Grocery Store Retail Trends

Many stores, and I mean franchise’s, are investing in keeping the customer entertained while they shop. From in store video to product demonstrations to any gimmick they can think of. One such store that follows this is Stew Leonard’s. Located in southern CT. they follow a very strict plan of attack for dealing with their customers. You enter through one door and follow a sort of maze through the store that takes you through every department. Think of it as the IKEA of food, only without the shortcuts. Mostly it is all fresh baked, squeezed, cut meat, fresh seafood, fresh made on site mozzarella cheese, other cheeses, fresh fruit. Many of the name brand product lines they do carry are very, and I mean strictly, limited. I learned for instance that they only carry one of the Fischer Wieser sauces. But they buy a lot of it, and I assume that they go through a lot of it. all the while they have old style Disney-ish flipping monkeys, a bunch of animatronic cows that will sing songs, a demonstration milk bottle filling machine, etc. is this all to distract you from what you are buying? To keep you from noticing the prices or it's just a shtick to entertain you and the kids. What ever. They seem to do it very well. I do like the way in which they get you to walk the whole store and all pass all the products whether you want to or not. Most people know that to get the best deals at the supermarket, stick to the outside isle. Stew Leonard has found a way to market all of their products to you without making it feel like it. Very interesting. I would say I that it is near on impossible for most stores to replicate but is it the future of retail? Maybe.