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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Retailers Slash Selection in Response to Recession

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(Newser) – A fundamental shift is going on in the consumer product world as retailers decide that less is more, the Wall Street Journal reports. Big national retailers are expected to slash selection by at least 15%, analysts say. Gone will be 30% of Kroger’s cereals, 20 of the 24 tape measures Wal-Mart sells, and so on. It’s a big curveball for manufacturers accustomed to cranking out variations on their top products.

By last year, the average food retailer’s shelves held 47,000 products, up 50% from 1996. “All that go-go 1990s where we were adding items in and adding items in, and people wanted more, more, more, more choice... just didn't pay off,” said a Walgreen's executive. “People say, ‘Whoah, you’re bombarding me. Help me figure out what I need.”

Mary Smolinski, from Garfield Heights, Ohio, stretches to reach the top shelf as she shops in the Home section of the Wal-Mart at Steelyard Commons, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, in Cleveland.
Mary Smolinski, from Garfield Heights, Ohio, stretches to reach the top shelf as she shops in the Home section of the Wal-Mart at Steelyard Commons, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, in Cleveland.   (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Shelves on the peanut butter aisle at an Atlanta supermarket are bare after jars of Peter Pan Peanut Butter were pulled from stores in Atlanta in this Feb. 16, 2007 file photo.
Shelves on the peanut butter aisle at an Atlanta supermarket are bare after jars of Peter Pan Peanut Butter were pulled from stores in Atlanta in this Feb. 16, 2007 file photo.   (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
An employee restocks a shelf in the grocery section of a Wal-Mart Supercenter May 11, 2005 in Troy, Ohio.
An employee restocks a shelf in the grocery section of a Wal-Mart Supercenter May 11, 2005 in Troy, Ohio.   (Getty Images)
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5 comments
VIEWING:
 
2-bits
Jun 26, 09 10:18 AM CDT
I've noticed this. It's annoying when you have to visit two stores to do your groceries. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
BeatBlaster
Jun 26, 09 3:09 PM CDT
Meh. I always thought it was kinda crazy to see all of the different brands but selection is good no doubt about that. There's a lot of people in this country of ours.
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IN RESPONSE:
anchower
Jun 26, 09 5:31 PM CDT
BeatBlaster: Less competition means higher prices.
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+2
Altoecko
Jun 26, 09 3:08 PM CDT
:( http://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html Reply
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0
SPH
Jun 26, 09 10:22 PM CDT
The irony has always been that the same plant/factory produces the exact same product under a different name.... Reply
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