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December 2, 2008 8:34:17 PM CST

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Supermarkets Downsize to Speed Up Shopping

Posted Sep 10, 08 4:19 AM CDT in Business 

(Newser) – American supermarkets are starting to shrink after decades of getting bigger and bigger, the New York Times reports. The average supermarket is still larger than a football field, but retailers have begun opening smaller outlets to appeal to rushed consumers who want to pick up groceries without having to wander through dozens of cavernous aisles.

Supermarket chains have been rushing to open "express outlets" since British giant Tesco began to grab a slice of market share with its Fresh & Easy stores. Experts say the trend signals that convenience is beginning to outweigh choice for many shoppers. "If you’ve got 50 feet of ketchup and what you want is Hunt’s 64-ounce and you can’t find it, people get overwhelmed," an analyst noted.

Source New York Times

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A customer assistant examines a salad at the first of six Southern California branches of Fresh & Easy neighborhood markets in Los Angeles' Eagle Rock neighborhood.   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
People stand outside a Tesco supermarket in west London.   (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakisl)
Customers enter the newly opened Fresh & Easy neighborhood market store moments after the ribbon cutting by Prince Andrew in Compton, Calif., earlier this year.   (AP Photo)
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The average person goes shopping for 22 minutes.  You can’t see 30,000 or 40,000 products. We are moving into an era when people want less assortment. - Phil Lempert, editor of Supermarketguru.com

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Wal-Mart • shopping • Whole Foods • grocery stores • supermarket • chain stores • groceries • Tesco


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