Can't find your favorite toothpaste? Retailers are choosing for you
Filed under: Shopping
Just because your favorite shampoo or toothpaste disappears from the store shelf, doesn't mean it's discontinued. It might have been booted by your favorite store.Retailers all over the country are reducing the number of products they carry, eliminating brands and in general being much more selective thanks to some pretty sophisticated software and the science behind it.
It's all based on the concept of "bounded rationality." That too much choice inhibits our ability to make a decision. In other words, 20 different kinds of jam is no better than six. In fact, it's worse. When faced with 20, a lot of people will just walk away empty handed. I did this recently when faced with what seemed like a bazillion types of caulk at a home improvement center. Just walked away. I'll take care of that problem another time.
There's also a finite amount of shelf space, even in a supercenter. How they allocate that space is tricky business. Stores can carry anywhere from 50,000 to 200,000 thousand SKUs. There might be 12,000 new product introductions this year, but where to put them? And really, how many kinds of Oreo's do we actually need?
This story in today's Wall Street Journal (subscription required), details how stores have been trimming the total number of items (SKUs) they stock, like Walgreens cutting types of glue, Wal-Mart cutting tape measures and Kroger cutting cereal. There is a ton of science behind it including register totals, frequent shopper or loyalty card data, and inventory lists. The problem being, eliminating certain items may also eliminate some shoppers.
"The problem is, that no matter what SKU is on that shelf, someone is buying it," says retail consultant Neil Stern of McMillan/Doolittle. "Eliminating it is going to anger that customer. You have to be really careful. Is that SKU going to be the tipping point that makes them shop elsewhere?"
It was for me. I'm devoted to a particular variety of Colgate toothpaste, nothing else will do. When Target suddenly stopped carrying it, I panicked, then went online. I now order my toothpaste, and a lot of other things, from Drugstore.com. I still shop at Target but go less often and save a good amount on sales tax, but that's another topic for another post. For this customer, toothpaste was the tipping point.
Of course you can also appeal to the powers that be. Write an email to corporate or make a request to the store manager. Or shop elsewhere.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
6-26-2009 @ 8:09PM
Sara said...
I am in love and his name is Mr. Power Colon Cleanse http://tinyurl.com/PowerColonCleanse ! This is by far the best cleansing product available. I saw it on Oprah and thought I would give it a try. Power Colon Cleanse has pretty much changed the way I live my life. My daily chores are done in a breeze and I have more energy, not to mention more time in my day since I don't mind jumping out of bed in the mornings at 7:00 am now. This is not just a cleanser. It is also a detox. I can feel it working and have only been using it for 6 weeks.
I owe my life to http://tinyurl.com/PowerColonCleanse
Reply
6-26-2009 @ 8:43PM
MuyBienIsMoi said...
Sara you are an idiot and obviously a bot.
Anyway, I will definitely shop elsewhere if my brand is cut. We buy our personal products after years of trying things and deciding what is best for us. Will some store decide that by cutting something that isn't as profitable will make us prone to just buy something else, something they have in stock?? No. Not concerning personal products! People have comfort zones, personal issues, and personal worries making them purchase certain products and we'll stick with what makes us happy. Screw you, Mr. Retailer, for constantly letting the bottom line in profit make you screw us. We'll go elsewhere.
6-26-2009 @ 10:11PM
mmolah said...
What the heck does this have to do with the story above. You guys that post these "Commercials" are stupid and annoying!
6-28-2009 @ 9:48PM
Dr. Ed said...
Sara: If you & others like you continue to try to use these comment sections to promote products it will hurt the media. I ask all to join me in boycotting this product and let Sara know we are boycotting it. Dr. E.G.
6-28-2009 @ 11:56PM
Joe Papierz said...
What in Holy HE?L does your email have to do with the story?
I'm seeing more and more of this crap every day. I wish you and others who are doing the same thing would just dissappear. Drop dead maybe?
6-29-2009 @ 5:14AM
Tabitha said...
Sara shouldn't stick things in her colon that don't belong there...i.e canned hams,small trees,oddly shaped fruit,ect.The product she's advertising is like Liquid Plumber for your Bung.
No thanks !
6-26-2009 @ 9:03PM
kevin said...
If walmart doesn't stop cutting down its selections, I am going to stop shopping there. The grocery dept. was never spectacular, but it is now becoming dismal.
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6-28-2009 @ 10:05PM
chris said...
i am with you -- our walmart here recently "redecorated" and now i am finding several items i used to by GONE!! i voiced my opinion however i wont be at walmart like i regularly was. i like one stop shopping and i can get it all at the grocery store.
