Lady complains about store layout.

[SG15Z]

So I got a real gem yesterday. I'm standing in front of my register as I have no customers (pretty common at express in the morning). And this lady walks by heading towards the bakery area and well...

Lady: "Why don't y'all put the bread up front? Y'all put every thing else up front!"
Me: *trying really hard not to laugh* "I have no idea ma'am."
Lady: *turns around the corner to get her bread*
Me: *heads to co-manager who is standing at the Booth and tells him what happened*
CM: "Well what does she expect? Even Wal Mart puts bread in the back of the store."
Me: Indeed *heads back to register as the lady comes up with her bread*
Lady: "I still don't understand why y'all put the bread in the back."

Well what do you say to that. Seriously hello! Have you also wondered why things like milk and meat are also put in the back of a store? huh? Because it forces you to walk down aisles and pass items you weren't intending on buying, so that you might buy other stuff and spend more money. In other words the layout of a grocery store is designed to encourage impulse buying. That's right we're only interested in making more money. Big Surprise!

[IEatCustomers4Breakfast]

. That's right we're only interested in making more money. Big Surprise!

Say it ain't so!

I've flat out told people before... the milk is in the back because we want you to walk by as much stuff as possible, in the hopes that you'll buy more stuff. Duh.

And also, how could you keep EVERYTHING at the front of the store? That would be physically impossible.

[Sparky]

The store I used to shop in -- my FAVORITE grocery -- had a big dairy case in the back of the store. Milk was there, along with all the other dairy products. But they also had a smaller case right up front with milk. It was for people who just wanted to grab a few items in a hurry, I guess.

I loved that store because they had great service, plus it was right on my way home. Then their corporate remodeled and made it even better!

Then a year or two later, they closed it down.

[TonyDonuts]

That's right we're only interested in making more money. Big Surprise!

My mother-in-law, whenever a local business would change its layout, or product line, or drop a service, or fill-in-the-blank would say, in a completely disgusted voice, "They're just interested in MAKING MONEY!"

And then I would say, "Oh god, a BUSINESS is out to make MONEY? I'll alert the media at once! People MUST know! They have a RIGHT to know! This OUTRAGE must NOT STAND!"

She doesn't say that anymore.

BOW! BOW to the power of sarcasm!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Gah, we get old farts complaining about the store layout all the time.

"You changed everything around! Why do you change things around so much? I'm not shopping here ever again because you move stuff around too much!"

All righty then, see you on Senior Day then. Have fun navigating the befuddling maze that is the Wally World Super Center down the street.

[JLRodgers]

I once went into a wal mart (who does have the bread in the front -- not more than 50ft from the entrance) and said "you know, this store is the poorest store design in the history of mankind for organizaing the way things should be -- nothing's put where you'd expect. But it's the best design in all of history, and probably the future for a design guarenteed to get people to buy useless junk they have no desire for, all because they had to go down every single isle to find the stuff they need."

I mean really..... they put food-based things in the food section, hobby/craft like section, and other things by toys and hardware. Electronics is right by the women's clothing (so men can oogle over the cute women buying bras while getting their nerd stuff -- or just be by their wives). They put car oil in seasonal by the lawn mowers (really... they didn't have any in the back with automotive - yet they do now... so not sure about that). Fruit juice was in baby, but not in grocery.... What's that trying to say? You got kids -- and you need more?

[Dave1982]

I hate it when people complain that stuff has been moved, because 99% of the time, it's been in the same place for months, if not years (or maybe moved one shelf unit down or something like that).

It's the same thing when people complain about prices going up; most of the time, the prices are either the same or are LOWER (at least at my store), or a sale ended.

[nomorecarts]

sometimes they raise the price of a high shrink item

I can find stuff easily in my local Wal Mart, which happens to be a significantly above average sized supercenter. but I've been working there for over a year we have the bakery in the front, but loaves of bread are buried somewhere(I don't remember where, but I could find it quickly) in grocery. they don't move the departments, they just move stuff around in the departments so that you have to look a little

[Primer]

I can find stuff easily in my local Wal Mart, which happens to be a significantly above average sized supercenter. but I've been working there for over a year

they don't move the departments, they just move stuff around in the departments so that you have to look a little

A while back I was walking down the cereal aisle and the employees were doing a reset on one side. A week or two later, they were doing another reset of the same area. District + planograms = fun, right?

[Jay 2K Winger]

The store layout at the wholesale club has been fairly static during the seven years I've been there. Electronics has always been where it's been, the meat department and all the refrigerated/frozen foods are toward the back, along with produce...

Really, the biggest change we ever did was move the bakery to the back of the store, too, right next to the meat department. The seasonal section changes every two months or so, (maybe sooner) and we rotate the stuff on our "Wow Wall" (as in "Wow, what savings!") every week.

Of course, the questions that I get asked most frequently are "Where are your propane tanks?" which I always have to answer, "I don't know. They seem to move them EVERY week."

[Mark Healey]

Have you also wondered why things like milk and meat are also put in the back of a store? huh? Because it forces you to walk down aisles and pass items you weren't intending on buying

I've heard that and I'm not sure I believe it. It's also much easier to plumb and power the displays when they are against a wall. Around here, even if they to have a refrigerated unit away from the wall it is only across the aisle from a refrigerated wall.

Also, every supermarket around me has the bread in the middle of the store.

[Sarlon]

I'll add my 2 cents in reguards to stores moving thigns around. My favorite book store here in town BAMM, remodeled their store must of been 5 times in the past 3 years. So EVERY time I go in there, I can NEVER find the one section I go in there for...gaming books and general geeky stuff. (only half decent gaming store left the state 2 years ago...closest one is 25 minutes away).

Am I sucky for asking people who are not busy in the store for where things are? I don't think so...because GASP! I'm polite about it. I'll go up and say "excuse me, where can I find your D&D section? its moved since the last time I was here."

I normally mean for them to just point me in the right direction...I don't mean for them to walk away from their registers (no one even remotely near to be checking out) and walk me there personally.

[edible_hat]

My mother-in-law, whenever a local business would change its layout, or product line, or drop a service, or fill-in-the-blank would say, in a completely disgusted voice, "They're just interested in MAKING MONEY!"

And then I would say, "Oh god, a BUSINESS is out to make MONEY? I'll alert the media at once! People MUST know! They have a RIGHT to know! This OUTRAGE must NOT STAND!"

I wonder if she's the one somebody on my livejournal friends list overheard saying "Those Democrats just want to win the election!"

[Primer]

I normally mean for them to just point me in the right direction...I don't mean for them to walk away from their registers (no one even remotely near to be checking out) and walk me there personally.

Seeing as how I can't walk nearly as fast as the clerk can*, I'd really prefer to be just pointed in the proper direction!

*I just had a hip replaced at the end of May. Doing better, but still slow.

[SilverOrb]

Lady: ..... Y'all put every thing else up front!"

I can't help it... This part amused me.... Apparently the entire store is now located in the front? *Visions of empty and stretching back aisles*