'It completely ruins my week': Why does this supermarket tactic annoy shoppers?
- Replies 25
A trip to the local supermarket is as routine as a morning cuppa.
Shoppers glide through aisles with ease, knowing where to reach for pantry staples or fresh produce.
What happens when supermarket giants decide to turn our shopping experience upside down with a sudden change?
A common practice among supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths, and ALDI has been causing a stir among shoppers.
Customers recently took to social media to vent their frustrations.
'Why do grocery stores have to rearrange randomly? I'm so lost?' a shopper lamented online.
Other shoppers also complained that their quick shop has now doubled in time.
'If I walk into a store that's been redone, it completely ruins my week,' another exclaimed.
'I get angry every time I go back.'
These complaints raise one question: why do supermarkets do this?
According to Deakin University's Professor of Consumer Behaviour, Paul Harrison, it's all about trying to adapt to customer behaviour.
Professor Harrison stated that supermarkets often use 'a little bit of data and a little bit of gut feeling' to make these decisions.
'Someone will have noticed a change in customer behaviour, and they will be speculating about what they should do about it,' Professor Harrison added.
'The moment you have to put resources into deeply diagnosing why people are doing what they're doing, you're not doing stuff, and businesses don't like that.'
'It's easier to just completely redesign the store than deeply understand why customers are behaving a certain way,' Professor Harrison shared.
He also suggested that psychology could be at play for these changes. These decisions are often driven by instinct rather than hard evidence.
'Often someone very senior makes the decision and is paid a lot of money to make stuff up!' he exclaimed.
If a new layout works in one store, it has the chance to be implemented in other stores.
However, success may vary due to different factors.
'Rarely one decision or one change will make a big difference,' Harrison noted.
Yet, for supermarkets, it's all about experimentation, hoping that they could encourage shoppers to spend more.
Despite the annoyance, most Australians won't let a store redesign drive them to switch supermarkets.
'Australians are compliant complainers,' Harrison observed.
'They'll keep going to the same store. It might be enough to make us trial somewhere different, but, you'd need a big thing, like moving house, to make us change where we shop.
In the end, Aussies' choice of supermarkets often comes down to two practical considerations: location and parking availability.
While a store redesign might make customers complain, it's unlikely to scare them away for good.
Have you found yourself lost in your local supermarket after a sudden layout change? How do you feel about these supermarket tactics? Share your experiences and tips for navigating these retail mazes in the comments below.
Shoppers glide through aisles with ease, knowing where to reach for pantry staples or fresh produce.
What happens when supermarket giants decide to turn our shopping experience upside down with a sudden change?
A common practice among supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths, and ALDI has been causing a stir among shoppers.
Customers recently took to social media to vent their frustrations.
'Why do grocery stores have to rearrange randomly? I'm so lost?' a shopper lamented online.
Shopping could be a disorienting experience for shoppers who rely on aisle arrangements. Image Credit: Pexels/Gustavo Fring
Other shoppers also complained that their quick shop has now doubled in time.
'If I walk into a store that's been redone, it completely ruins my week,' another exclaimed.
'I get angry every time I go back.'
These complaints raise one question: why do supermarkets do this?
According to Deakin University's Professor of Consumer Behaviour, Paul Harrison, it's all about trying to adapt to customer behaviour.
Professor Harrison stated that supermarkets often use 'a little bit of data and a little bit of gut feeling' to make these decisions.
'Someone will have noticed a change in customer behaviour, and they will be speculating about what they should do about it,' Professor Harrison added.
'The moment you have to put resources into deeply diagnosing why people are doing what they're doing, you're not doing stuff, and businesses don't like that.'
'It's easier to just completely redesign the store than deeply understand why customers are behaving a certain way,' Professor Harrison shared.
He also suggested that psychology could be at play for these changes. These decisions are often driven by instinct rather than hard evidence.
'Often someone very senior makes the decision and is paid a lot of money to make stuff up!' he exclaimed.
If a new layout works in one store, it has the chance to be implemented in other stores.
However, success may vary due to different factors.
'Rarely one decision or one change will make a big difference,' Harrison noted.
Yet, for supermarkets, it's all about experimentation, hoping that they could encourage shoppers to spend more.
Despite the annoyance, most Australians won't let a store redesign drive them to switch supermarkets.
'Australians are compliant complainers,' Harrison observed.
'They'll keep going to the same store. It might be enough to make us trial somewhere different, but, you'd need a big thing, like moving house, to make us change where we shop.
In the end, Aussies' choice of supermarkets often comes down to two practical considerations: location and parking availability.
While a store redesign might make customers complain, it's unlikely to scare them away for good.
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I'm sure there are more important things to worry about.
