[Magdalen] a question you should never ask at Walmart

[Jim Guthrie]

From: Lynn Ronkainen

> One of the things I've noticed here is the tiny amount of real estate
> Publix, Food Lion & Winn Dixie devote to fresh produce. It's like
> a kiosk in the back corner of the store. Half the size of the bakery
> section. Less than a quarter the size of the frozen food section

I think that varies by store and by region. If there are lots of customers 
buying fresh fruits and vegetables that allow for big turnover before spoilage 
sets in, the section will be larger. But the real estate is certainly not 
divvied up on what some would say we   "should" eat, but rather what we really 
eat.

>Perhaps based on shopper habits?  The one downside of computer inventory at the 
>register is that the register does not know who comes in for stuff that is not 
>on the shelf but normally in stock...   so their ability to keep up with the 
>demand they are unaware of is nonexistent.

However, that register information goes direct to the distribution center, which 
starts the process of creating a store replenishment shipment for each product 
whenever it meets a restock criteria.

The fly in the ointment is that stores have cut down on deliveries of 
non-perishable goods to save money, so unless a customer has cleared the shelf 
of a product (and I admit to doing that myself, at times) the product is likely 
in the pipeline when stock starts running low.

Cheers,
Jim Guthrie