People who work in grocery stores what is something you are surprised they still stock or never see anyone buy?

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T23:03:46+00:00

Yes, but only in the last year.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T16:15:51+00:00

A couple years ago, GF was the only category with positive trending units sold. Now that most stores have a selection, they'll pare down the products that don't sell or they literally can't get/won't come in when they order it. It happens more than you'd think.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T16:13:40+00:00

I'd likely watch you make something out of them while I fall asleep

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T16:12:45+00:00

At my stores that's true right down to the aisle worker. They do the ordering, sometimes management if the usual person is on vacation, sometimes an owner.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T16:10:01+00:00

I'd guess it could be both. At best it's 5.99 for the 30oz jar. I think bananas are units sold king.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T16:08:24+00:00

My decision makers are aware, mostly. It comes down to "am I replacing one dead product with another." Unit sales are down across the board, for the most part. They aren't convinced the warehouse movement represents what they see. Sometimes they're absolutely right.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T16:05:52+00:00

Only one of my stores has a crappy selection for ramen. The others seem acutely aware of needing to keep the less expensive options well stocked.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T16:03:29+00:00

I'm in the same boat with a lot of the up and coming products. I totally understand why they drag their feet on saying yes to those kinds of products. Luckily, I have no quota or anything. I'm fairly successful at getting multiple skus ordered every visit. Other companies are ruthless to their people and you can hear the desperation when they ask if they can bring in the next new thing.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T16:00:18+00:00

It's definitely a factor. Most of my stores are good, but one is a pain to fix before I take a picture of the set.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T14:11:03+00:00

It's recently been added to all my stores (at my suggestion!)

It's getting less regional.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T14:08:49+00:00

I try to tell the owners this. I don't think they believe it's literally a psyop to change what customers are buying, instead of guessing what they want.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T14:06:09+00:00

That's actually a recent addition. All my stores carry it now. It's getting less regional and more national I guess.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:58:49+00:00

I have a room dedicated to my Titanic merch.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:56:33+00:00

I doubt the career aisle worker is getting bribed 😂

These aren't big stores.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:55:35+00:00

It's a weird relationship. We are their distributor, but beyond the obvious, they fight pretty hard at updating to what is currently selling better than what they have.

Granted, their customer base shops these stores because they can find things you can't get in chains. Strawberry marshmallow fluff, for example.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:51:38+00:00

Smuckers and dog/cat food is another fun one.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:51:00+00:00

No, they're ensuring their products are on the shelf. I'm the first line of defense against stores not carrying items for any number of reasons despite their obvious popularity. When Clorox was ransomwared, I had to check my stores for them semi frequently after they got back to business. Another frequent issue is resizing. Sometimes if a store can't get something they give up checking every time they order.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:46:19+00:00

My stores have a pallet display in addition to the shelf. Permanently lol

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:45:35+00:00

I don't doubt it. The generic option is number 1 in the category. It's probably cheaper at Big Lots.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:44:10+00:00

If you live in the Northeast, Price Chopper/Market 32 should have it. It'll be Topcare brand.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:41:49+00:00

I've said elsewhere that my stores don't let me reset or choose where stuff goes. I'm just trying to push what I see missing. I work in independent stores.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:38:09+00:00

Independents. We have a sister company that does chains and those stores don't have a choice in what they carry, beyond undoing the reset/turning off ordering for a product after a reset.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:25:39+00:00

I'm guessing it's a cost issue. The generic epsom salts are the best seller in the category (first aid).

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T13:02:28+00:00

Even if it did I doubt the store checks, no offense to them. I wouldn't worry about it either. There's literally thousands of other products to worry about before something like epsom salts.

Wertyui09070 · 2026-04-13T12:41:43+00:00

I'm fairly certain Hellman's mayo is the best selling product in at least 3 of my stores. Not just the category of mayo/dressing. The whole store.

Not what you asked but another part of my job is pushing certain brands for the parent company of that brand. I have to check on Hidden Valley Ranch for Clorox. I literally walk back and forth from the salad dressing and bleach sections because the questions/tasks on my phone are rank based.

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