the lay out of grocery stores

lloydrt
lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
edited September 22 in Food and Nutrition
anyone notice that when you walk into a grocery, the perimeter of the store is where you should be shopping .,and whats inside the primeter is where you need to stay out of?

Weird comment, huh.........lol, only kidding, but I have noticed for years, the produce is one side, the meat is in the back, and the dairy is all the way on the opposite side, so you have to walk all the way thru the store, to get the milk? Kind of like a "square U"



Again, its all done for marketing..........

Although, think about it..........the processed foods, canned goods, chips, etc are all in the middle aisles

I had taped Dr Oz yesterday, I wanted to see what they were talking about when it came to diabetes, I dont have it, just interested, and the one Dr there, the child Dr, said that when you go to the grocery, " always do your shopping on the perimeter, never inside"

Hmm.......interesting...........again, its a known that the milk is always always on the opposite side of the enterance, they always want you to see what they are selling, as well as putting all that incredible , delicious, and fattening candy bars in front of the cash register...So, here in Texas, they have stores laid out, that all the processed foods, canned goods, chips, condiments, etc are always in the middle aisles, and the rest is against the perimeter walls.............

Be careful, its all for profit, and we pay the price in the long runn..................Lloyd

Replies

  • kennedar
    kennedar Posts: 306 Member
    We hardly ever go into the middle aisles unless we absolutely need something from them! Sadly, I think marketters have caught on to that, so they have started moving some of the "essentials" into the aisles as well! I wind up having to walk through 2 or 3 every time I get groceries for things like oatmeal, salsa etc!
  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
    they have it down to a science to get you to spend the most on what they want you to buy, that is for sure.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
    amarillo, if youre from Amarillo, Tex, the store I am refering to are the HEB lines, Im sure they are in North Texas now

    ......typical, esp when it comes to lay out.

    Yesterday, they were already putting out Christmas goods, ie, the candid fruits that people use on Fruit cakes, you know, those candid cherries, red and green, and those pineapples, nuts, tons of bags of Flour and Cranberry sauce displays.......Got the music going in the back ground as well, ......nothing says Christmas like the Christmas carols and throwing food in our faces, lol..............

    man, I hope I survive the holidays...........might be smart to avoid the store, lol........just like this weekend, the kids and candy for Halloween.....

    we just cant win.

    I guess the word "focused" is going to be a part of my daily regime
  • emott84
    emott84 Posts: 108
    The grocery stores are laid out exactly the same in Canada!! Produce on one side, dairy and meats at the back, bakery and deli on the other side. Mostly rubbish in the middle aisles!
  • orange_avocado
    orange_avocado Posts: 232
    I used to wander the aisles when I was grocery shopping, going up and down each one to see if I needed anything I might have forgotten to put on my list. I'd end up grabbing boxes of Cheez-Its, on-sale Coke, cans of high sodium soup...

    Nowadays I make a complete list of everything I need to buy for meals that week/stocking up staples. I skirt the perimeter of the store, and hit the produce section last. If I need any of the "middle" stuff, I make a beeline for the right aisle and go directly to the one or two items I need - no more wandering for me! Makes grocery shopping a lot more efficient!
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
    I've been "shopping the perimeter" for the past few months, it really does hold true for the healthy foods! I hit up the veggies, the cheese section, get my soy milk, grab some greek yogurt and whole wheat sandwich rolls or something. The only middle aisle I go in regularly are for Kashi TLC bars, coffee creamer (even then, only if it's powdered), and the frozen foods section. It makes my shopping trips so much faster without all the up and down the middle aisles!
  • sloanjr1
    sloanjr1 Posts: 15 Member
    I love it when I walk into kroger and the first thing you see is snack cakes & chips...
  • Gogo76
    Gogo76 Posts: 581
    Our grocery here has you walk in to the bakery section where they have neatly laid out all the home made pies, cakes, doughnuts, breads, and cookies! Needless to say, I practically RUN through that section to get to the aisles I need. :ohwell: :bigsmile:
  • chance808
    chance808 Posts: 6
    Same layout out here in the west. They actually do an amazing amount of research and planning just to lay out those stores to maximize your purchases. The store I shop at is laid out so you feel compelled to start on one particular side and follow a set route route. The foods get progressively tastier and worse for you the further into the route you go. By the end you have been staring at food and mentally planning meals for so long you get hungry (or food obsessed) and about that time they slam you with the chips, candies and cookies aisle, immediately followed by the soda and beverage aisle and then the pre-prepared foods. No fair!!!

    I really only have one aisle in the middle I need to go to, dried legumes and rice’s. I make a fierce Split Pea soup. Mmmmm.
  • mccorml
    mccorml Posts: 622 Member
    omg yah the frozen chicken skinless and boneless white meat is right next to the ice cream and doughnuts are near the whole vegitables and they put croutons in the salad section and ugh haha its bad! and spices are near i think something drastically bad but i forgot! classic i never noticed this thanks!
  • chicabean420
    chicabean420 Posts: 173 Member
    I typically shop at Safeway here in Canada, and at my particular store I go to, as soon as you walk in you see the floral dept, and produce then if you cut a sharp right, it's pop and chips.

    I still cruise most aisles, because tuna, beans, cereal, salad dressings are all there. I'm not going to stop eating certain foods just because they aren't placed around the perimeter of the store.