6-28-2009 @ 11:33PM
susan said...
I always got a certain type of denture cleaning product and all of a sudden it is nowhere to be seen at WalMart! It is getting to where it is just too aggravating to even go into WalMart anymore!
6-26-2009 @ 9:08PM
Debbye said...
I am outraged by the drop of Sunstar Oral products, Gum and Butler. I am a dental hygienist and often recommend these brands but can no longer send folks to Walgreens or WalMart for their purchase. It is my understanding that they force companies to PAY for their shelf space, giving an unfair advantage to the larger companies, who do not always make the better product. I now tell my patients to order on line, but with such hectic schedules now, I know many will just pick up whatever the big retailers have to offer. How sad for us as consumers and how sad for our attempts at quality health care.
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6-26-2009 @ 10:39PM
BSBLlover said...
I don't mind cuts on numbers of items. Sometimes the number of slight differences is rediculous. What dirves me crazy is when I find a product I love and the next time I need it, it's not there! Does ANYONE know where I can find L'Oreal LIQUID LIP LINER? Or another comparable item in another brand? It's like a tiny paint brush and works great, especially since I have a small scar on my upper lip and it stays right on the lip line so doesn't exaggerate the scar by letting lipstick or other liners spread to that area. SURE WOULD APPRECIATE SOME HELP.
6-27-2009 @ 12:38AM
jack said...
It's long been a practice that companies pay for premium shelf space--those shelves at eye level. It would not surprise me to learn that this practice has expanded to any and all shelf space. It's just another form of kick back that hits us in the wallet everytime we go to the grocery store.
6-27-2009 @ 1:15AM
bob said...
Maybe you should try sending them to their local independent pharmacy. Small stores will often bring in items requested by their customers...unlike large chains who would rather manipulate and squeeze their customers just for the sake of the bottom line. I try to shop at independent stores as often as i can and my life is much better for it. Yes, it may cost a few pennies more, but avoiding the large-store aggravation makes it well worth it. And I feel good supporting someone from my own community rather than some CEO living lavishly off my money.
6-27-2009 @ 5:15AM
Scott said...
Debbye,
Ask your dental rep to order the products for your office. You can then have it on hand for them to purchase. You don't have to make a profit. Let the patients know how much the product actually costs and they will gladly pay for it. It is a great service to your patients and you get the satifaction of providing them with the product you like best.
6-28-2009 @ 9:29PM
connie said...
Yes, she is correct about GUM products by SunStar Americas Inc.. Walgreen's has discontinued that brand, and I now order my products from the company. They have an excellent "Fine, unwaxed" dental floss that cleans better than any floss carried in the stores. Check out their website.
6-28-2009 @ 10:10PM
Cheryl said...
Family Dollar carries both butler and gum products for a great price.
6-26-2009 @ 9:26PM
Laura said...
Wal-Greens works for me because it is close to home and I can drive thru....... and personally Wal-Mart is a place I see once or twice a year
Reply
6-26-2009 @ 9:31PM
Nikki Ty-Tomkins said...
There's some sense here. When I first came back to America after twenty years in India, where choice is considerably less, I couldn't get used to the confusion of so many choices. Now we're getting a lot of grocery stores with "upgrades" ... and endless unnecessary luxury items. It is a misery to try and locate basic groceries in these new refurbished stores. One Safeway stocks over 200 varieties of cheese! Sports drinks line the shelves and there are so many varieties of deli meats,. one can't begin to make a selection . I find it not only overwhelming in terms of making a selection ... but somehow shameful in a world where there are still hungry people. I know those perishable cheeses aren't all going to be sold ... and I watch the over-priced "organic" produce rotting in the beautiful decorative wooden display stands. This is shocking. Back to the basics, please. Now .... before we are forced by this economy to acquire some common sense and stop being so picky. trry living in a thrid world country for a while .... then you'll stop fretting over a particular brand of toothpaste. Shame on all you complainers .... be glad you can afford the damned toothpaste and don't have to use a chewed neem twig. Be glad your cheese is pasturized and you're not going to risk food poisoning from raw milk.
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6-26-2009 @ 9:51PM
Mommysan said...
A similar thing happened to me at Target. Last month when I went to look for the shower/bath gel I had been buying from them (Jason brand), I only found three brands of shower wash that aren't specifically for men (Dial, Caress, and Dove). Now I have to go to a "health food" store to find the product...and I have to pay far more than I want to. Jerks.
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6-27-2009 @ 12:04AM
Jan said...
If your Target has a Pharmacy, they will order things for you that they don't have in stock....even in the general drug item area. At least the Target by me will do it. You could just ask and see.