Dear Michigan Grocery Store, Please Stop Moving Things Around

Dear Michigan Grocery Store Owner, Stop Moving Things Around

First off, thank you.

Secondly, stop.

Stop moving things around. I have very few things that I've committed to memory, and your store layout is one of them. I rely on this knowledge to get me in and out of your store as quickly and efficiently as possible.

So here's the deal: If you want me to scan and bag my own groceries, you need to stop doing the supermarket shuffle and leave the darn peanut butter where it is.

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I'm serious. Nothing makes me feel more like a lost little puppy than aimlessly checking aisle labels to find out where you moved the honey. A grown man wandering your store without a clue, desperately looking for a tiny bear-shaped container, feeling more and more like a lost little child, isn't how you should be treating your customers.

The Shopping Psychology Behind Grocery Store Layouts

Look, I get why you put the milk and eggs at the furthest point from the entrance. According to the Tasting Table, you want me to walk by your beer, wine, snack, and seasonal displays, hoping I'll make an impulse buy instead of grabbing my 1/2 gallon of 2% and a dozen grade-A eggs, paying, and being on my way.

New Grocery Store Layouts Maximize Sales

I also understand that most grocery store remodels—not all — are done to combat familiarity and rearrange the store so that regulars are forced to relearn and be exposed to different products.

You want to make more money, I get it. But stop. For the love of all that is good, please stop moving your stores around.

Grocery Store Layout Changes Done to 'Enhance' Your Shopping Experience

Grocer giants like Meijer, Kroger, and Walmart claim that their layout changes are made to make the shopping experience more intuitive, pleasant, and satisfying.

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Allow me to say that there's nothing intuitive, pleasant, or satisfying about wandering up and down your aisles, thinking how much time I'd save driving to the East Coast and catching my own fish rather than hunting for a can of tuna in your 'enhanced shopping environment.'

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So, Michigan Grocery Store, please stop moving things around. I'm lucky if I can remember where I parked, let alone how to navigate your new 'easier to shop' location. Just stop. Please.