I’ve recently seen two my of my local Kroger stores reorganize their aisles. Traditionally there’s always been a center aisle that runs horizontally across the width of the store. You walk down the center aisle, and turn right or left to get things. Return to the center and repeat. It saves needlessly having to walk the entire length of the aisle. It also makes it possible to read the Stock signs (that identify what is on the aisle) at each end. Standing in the center aisle, those signs to your right and left are visible.
Well two of my local Kroger stores have eliminated that center aisle. Forcing people to walk back and forth the entire length of the store. Even worse, you can’t even see the stock sign at the far end. Theres a sign on each end identifying whats on that end. But, since it can’t be read from 100 feet away, that means walking down that aisle.
I saw a guy in a wheelchair yesterday struggling to shop. He was absolutely exhausted zig zagging up and down those 100 ft long aisles. I parked my basket and spent 15 minutes helping him. It even tired me a little doing all that walking (twice). For his shopping and then my own.
I can’t imagine why they are harming people like this. Its well known that our society is aging rapidly. We’ll soon have many more seniors than youngsters. Not to mention the disabled, people with heart conditions, and people that are obese.
Would it do any good at all to speak with the store manager? The aisle is already gone. Filled with shelving.
My guess is they are trying to modify traffic-flow and haven’t thought about access for the disabled beyond the USA ADA regs.
Notice how the milk and other essentials are at the back of the store?
They are making one walk through aisles so one can see “Oooh…donuts!”
You should be glad they’re doing this. By forcing people to walk more, they’re helping them to get exercise so that they don’t become obese in the first place.
Actually, I suspect Cabin_Fever has the correct answer. The more aislespace they can get you to walk through, the greater the chance you’ll buy more things.
Our Safeway has never had the center aisles. I have seen such a thing, so I understand what you’re talking about. Personally, I really don’t care too much how they do it, as long as they don’t keep moving things around so I have to relearn the layout.
Actually the biggest problem is how large stores are nowadays. I can get in and out of the small Supervalu in a town of 1500 people a few miles away much faster than in a larger city supermarket (unfortunately the small town Supervalu has significantly higher prices). This would be much worse for the elderly and disabled.
Also, eliminating the center cross-aisle means more shelf space for groceries; or conversely, they can pack a given range of groceries into a smaller building. That means more sales for less property tax/rent.
You do realize how many elderly and disabled people are in the US? How many heart patients? My mom tries to use a Scooter cart at Sams Club. They only have 4. Nearly every time she shops they are all in use and she’s forced to walk. She’s 83 and not doing that well at all.
Yes, talk to the manager. If no one gets the guts up to talk to him/her, they will not have a clue as to why folks are taking their shopping elsewhere. Then they mess around with what they guess is the problem & really screw it up.
The manager may give you some BS story as to why this is done, but Cabin_Fever has nailed it.
Of course if the sales numbers go up, they will not address this issue, as it is having the desired effect.
I am sorry for your loss of convenience. I would go elsewhere myself if the manager does not address the issue. I will even pay more for the convenience. So I would go to the outlieing areas for my shopping. OTOH, I hate the city crowding, so keep that in mind.
I had to stop and picture what “a center aisle that runs horizontally across the width of the store” even looks like.
I think I’ve got it, but if so I’ve never in my life seen a grocery store laid out that way.
They’ve always had multiple aisles running from just beyond the cash registers, to just before the back of the store. And, as mentioned, milk is always the furthest away. Fresh produce will be the first thing you see, but you’ll need to go to all four corners for a load of groceries. There’s a science to this.
Some insurance companies will buy her her own scooter if her docter recomends one for her. Of course there is the hassle of getting her scooter to Sams Club & back home again. This can be a real pain in the butt & more trouble than it is worth.
Again, talk to the manager about this, they need more scooters in their store. Remember, the squeeky wheel get the grease. If you get no joy from the manager, go up the ladder to corporate. They do not want to have a hassle dealing with an ADA issue. Use this info to get more scooters.
Are there really that many people whose shopping needs can consistently be met by only one-half of the store? It seems to me that people are going to wind up going up and down the entire aisle many times anyway.
I used to shop at a relatively small supermarket in an upscale neighborhood. One day, they reorganized their store and removed the center aisle. When I talked to the manager, he said they had a choice – reduce the variety and quantity of products offered, or remove the center aisle to make more shelf space. Enlarging the store (Gelson’s in Studio City, CA) was not possible.
So it wasn’t out of ignorance or lack of concern for older shoppers; it was a compromise. I don’t know what happened in the long run, but the store is still there.
There is a marketing science behind the way that grocery stores are laid out. The staple items are in the back of the store or around the edges; meat, bread, produce, eggs, etc. This forces the shopper to go through several other aisles where they see items that they did not come into the store to buy, but suddenly they end up in the cart.
And after a time when all the local shoppers have learned the layout of the store, the aisles in the center will be changed once again to maximize the travel time of the shopper. Unless you are very disciplined and stick to a preset list you are going to buy something that you did not plan to when you entered the store.
If you think that the store layout should be for the ease of shopping, marketing people are laughing at you. Here is a short article explaining this.
I’ve never seen it on this side of the border either. The closest is a small section across across from the main group of aisles in part of the store (say on line with the registers that don’t extend the entire length of the store front.)
I’m not unsympathetic, but shopping for these people is going to be a problem whether or not there is a center aisle. More and more places will allow you to order on-line and deliver, or you can hire someone to shop for you. Or have your children help out if they’re nearby.
Yeah…this. I live in the suburbs and I’ve never seen a grocery store with a center aisle. Home Depot and Lowes are laid out that way, but they are the sort of stores where you run in and run out. At the grocery store, in the suburbs, we all drive up with our big cars and spend an hour walking the store filling our carts and then load up our big cars and drive back home to unload a week’s plus worth of groceries.
Maybe in the city where someone hops off a bus to buy a bag’s worth of groceries does a center aisle matter. But I don’t see how HAVING a center aisle makes any difference to a person in a wheelchair or with a heart condition. My two aunts fit that bill and frankly shopping sucks for them no matter what.
Now, having too-narrow aisles would be a problem for disability accommodation, and having too-high shelves. And even having too few charged scooters would be a problem. But I really don’t see how the layout changes in your two local Krogers equates to “ALL GROCERY STORES … ARE MAKING SHOPPING MORE DIFFICULT FOR DISABLED AND ELDERLY.”
I’d tell the wheelchair users described in the OP to either get in better shape or start using an electric wheelchair for such excursions as grocery shopping.
Forcing people to walk back and forth the entire length of the store. Even worse, you can’t even see the stock sign at the far end. Theres a sign on each end identifying whats on that end. But, since it can’t be read from 100 feet away, that means walking down that aisle.