Sunday’s column: Supermarket shopping games
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Occasionally I hear from readers who are frustrated by the grocery store.
Some get royally peeved because the mayonnaise makers — following their brethren in coffee, ice cream and canned tuna — have reduced the volume of their product on the sly.
The shelf price stays the same, but the mayo is now down to 30 ounces from 32. That’s a hidden, 6.7 percent price increase.
Another complaint comes from those who see red because the store shelves have been switched around yet again and they can’t find what they want.
I call this practice the “Supermarket Switcheroo.”
The soft drinks get moved to the shampoo, soap and deodorant aisle. The toiletries are put where the condiments used to be. God knows where the mustard and ketchup wind up.
This happens all the time at a supermarket where I shop. Plus, they keep moving the $4 wine, as if I’ll give up frustration and buy a $16 bottle instead. Ha.
Believe it or not, there’s a business reason behind the Supermarket Switcheroo. But first a bit about my family’s grocery-industry bona fides.
READ THE REST OF THIS COLUMN HERE.
November 4, 2012 - 6:00 AM
Dan,
This is a great story. I too miss the small family and mom/pop grocery stores.
There have been so many dissertations written that it is nearly as big a challenge to find a viable topic as it is to write it. Early in my professorial career, a doctoral student in my research class asked me for my definition of a good dissertation. My immediate response was, “one with all the signatures.” He was disappointed with my response, but I assured him he would understand it when he got to that stage of the process. Your brother in laws’ dissertation sounds interesting.
Kind sir, with this you and I are in total agreement!
As the cool kids sometimes say, all the +1s to you, Dan. Last year my local chain grocery rearranged everything the week before Thanksgiving. When I realized what they’d done, I was so mad I left and did all my holiday grocery shopping elsewhere.
Utterly uncanny the timing of this, I almost always get over charged on sale items at Kroger. So yesterday I went to Walmart. Someone in corporate, got give them credit, has come up with the ultimate switcharoo.
An end cap, stocked from top to bottom with Hormel Chili. About 7′ high with the big for sale sign and price of $1.28, which few may notice. Right in the middle at eye level is one shelf with some cheap plastic item on it for .98 cents with that price tag hanging down. All I see is all this Chili and a price of .98 cents and load of the cart. Next to that was another end cap and all I saw was boxed potato’s for .98 cents. Of course at check out I paid the 1.28 and 1.25. Realizing I was over charged I went to customer Service. She went and check and came back and said the prices were absolutely correct. Just as corporate knows, I was ready to leave with the merchandise anyway, but then said, damn it, I’m going back to check and I did. Just like the Chili end cap the potato end cap, floor to ceiling with box potato and one narrow shelf right in the middle with some cheap plastic plates for .98 cents. It’s all about eye and mind trickery. When I brought it to the attention of a manager, he told me that at one time they could not do this but they got instructions from Headquarters to do it this way. I told him it was out right deceptive. He offered to refund the difference which I gladly accepted, but the whole experience seemed like it consumed an hour or more. Going to go back and take a picture and post on face book and send to their corporate headquarters. I spent many a year in retailing and know dishonesty when I see it.
You also have to watch for the same item that comes in different sizes. Check the prices, sometimes two of the item in the small jar/plastic container are cheaper than the large one and the number of ounces is equivalent.
“You also have to watch for the same item that comes in different sizes. Check the prices, sometimes two of the item in the small jar/plastic container are cheaper than the large one and the number of ounces is equivalent.”
Debbie and E. Duane both make good points. As to his, I cannot count the number of time I’ve thought I was paying one price for an item only to have it ring higher at the checkout. Almost always, it’s because of a large “sale” tag in the same vicinity, but regarding the other product.
As to Debbie’s point, watch the unit price. Amid the array of products, sizes and prices, that ALWAYS tells you the least costly alternative.
You’re right Debbie, I take a couple shopping monthly who do not understand unit pricing….They pay the ultimate high prices for shopping only when they get their beneifits checks….Sadly this applies to too many in Roanoke
#4 You almost always get overcharged for sale items, E. Duane? Very strange. It almost NEVER happens to us at Kroger. You’re either the unluckiest guy around or you’re looking at the wrong spot to see the final price.
I do remember early on in the days when they put in the self scanners they offered to give an item to you free if the wrong price scanned. I got $30 worth of crab legs free one Sunday.
