I’ve joked that my refrigerator of choice is the one that is stocked daily at 7-11. It’s easier to just grab a drink on the way somewhere than the psychological responsibility of grabbing them in a box, putting them into a cart and then standing in line. It’s over-priced, and it’s a horrible habit. I’m currently off of added sugars so I’m not worried about the Diet Coke or the Gatorade right now, but I did notice another issue that has come up.
I do not like to grocery shop. I no longer have my Costco card because the renewal involved me having to go inside the store. I thought Costco cards were for cheaper gasoline, pizza, grabbing a rotisserie chicken and every half decade a flat screen. I will never stand in that customer service line. Now I go into my local Von’s.
There are only two times to go to a grocery store. Half an hour before they close or during your thirty-minute lunch break. If it’s at night, I like to walk the produce aisle and buy aspirational veggies that will die in my refrigerator. I’ve had a butternut squash that has seen three different hair colors on me. These night trips usually end with a large bowl of watermelon, crackers, a block of cheese with a cute logo, and ice cream. Whatever I've forgotten DoorDash will know about an hour later. They’re not much help. They understand that you meant to pick up supplies for a meal, but their only consolation prize that late at night is to send a pizza and wish you the best.
Night meals don’t count. You meant to do better, but the day just got away from you and The Pitt is about to drop a new episode, so there is no other choice than to settle for a pepperoni and call it a day.
The thirty-minute lunch? That’s when you learn more about yourself. I used to disassociate and just run in to grab a pack of grissini and hot wings. I tried to mix it up by grabbing different items and it didn’t go well. There are too many aisles in the supermarket. Six of them can be taken away and we would be okay.
I collected data on a few recent trips. On one trip, I wanted a small jam to go with my baguette. Sometimes you just want to go back to your office with bread and turn the kettle on. I walked half the aisles before I gave up and asked for what I wanted and I was shown to the deli area. The personal sized jams are sitting on top of the area where they have the cheese.
On another trip, I decided I wanted spinach dip. I went to the dairy section, and then I followed up by looking near the refrigerated area near chips. I couldn’t find it. I asked for help. I was directed to a small wall on the far side of the deli. I walked over and sure enough in a corner was the spinach dip I wanted.
This meant that after several different visits, the majority of the items I wanted could be found at small display areas near the deli. I think this makes me a bodega shopper in the suburbs. Everything I want that can be found in the aisles are too much. I either want the item for just that moment, or I want it for maybe that day and one other day and that’s it.
That’s when I realized that supermarkets have a new demographic that they need to market to. The elder millennial that prioritizes sustenance after entertainment and social outings. It should be called something like one-stop. A display where you will get the maximum amount from that absent shopper in the shortest amount of time. I did mention 7-11. I’ve been that route and I’ve grabbed the P&J sandwich, but we can do better.
I’m going to break down the sections that are the most important:
Protein
Boiled eggs are already sold in packs of two. That’s great, but you’re currently only offering that or chicken wings. I know that chicken salad is packaged, but you put onions in so you’re losing 80% of your customer base with that. As someone who wants to grab an item fast and walk away, I think more tofu and shredded chicken items should be packaged. I mean little packs that have enough protein for the day put into a small container with an easily identifiable label. I will grab it without thinking and that’s my lunch for the day.
Carbs
Besides the grissini, the baguettes are easy. If I’m feeling hopeful that I’m only going to snack on it a bit and plan to see it again the next day, I go for a box of crackers. I like the water crackers, but not with all the flavors. My favorite is the Ritz, but I don’t want to buy the entire box and you’re putting me in the position where I’ll want to eat it by the sleeve. Put it in small boxes right next to the small jam jars and the baby cheeses and you have at least four dozen people that will reach for those three items every day for their lunch when they’re running through the market.
Fat
I’m currently not eating salads because over the holidays I saw a video that said eating vegetables raw makes us sick. I moved to soups because of this, but it also means that I haven’t eaten avocado in a while and that’s how I calculated my fat intake. The snacks at movies don’t count because items sold in large open containers without nutrition facts mean they don’t count towards the data. The market used to have packaged individual soups, but they aren’t there anymore. Just have butternut squash, tomato, and broccoli cheese next to the baguettes and that’s another problem solved.
I think the front deli section when you walk into the supermarket should just be dedicated to the demographic I belong to. I know they showcase fruit bowls and specials for everyone, but stores will make more money if they just dedicate it to us. The handful of items that we want right in that section next to the deli in the case that we are mixing it up and right next to self-checkout. Stores will still make their money off of the traditional shopper, but they’ll make more if they cater towards a demographic that gets ignored.
I know what you’re thinking, but Erewhon and Whole Foods doesn’t count. They have that deli section where they will make you a plate and throw you a smoothie under twenty minutes, but that’s a different demographic. Those stores are geared towards the $40 a lunch crowd. I’ve been a member of that crowd it’s called, “I’m here with the company card”. For those of us that are buying for ourselves during a thirty-minute lunch break, we need Vons to cater to us with that front section by the deli.
The two places that are stealing business from this non-existent section at Vons is Mendocino Farms and Panera Bread.
Mendocino Farms is the store I want to be open at 1am. Could you imagine working on your computer and you turn to the time and it’s 11pm and you had the option to pop into a local shop that could hand you a tofu banh mi? They’re not open at that time, hence the pepperoni pizza. This location can get my attention because I know I can just point to the menu instead of walking through the deli section at five different places trying to put a story together within a small amount of time. Mendocino Farms could take a hit if Vons had that section up.
Panera Bread isn’t worth it. They get me because they have a drive thru. If not for that, they would never see me. Compare fifteen minutes of walking through a supermarket compared to driving up and grabbing a tomato soup bread bowl. My problem with Panera? They continually forget to include the butter with the bread for dipping. I don’t order the bread bowl because it adds a flavor to the soup, I want to dip and that tastes better with the butter. If Vons gets their display area together, Panera will never see me again.
I mentioned bodegas earlier. I’ve always been in the suburbs. My bodega experiences were when I used to travel for work or worked in the city. The energy of those bodegas is what I’m trying to capture in structures that were built to service over a hundred people at the same time. Within that short window, I want to find the items that I didn’t know I wanted, packaged for one, and ready to go. I don’t need it sold in a niche shop that will upcharge or lesser items that are easy to grab.
I had someone explain to me once that restaurants weigh their tables by time like real estate. You are charged for the amount of time that you will spend at that table and what you will order. An hour at a table will bring in x amount and that’s how they weigh out their night. I’m sure supermarkets do the same thing. They once put the tuna in the back of the shop to make you walk through it putting more items into your cart. The display I’ve outlined would work in a more efficient manner. You put all of the key items into a display right there in the front and there are people that will appreciate it, buy from it every day, and be out of there fast.
I’m on to something with this idea. In the future, if you walk into your local supermarket and there’s a display or two right by the deli and self-checkout that have just these keys items. It means that my theory was right and there’s definitely a market for it.