Grocery Store Familiarization

Following is an outline of the sequence used to teach blind (and special education) students to understand and shop in a grocery store.

• Introduce yourself to store management (begin to build a social relationship).
• Travel sighted guide around the peripheral traffic pattern
• Travel sighted guide on the basic traffic pattern (up and down aisles)
• Travel sighted guide on the traffic pattern and list sensory clues
• Learn terms (traffic pattern, gondola, aisle, shelf, display, layout, etc.)
• Learn or review the basic food groups
• Discuss why major food groups are on the periphery of the store
• Follow the traffic pattern for shopping the basic food groups
• Follow the basic traffic pattern through the store
• Why are fruits and vegetables almost always at the beginning ?
• Why are frozen foods and dairy products at the end of the traffic pattern?
• What is the difference between a "service image" and a "food image"?
• Which way do most traffic patterns flow? Why?

Review the first section of the traffic pattern (flowers and plants). Discuss the following:

1. Why is this first in the sequence?
2. How is this laid out? (explore)
3. Why is this a logical layout?
4. What are the product groupings?
5. What are the company groupings?
6. What safety precautions need to be taken?
7. What reaching strategies might you employ?
8. Reorient yourself to this section
9. Reorient to this plus other learned sections

Talk to the staff at the flower section. Ask how the section is logically laid out

Review the second section of the traffic pattern (fruits and vegetables). Discuss the following:

• Why is this second in the sequence?
• How is this laid out? (explore)
• What would be a logical traffic pattern through this section?
• Practice walking the pattern
• Why is this a logical layout?
• What are the product groupings?
• What are the company groupings?
• What safety precautions need to be taken?
• What reaching strategies might you employ?
• Reorient yourself to this section
• Reorient to this plus other learned sections

Review the third section of the traffic pattern (bread section). Discuss the following:

• Why is this third in the sequence?
• How is this laid out? (explore)
• What would be a logical traffic pattern through this section?
• Practice walking the pattern
• Why is this a logical layout?
• What are the product groupings?
• What are the company groupings?
• What safety precautions need to be taken?
• What reaching strategies might you employ?
• Reorient yourself to this section
• Reorient to this plus other learned sections

Review the fourth section of the traffic pattern (meat section). Discuss the following:

• Why is the meat department at the back of the store?
• How is this laid out? (explore)
• What would be a logical traffic pattern through this section?
• Practice walking the pattern
• Why is this a logical layout?
• What are the product groupings?
• What are the company groupings?
• What safety precautions need to be taken?
• What reaching strategies might you employ?
• Reorient yourself to this section
• Reorient to this plus other learned sections

Outcomes

• Sighted guide over the traffic pattern
• Observing and listing sensory clues (sound especially)
• Shopping with assistance
• Introducing oneself (building relationships)

• Terms
• Merchandizing strategies
• The future
• Food quality (food groups)
• Concepts that can be learned in a grocery store

• Perimeter
• Walking the traffic pattern
• Aisle product areas
• Check out
• Food planning, shopping, preparation

Experiences

• Make initial social contacts
• Introduce yourself in person and/or on the phone
• State your needs clearly
• Ask for a tour, orientation, services that are provided
• Follow up with a thank you note in braille (print translation)

• Sighted guide around the perimeter to the checkout to the doors
• Sighted guide through traffic pattern (up/ down aisles to checkout to doors)

• Sighted guide around the peripheral areas (list sensory inputs)
• Sighted guide up and down aisles (list input)

Developing Competency

Sighted guide around the walls to find what is there section by section

• Develop a traffic pattern for each section (if needed)
• Learn the logic of the layout
• Discuss product and company groupings
• Mini dropoff lessons by section
• Enlarge mini dropoffs to include already learned sections
• Review reaching strategies

fresh vs. processed

Why put the major food groups on the perimeter?

High traffic flow area (from studies): so put the highest profit margin foods where most people travel, these foods are also the least expensive, most healthy foods for the consumer

Store image of freshness (and food): Fresh food needs to be restocked frequently (short shelve life, cuts labor costs, near storage)

Near wall outlets for coolers, freezers, special lighting

Vegetables and fruits are almost always at the beginning of the traffic pattern (the first thing encountered)

They have the highest margin of profit for the store

Strong fresh food image

High marketing appeal (colorful and natural)

Frozen foods and dairy products are at the end of the perimeter traffic pattern so they can be out of the coolers just before checking out.

Meat is placed at the back of most stores because it accounts for one fourth of all store sales and is the largest expenditure for consumers. The more products people pass by, the better the chance they will purchase more. So meat is placed at the back (as is milk) so that people have to walk through a greater proportion of the store and pass more items.

If a store wants a service image as well as (or more than) a fresh food image, then services are placed near the entrances

We live in a right hand world so traffic patterns move from right to left.

