A new Piggly Wiggly store opened in Myrtle Beach, SC, last month, and it is laid out in an unconventional way.
Instead of the traditional model — produce on one side, dairy in the back — the store is organized by how shoppers think about meals, according to an article in Gourmet News. Cereal is stocked next to the milk. Canned and fresh fruits and vegetables are in the same area...
We frequently write out our grocery list by grouping items from the same section of the store. That way, we're not running back and forth from the meat department to the produce section. And even when we do list things according to a recipe, it's not likely that they'd logically be stocked together in this type of store. Say we're buying ingredients for a pasta salad. We doubt Piggly Wiggly is putting rotini in the produce section for just that occasion.
At the same time, busy parents who are grabbing Cheerios might not remember they're out of milk until they see it next to the cereal. The store also has meal stations where, for example, ingredients for an Italian-style meal (plus wine) are grouped together.
We'd have to see it to issue a real verdict, and we called a family member who lives nearby, but she hasn't visited yet. Her response: "People are creatures of habit. I tend to shop the way I'm used to shopping." Very true indeed.
So, does this sound like a good idea? Does grocery store organization need shaking up?
We'd love to hear from any Myrtle Beach-area readers who might have visited the store. Also, you can watch a YouTube video tour of the store here:
• New Piggly Wiggly at The Market Common in Myrtle Beach
Read the original release here.
Related: Harris Teeter to Finally Open in DC?
(Image: Progressive Grocer)
Copyright © 2007 Apartment Therapy
I'm used to shopping around the perimeter of a store-- fresh produce, fish or meats, dairy, fresh bread, with occasional forays into the middle for things like olive oil or grains. So I think I would find it harder to have everything mixed up. I also shop with a list, so it's not like I forget what I need. There's something about this that makes me think the store's not laid out around how shoppers think, but what encourages them to buy more.
view v in boston's profile
It sounds like a case of add-on selling or up-selling, like when you buy shoes and the clerk asks you if you need socks too.
view sjbreeze's profile
I think that V in Boston's answer is dead on. The store is simply trying to get around a smart consumer's thinking pattern of "avoid the middle".
I seriously doubt that they're trying to help my little pea brain and make it 'easier'. Easier as in 'more lucrative for them' perhaps.
Grrrr.
view Snow Gurl's profile
I'm all for anything that involves out of the box thinking, therefore I'm all about this experiment in merchandising. Retailers have been so rigidly locked into the idea that they have to arrange the staples around the perimeter with the idea that because customers have to walk past everything else to get to the staples they will buy more stuff they didn't come in for, and for no reason other than because a bunch of other retailers called it a "best practice." I hope it works.
I'm also always amused at the griping over merchants trying to make money and therefore stay in business, by getting people to buy more. Perhaps by arranging things in this way, not only will it encourage customers to buy more, but it will get consumers who tend to only buy the processed "in the middle" foods to pick up more fresh and quality foods by the same upselling process.
view bonjourmiette's profile
No grocery chain ever designed a store to benefit the customer. Don't even fall for that idea. But the worst thing grocery stores do is play music. God forbid that we should shop in a quiet store where we can think about our purchases. No---we must be must be blasted with Rod Steward until our ears and noses bleed.
view Fontessa's profile
Wow! That is NOT the Piggly Wiggly I remember!
view Deandrea's profile
I miss the Pig! umm, frozen boiled peanuts...
view hillgirl's profile