the store.
- iamnot, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Yes, all life is about is hotties.
/sarcasm
You WILL grow up, you may get smarter. - turnlikeawheel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The store brand stuff is often better, actually. Maybe your shiny label to taste bud connection is out of wack.
- jbob2000, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1We called it facing where i worked, but it means the same thing as rotating i guess.
- potterboy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Go to Wegman's in Pennsylvania, the grocery store from heaven.
- igeoffi, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3In order to get to the back of the store from the front of the store, you only have to walk through one aisle. Most of the aisles you'll probably walk through don't even have sale/discounted items on them. Milk is also at the back because it's easier to stock from the truck and you can stock it from the milk box (large refrigerator room) that way.
End caps are almost always sale items. Supermarkets use end caps so they can have more of the sale item out on the floor and not have customers constantly asking for restocks of sale items.
"2 for $5" could mean you have to buy 2. It depends on the fine print. Most of the time you can get 1 and still get the deal but there are ocassions where you do need to buy two.
Shelf shuffles happen when a store gets a new product and doesn't have room for it. When they do shuffle things around, they leave a sign posted to where the relocated item is located. Stores don't do it frequently because it makes things much harder for the employees than for the customer.
Stores position the deli in the front because a lot of people come in after work just to buy food from the deli. - morpheus69, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I wonder if they sell Admiral Akbar cereal across from the candy aisle?
- mousky, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It's not necessarily about tricking you. It's more about maximizing opportunities.
- Dustin00, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I know what my brand of soymilk looks like, they can move it around all they like, I'm still not reading or registering the static around it.
Same for the bulk of everything else I buy. - kronix2, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I live in the UK where Wal-Mart's chain of Asda stores is based. I've never come across any of the things listed in the article, in any store.
The bakery is usually near the back, sweets/candy are far away from cereals, nobody assumes stuff on end caps are on sale, products stay in the same location for months at a time, and I haven't yet been to a store where they have resting areas.
I guess our stores are missing a trick, but it's partially because there'd be thousands of complains if stores tried to do things like constantly shuffling product placements. -
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