Originally Posted By: pbm
I asked him why WM doesn't carry PU or even the 5w20 version of Pennzoil Gold Syn Blend and he told me it comes down to shelf space allowed by Walmart (not poor Pennzoil marketing).
He said that a slower seller like PU can be purchased online.
In the end, though, that's a bit of a cop out. Yes, there is limited shelf space at Walmart, or anywhere else, for that matter, and slow sellers will not command shelf space. However, Castrol gold bottle and M1 EP seem to be able to command shelf space at Walmart, indicating they are selling sufficiently well.
Yet, it's the same retailer, so if Shell wants to know where the weak link is, they will unfortunately have to look in the mirror. Mobil and Castrol have been effectively able to differentiate M1 EP and gold bottle Edge from M1 and black bottle Edge (notably by OCI length), to the point that customers are willing to pay the extra for those two. If Shell cannot accomplish this, it's naive, at best, or disingenuous, at worst, to say that Walmart has limited shelf space and one should order online. When you sell two products in identical jug sizes with the exact same certifications listed on the bottle and the exact same OCI promoted, and you charge more for one than the other, you're going to have problems selling the more expensive one.
Clearly, having pistons incrementally cleaner has not been a successful marketing strategy for Ultra above Platinum.