Knowledge

• Traffic patterns
• Reset
• Gondola, aisle, shelf
• Island
• Display
• Layout (grid iron)
• Facing size
• Loss leader: item sold at loss (flanked by high profit items)

Merchandizing: When manufacturers and store designers try to figure how to sell as many products as possible they take into consideration at least the following:

• Demographic studies of neighborhoods (ethnic mix, age, economic makeup)
• They study traffic patterns within stores (how people move, where they go)
• They logically layout the store when it is built
• They carefully place departments within the store
• They carefully, logically place items on the shelves
• They carefully direct lighting
• Monitor sales and make changes as demographic/customers habits change.

• The rate of exposure of a product is directly related to sales
• It is best to place products where they are easy to find and reach
• Place products where the atmosphere is relaxed
• Place products where minimum time is required to locate and purchase items
• Customers think in categories, so items are placed in categories
• Frequent relocation confuses customers, so item positioning is constant

The explosion of new products and customer demand for variety, novelty and choice, cause store expansion and more frequent resetting of layouts.

Building space is expensive. Design detail is critical; every inch of space allocation must be carefully thought out.

Low demand items sell best when placed next to the lower profit margin (but higher demand) items

Different products or product categories have different drawing power. High drawing power products are strategically placed throughout the store to draw customers past as many items as possible.

Facing size grows and shrinks depending on advertized items

Sales are directly proportional to the # of facings

Point of sale signs work best

High profit items are displayed in "hot spots" where traffic flow is heavy or congested

The future

One stop shopping is growing on all fronts (hypermarkets, warehouses, supermarkets carrying more and more items as they expand

Electronic marketing is here (shop by modem, fax, phone/delivery

Ted Turners grocery store TV channel

Computers in stores that display layouts and pinpoint the exact location of merchandize, position on shelves, price, sale information, product information. Also to gather customer opinion. Checkout computers keep track of what items are sold when. Merchandizing studies can be done on this data, and restocking can be automatically ordered as supplies get low.

Self-checkout

Interactive video on shopping cards, electronic coupons

Greater number and variety of products, individually tailored shopping (diet, family size and age, budget restraints. These will cause an expansion of store size

Shop in a lounge from a television screen. Food packaged and delivered, while you relax and the kids play

More specialty stores will be created in supermarkets

Teaching Concepts

• Fresh versus processed foods
• Four food groups (grains, dairy, vegetable and fruits, meats).
• Good dietary habits:
  1. eat four food groups to be healthy and save money
  2. understand impulse items and how they are merchandized (eye level, etc.).
  3. learn to avoid impulse items
  4. food chemistry: Calories; Vitamins; Proteins, Carbohydrates; Fats
  5. food categories and relationships
  6. pricing (determining prices and comparing)
  7. sales, coupons, budgeting
  8. food quality (fat in meat and milk for example)
  9. seasonal foods (and displays)
  10. processing/packaging styles (smoked, frozen, canned, powdered, aseptic)
  11. convenience items (non-essential, high profit) versus
  12. demand items (purchased weekly or biweekly, high turnover items)
• Kinds of vegetables and meats
• Additives, preservatives, natural foods

• Understand that modern customers demand no waiting,
• variety, the ability to see and examine items before buying
• the chance to decide at your own pace
• Self serve replaced service in industrial era; may return in information age.
• generic versus brand versus store brands
• Shape, size, weight, color, texture (color contrast is consciously used)
• Sensory (differentiation by sight, smell, hearing, touch)
• Tie in merchandizing to idea that planning makes for success
• Measurements (pint, quart, gallon, ounce, liter, pound, etc.)
• Meal planning (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, nutrition, list making)
• Money concepts
• World economics/agriculture: coffee from S America, sardines from Norway,
• Map skills (braille, auditory, large print)
• Planning ahead (one weeks worth of food and personal needs).
• Given a fixed budget, shop sensibly and healthfully.
• Planning avoids bad habits and impulse buying (stay within limits)
• Self care: health/beauty aids, cleaning supplies, baking (tie to economics)
• Asking for assistance
• eating habits (quality, amount, time and frequency of meals, expense).
• problem solving (what should you do if so and so happens?)

Planning

• Plan food and personal needs (make lists) for one meal, one day, one week.
• Determine how much money can be allocated for food and personal needs
• estimate costs and prioritize needs (remember nutrition and expense)
• Look for sales, collect coupons
• Use electronics or shop by phone if appropriate
• If you need assistance, call ahead and arrange a time and place
• Organize the prioritized list, consider the store traffic pattern.
• Include on your list sale items, brand names, quantity, location notes
• Bring enough money (checks, etc.), plus extra money (taxes, impulse buys)
• Keep a running total of expenses/cross off items as you put them in the cart
• Keep a map handy if necessary
• If you are using an assistant, get help determining quality, nutrition and price
• Know ahead of time how you will get groceries home

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