    That being said, I usually start with the produce, and end with frozen goods......just a matter of getting there...
  • ErinMarie25
    ErinMarie25 Posts: 733 Member
    Agreed.

    Notice they have candy and goodies at the cashier? So kids can bug their parents to buy them one.
  • ErinMarie25
    ErinMarie25 Posts: 733 Member
    Our grocery store has the fruit/vegetables when you walk in, dairy products alllllllllll the way to the other side of the store, pretty much the back end. Then they have meats in the middle at the end of the store.
  • GoingToLoseIt
    GoingToLoseIt Posts: 171
    Did anyone notice that they put a lot of stuff in the middle of aisles too, to slow you down and get you to make unplanned purchases? There's always a big crate of chips or something right in front of the cereal aisle.
  • jdsouthernbelle
    jdsouthernbelle Posts: 274
    I typically shop at Safeway here in Canada, and at my particular store I go to, as soon as you walk in you see the floral dept, and produce then if you cut a sharp right, it's pop and chips.

    I still cruise most aisles, because tuna, beans, cereal, salad dressings are all there. I'm not going to stop eating certain foods just because they aren't placed around the perimeter of the store.


    That being said, I usually start with the produce, and end with frozen goods......just a matter of getting there...

    I shop at HEB and it is pretty much the same way. I also still go in the middle for my tuna, condiments, beans & rice, etc. Can't do without certain things....even if they are placed near other tempting goodies.
  • skinnyack
    skinnyack Posts: 683
    Definitely part of the reason I've switched to trader Joes and Henry's. Henry's has produce and nuts right in the middle and most of the refridgerated parts along the walls. You have to buy produce because you feel crazy walking through a huge produce section and not picking anythjing up. Trader joes is a bit of a mish mash but their chips/beer/and really really small soda section are off to the side or back usually. Sometimes I forget about those all together when I'm just buying the essentials in a hurry... and then am very sad without my lite kettle corn snack size bags or salsa.
    Plus just the notion of it being a "health food" store makes me able to pass up the preservative free, yet high calorie based small goodies sections that they do have.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    At one of the gyms here, they actually tell people to only shop the perimeter and never go into the middle! lol
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    I used to work in retail. Drug stores in particular. Every year (sometimes twice) we would have to re arrange the products on the shelves because different brand names would PAY to have their product in a certain place for a year. The displays you see on the ends of isles are usually done on purpose because they PAID the store to do it. Sometimes the brands will sponsor a contest with great prizes for sales increases of their product, or for a product display. If you see store brand stuff on the ends of isles (or next to the brand item) it is because they make 5 times the profit (or more) on store brands vs. name brand. Some major brand product companies actually employ people to go check stores to make sure they are in compliance with the product placement agreements, and if you are in stock on the products. Cigarette companies are HUGE for this. If you are not in compliance or out of stock too many times you lose money.

    I can't imagine grocery stores are any different.
  • ahkunkel
    ahkunkel Posts: 68
    I cant even walk down the chip aisle anymore, it's way too tempting...
  • nikhil_c8
    nikhil_c8 Posts: 100 Member
    Not only the Layout...even the Shopping Cart are created much bigger to tempt you to Fill it up...

    children are allways the main Target..All Cnadies ar ein Easy reach of Childrens while healthy itemsare stacked in some corner.

    Plus Marketing tricks like 2 candy bar for 2$..Most people will buy 2 although they need just 1

    check out this link

    http://health.msn.com/fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100165289
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    I understand the idea about avoiding center aisles, but how am I supposed to get my oatmeal, coffee, beans, rice, spices, salsa, frozen veggies, cheese, yogurt, ETC if I am to only shop the perimeter?
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
    lucky, lol........now you know why they startegically put them where they do.............its all about marketing and money.........Lloyd
  • daryls
    daryls Posts: 260
    I love Trader Joes. The perimiters still have the healthier food, but the store is so much smaller. I also like not having to compare 10 brands of the same product.
  • strongerthanb4
    strongerthanb4 Posts: 61
    It's all part of the plan....the "take our money and make us fat" plan! Makes me wish I could afford a personal shopper:)
  • Learning2LoveMe
    Learning2LoveMe Posts: 1,430 Member
    The store I go to has the bakery area in between the produce and meats/dairy area on the outside edge. So you walk in, get your produce and think you're doing good as you head to the meats to stock up on chicken and then BAM! Right in your face is donuts, cakes, cookies, brownies, all these amazing smelling little pastries. :laugh:
  • Kath712
    Kath712 Posts: 1,263 Member
    The store I go to has the bakery area in between the produce and meats/dairy area on the outside edge. So you walk in, get your produce and think you're doing good as you head to the meats to stock up on chicken and then BAM! Right in your face is donuts, cakes, cookies, brownies, all these amazing smelling little pastries. :laugh:

    Our stores are the same way. One time, I had to pick up something at the store, and the smell of donuts and my 7 year old's pleading was more than I could stand! :tongue: I bought one donut, and we split it four ways. :laugh:

    It is quite obvious that the stores are laid out to tempt us to buy unhealthy food. But that doesn't mean there are no unhealthy foods in the center aisles. You just have to be a smart shopper. Going with a list (and sticking with it) is the only way to go.
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