Grocery and retail games

[John105]

I noticed this long ago, because my wife and son eat Hawaiian bread daily. Who knows, maybe they are Hawaiian?

I can never find it at our Costco, without walking all over the store. One would think it's near the bread?

Yesterday, I finally said I can't find it I'll ask this pretty associate with the hair net as she's in the bakery department, she might know.

She smiles and says, "Oh that stuff is in a different place EVERY DAY!"

I say I know, why is that? Is it to lead customers on a wild goose chase and get them to spend more?

She laughs and said no, it's just moved around depending on what floor space is needed. And she caught it out of the corner of her eye--it's right there today!

If you picture your own Costco and you go in the normal way, you pass computers, cell phones on your left, continue to make your way back, pass books on your right, as the refrigerator cases are starting to come into view (salmon, chicken), and maybe there are premium frozen items like king crab legs, here is where they put the Hawaiian bread yesterday.

Is it a game or does she speak the truth?

I think retailers do use products to generate the foot traffic they want.

amazon is the king of games. One day the 3L olive oil is $26 so I grabbed it. It was limit 1. Later that day $38.95.

Castrol Euro oil goes from $24 to $47. Do people get burned at the high price and then return the items?

Enquiring minds want to know!

 

[wpod]

It is called marketing., Notice how marketing claims are used here.

 

[bullwinkle]

Your $60, er, SIXTY-FIVE dollars only goes so far! Those brand new Costcos don't build themselves!

 

[DriveHard]

NEW products are put in prime spaces. Staple products that they know you already come for are placed in obscure places. The joys of going to a store with constantly rotating inventory.

 

[John105]

Your $60, er, SIXTY-FIVE dollars only goes so far! Those brand new Costcos don't build themselves!

ours is double that plus sales tax. But I like that it's going towards affordable housing in LA! Even if I didn't "save" as a member, the stock has done me a solid. Only 1/2 stocks I have owned which paid special dividends aka money for nothing. I'm waiting for the chicks for free and have been waiting a long time

 

[joekingcorvette]

They remodeled out Walmart a few months ago. You walk through about 25 feet of candy, gum, and chips before you maze your way to the self checkout.

 

[Highlander 1459]

I've come to the conclusion large retailers move certain products around the store for the simple reason
it makes you wander the aisles and this encourages people to make other purchases.

Well known grocery stores always put the bread on one end of the store and the milk on the other end..

my wife is OCD, she has the local Supercenter memorized... and being OCD we always go in a certain counterclockwise pattern thru the store. OCD wife evenputs things on the walmart list in the order we go thru the store, which causes her confusion when the store decides to move stuff to different aisles..

 

[opus1]

They remodeled out Walmart a few months ago. You walk through about 25 feet of candy, gum, and chips before you maze your way to the self checkout.

Meijer did that when they added all of the self-check stations too.

 

[gman2304]

The same reason most large store’s bathrooms are in the back of the stores. Think of all the merchandise one has to walk by to get there. My wife is a marketing dream.

 

[opus1]

I've come to the conclusion large retailers move certain products around the store for the simple reason
it makes you wander the aisles and this encourages people to make other purchases...

I think it's a combination of this and highlighting seasonal items.

Plus, the constant shuffling of items gives the staff something to do.

 

[atikovi]

The same reason most large store’s bathrooms are in the back of the stores. Think of all the merchandise one has to walk by to get there. My wife is a marketing dream.

Isn't marketing just another term for grocery shopping?

 

[mk378]

Manufacturers fight each other and pay the store for desirable shelf space like the end caps and being at eye level (and in certain aisles, at childrens' eye level). The ever changing nature of these deals means that familiar items will be moved around the store constantly.

Ever notice that the big competing brands like Coke and Pepsi are never both on sale at the same time in the same store?

 

[doitmyself]

IKEA.........UGH

 

[John105]

Manufacturers fight each other and pay the store for desirable shelf space like the end caps and being at eye level (and in certain aisles, at childrens' eye level). The ever changing nature of these deals means that familiar items will be moved around the store constantly.

Ever notice that the big competing brands like Coke and Pepsi are never both on sale at the same time in the same store?

I did have a job while in college working for Pepsi and auditing the displays. This led me to delicious Grand Union chicken wings and natural casing hot dogs, but I digress.

I saw an interesting tactic a month ago at shop rite. The Herrs man was there restocking. He deliberately blocked the Utz products. I am 100% as I was trying to get Utz on sale and had to squeeze in to grab a bag. The gentleman looked to be late 60’s, so I was thinking this is likely a tactic he’s used for decades and was taught to do that in training…kinda like Ace Hardware training hs kids to only fill 16-17 lbs and not 20 on propane

 

[himemsys]

Both WM and our local grocery store seem to either move items regularly, or stop carrying the items we discover we really like. The other irritation is they are always restocking shelves during peak shopping hours. Why can't they do this 30 minutes before they open? It doesn't seem to matter how obscure the items is I want to buy. I get to that aisle that NEVER has any traffic and there's an employee restocking the shelves right where I need to get.

 

[dubber09]

Costco and Ikea absolutely want you to go see as much as possible and to spend more time in store so you buy more.
I just make a list and in and out in a few mins depending on store traffic and checkout lineups, if I accidentally see something I forgot to put on the list I get it, otherwise - on next store run. I get very annoyed by Costco shoppers who (slowly) wonder around like it's a park and nobody's around them.

 

[John105]

Costco and Ikea absolutely want you to go see as much as possible and to spend more time in store so you buy more.
I just make a list and in and out in a few mins depending on store traffic and checkout lineups, if I accidentally see something I forgot to put on the list I get it, otherwise - on next store run. I get very annoyed by Costco shoppers who (slowly) wonder around like it's a park and nobody's around them.

These costco shoppers you mention are people who work from home. You will always spot literally 5-6 people tops who are patiently trying to get out quickly as these folks are like me. On their lunch break.

Go to Walmart at the same time and never a line. The median Walmart customer cannot work from home so they can’t be at the store at this time of day.

 

[dubber09]

The only time I can shop is afterhours or weekends. I get 30 mins lunch break so no time to go eat outside all while trying to block or slow down as many people as possible

 

[John105]

The only time I can shop is afterhours or weekends. I get 30 mins lunch break so no time to go eat outside all while trying to block or slow down as many people as possible

Walmart on a weekend is even worse than Costco during the day. Before the crackdown on wfh, there were times the self checkout went to the back 1/4 of Costco near the frozen foods. That’s where I’m thinking do I keep waiting, or leave….but haven’t seen it like that in almost 8 months

 

[PF52]

My complaint is about Walgreens (and I know I've made this complaint before). They like to hide stuff in the most unlikely places possible in the store. They usually have a kid's aisle, for example, full of toys and stuff.... So you pick up a coloring book there, but there are no crayons. But if you ask, you'll find the crayons are six aisles away, between the AA batteries and the charcoal lighter.