World record for Dan’s blog. So far not one right winger has posted a comment condemning Dan for his anti corporate, anti big business attitude and asking what he has against wal mart. They must all be asleep or hung over this morning.
gdad,
You are so right….and they still give you your money back when you are charged wrong, plus get the item free…
It does not happen everytime…..but certainly more than one would think…..and for the most part I don’t mind. Ultimatly my biggest grip with Kroger is the baggers…mixing refrig items in with others….The art of bagging is simple but they can’t seem to train their people accordingly, even tho they say they do if you complain….Positive Comment on Kroger….some really good sale items this past week…and love their fried chicken
#10 Wish I could eat their fried chicken (no gluten), but I like their baked chicken. I MUCH prefer Kroger to Walmart.
I’ve noticed the issue with price per unit Debbie posted about. I think they play on the ‘buy in bulk, it’s cheaper by the ounce/unit’ mentality and they count on the consumer to assume that’s always the case, but it isn’t.
Another thing Kroger does that I find deceptive is to put an item on sale for 2-3 weeks and when it goes off sale, it’s now at a higher price than it was before the sale. The part that I find dishonest is they put a shelf tag up saying, ‘NEW LOW PRICE!’ It’s not new, and it’s not as low as it was before the sale! I want to take a Sharpie and write in ‘NOT AS’ before ‘LOW’.
dave:
“So far not one right winger has posted a comment condemning Dan for his anti corporate, anti big business attitude and asking what he has against wal mart. They must all be asleep or hung over this morning.”
Or, not yet back from Zimbabwe…
In my childhood we depended on three “corner” groceries, all much smaller than Mick or Mack… Winski’s, Abdulla’s, and Jay’s. all gone by the 1990′s.
In order to grocercy shop today, one simply needs to think, and follow the budget. It is certainly a different experience from the old days, but it’s not something to write home about, ya know?
Are ya happy now, davey?
Threaten to go to Walmart? They play switcharoo more than anybody I know. At least in Fairlawn they do.
Debbie, you’re exactly right, especially when things are on sale. When the smaller size is on sale and a larger size isn’t, you frequently do better buying 2 smaller items.
Re: Comment by John Wilburn — November 4, 2012 @ 12:37 pm
Are you sure “Zimbabwe” isn’t code for incarcerated?
“Zimbabwe” is code for “my candidate isn’t going to win so I’m going to ground”.
Great column Dan! You have so many good memories and I always enjoy when you share.
I agree that bigger is not better and neither is cheaper always better IMO. I hate a large superstore. As someone who cannot walk much distance, I literally cannot get through them. I shop at the Food Lion in Vinton specifically because I can make it through the store, regardless of the prices.
BTW, you wife is truly a lovely woman! Glad she came with you.
Kristen:
18.”“Zimbabwe” is code for “my candidate isn’t going to win so I’m going to ground”.”
I think that’s more like it. How long do you think it’ll take her to mourn, regroup, and come back her making excuses?
Kristen, please come out to the next blogger get together. You were missed.
“World record for Dan’s blog. So far not one right winger has posted a comment condemning Dan for his anti corporate, anti big business attitude and asking what he has against wal mart. They must all be asleep or hung over this morning.”
Dave, I guess my wing leans more right than left, so if I may comment.
To me, this column did not so much reflect an anti-corporate, anti-Walmart view inasmuch as it reflected on another time and place when we liked each other and tolerated each other more. I grew up in a small city in New York’s Hudson River Valley. We had our share of small and large retailers. We patronized them all.
However, our ever-so-much-smarter-than-anyone-else-that-has-been-born generation saw fit to forget the niceities that came with mom and pop shopping in favor of I’ve got to have it now and have it cheap. I find that as our spoiled cohort ages, we start to remember that there was beauty and grace in living simpler and workign with our neighbors.
It is my hope that some of that nostalgia permeates the current culture and takes the edges off.
That’s abotu as political as I can get with Dan’s story. Here, he and I agree.
Of course, my friend, you are totally wrong about the Presidential election, but you are forgiven
.
Comment by Kristen — November 4, 2012 @ 7:57 pm
and
Comment by John Wilburn — November 5, 2012 @ 8:49 am
Even if the handwriting was on the wall (in all polls) and faux broadcast it, that would require a mind to avoid total denial.
in order for the places of long ago to survive financially….we’d have to voluntarily pay much higher prices for their wares, and have fewer selections to boot. Ergo, those stores of yesteryear would not survive. so, is there a point, or are we just skipping along memory lane?