# What Unusual Aisle Layouts & Product Combinations in Your Supermarket Drive You Nuts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 27, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863 "2003-06-27T22:13:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/41 "2003-07-01T21:24:44Z")
Our local Wal-Mart was recently converted to a Super Wal-Mart, and here are just a handful of little inconveniences that I’ve discovered there. There’s a big sign that says “Health And Beauty”. Wouldn’t you expect make-up to be in that aisle? Nope, its clear on the other end of the store by the checkout lanes. And what about face wash? Nope, over by the fingernail polish, which in itself should be in health and beauty, but it’s situated somewhere by the magazines. Safety pins. Where would you expect to find safety pins? My best bet was the Office Supplies section, but alas, they were nowhere to be found. The only paperclips the store had were in the Crafts section. And don’t get me started on batteries. Rarely do I see a designated battery section. They’re always on the end of isles, usually by the toys or the clothes or somewhere you wouldn’t expect to find batteries. And when you do find batteries, they never have AA. They’re AAA or 9-Volt. You gotta hunt all around just to find the regular AAs. ---
**Author:** ![Aranea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Aranea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aranea)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/42 "2003-07-01T23:33:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Primaflora \* > \*\*Coconut milk powder. In with the coffee and tea. Of course. I mean it’s a milk substitute so of course it goes there. They should move the tinned coconut milk there too shouldn’t they? > > This caper goes on in NZ and Australia. Fools. \*\* A similar caper in Texas, where I wanted canned coconut milk for curry. I headed for the Asian foods aisle, where it should be. No dice. Where was it? In the aisle with canned dairy products. Sweetened condensed milk. Evaporated milk. Goat milk. Coconut milk. Of course! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/43 "2003-07-02T01:07:55Z")
A local supermarket keeps Progresso soup separate from Campbell’s soup. There is even an aisle sign that says “Progresso” as opposed to one that says “Canned Soup”. I smell product placement. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/44 "2003-07-02T02:33:24Z")
**romansperson** , much ado about olives, including the answer to your question, in [this ghostly thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=3337). ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/45 "2003-07-02T03:34:05Z")
Hot Sauce, BBQ Sauce, etc… And School supplies. Feminine Hygiene stuff, Baby stuff (including food),… And Greeting Cards. You’d think that the Adult Diapers would be in the aisle with Maxi-Pads and baby stuff. But no, they’re with the toilet paper, across from the beer. I can never find straws. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/46 "2003-07-02T03:52:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hillbilly queen \* > …You’d think that the Adult Diapers would be in the aisle with Maxi-Pads and baby stuff. But no, they’re…across from the beer. I can find the logic in that stores merchandising practice > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hillbilly queen \* > I can never find straws. Steal em from McDonalds ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/47 "2003-07-02T05:47:34Z")
In amongst the meats where my Dad shops are packages of herring. For fishing. With “Not For Human Consumption” labels on them. Wonder how many people have gotten them home before seeing that label? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/48 "2003-07-02T07:13:57Z")
Well, I’ve got a combination-sighting that _almost_ makes sense. Almost. Mini Propane Tanks (Filled), next to… Mini Kerosene Cans (Filled), next to… Lamp Oil, next to… Jumbo-sized paper napkin packages. All stacked on top of the freezer case. In store in California (aka ‘Earthquake Country’). I guess I can take some comfort in the fact that ‘Goofus’ found gainful employment with the Safeway Corperation after leaving “Highlights.” ---
**Author:** ![todd33rpm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@todd33rpm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/todd33rpm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/49 "2003-07-02T12:27:09Z")
When I lived on the south side of town, I always enjoyed the bizarre layout of fresh veggies…then booze…and then…first aid/hygeine. I assume the logic was that I would make a salad, chase it with some Mike’s Hard Lemonade, and then start cleaning my ears. (The booze and first aid stuff were on the same side of one aisle…it segued directly from wine coolers into Q-Tips with nary a pause.) The thing I’ve noticed leaping around in my current grocery is the prepared horseradish…is it a condiment? meat? baking supply? snack food? Got me. Apparently _they_ can’t decide, because it’s been in _each_ of those areas at least once in the past two years. Oh, and frozen bagels? Nope, not for breakfast anymore. Now they’re frozen juice or seafood, if I’m expected to believe the sign. ---
**Author:** ![todd33rpm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@todd33rpm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/todd33rpm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/50 "2003-07-02T12:30:09Z")
Oh, slight hijack… My friend Steph worked in a convenience store, and had the chance to ring up the perfect pairing of _objets d’purchase_…a young man came up and bought breath mints and condoms. Nothing else. _ **telling self: "A Boy Scout is Always Prepared"** _ ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/51 "2003-07-02T14:16:46Z")
I’m not exactly sure why, but when I discovered that the pet supply aisle at my local grocery store is also where they keep the various bug sprays (ant and roach spray, etc.) and barbecue supplies, it just really struck me as _wrong_ in some undefinable, yet fundamental, way. Barry ---
**Author:** ![jessondair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8491ac/32.png) [@jessondair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jessondair)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/52 "2003-07-02T14:40:51Z")
OK, has anyone ever noticed that many grocery stores (most that I’ve been in over the last 5-6 years) put diet foods (that include things like whole wheat pasta because apparently it’s not pasta enough to be in the pasta aisle) in the same aisle as candy and/or cookies? And for further injury, the other day I was at the store and noticed a large cookie display that was set on the floor totally blocking the very small diet foods section. Jess ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/53 "2003-07-02T15:22:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eirik \* > Not to sound strange, but what sandwhich toppings are people putting on ice cream? Jam, I assume. Perhaps peanut butter or other nut butters. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/54 "2003-07-02T15:29:07Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by skyzoo \* > Okay. Crackers/Cookies. Two seperate things to me. > Now, I can grasp why they’re on the same aisle, but - > why the hell are they alljumbledtogether 😕 > why must a human saunter up and down trying to locate their > favorite cookie or cracker in between each other?_ \*\* I may be able to answer this. In most grocery stores, the cookies/crackers are arranged in sections by manufacturer, not by type of product. This is obvious in sections like the Pepperidge Farm section and the Stella D’oro section. But even amongst the regular stuff, you’ll find that all the Keebler stuff is together, the Nabisco stuff is together, the Sunshine stuff is together. Combine that with the standard practice of putting “staple” and low-profit items on the top or bottom shelves, and the products that they want you to impulse-buy at eye level, and you end up with a situation where the Triscuits are next to the Oreos on the shelf. I’m not sure why the cookies and crackers are arranged strictly by manufacturer, unlike most other sections. I think soda is arranged like this, too. I suspect that it has something to do with shelving fees. ---
**Author:** ![heater2000ca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@heater2000ca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heater2000ca)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/55 "2003-07-02T15:57:31Z")
In my store, there are some strange things I’ve noticed. I went looking for marashino cherries yesterday, to make cookies. I went to the baking aisle, and found candied cherries - not the same thing. Not the same thing at all! One I can eat, one I can’t stand! I kept looking, sure I’d seen them at that very store sometime recently. I eventually found them all stacked on top of the dairy case with yogurt, in front of the milk … sure, that makes sense. While walking back through the store, we found more of them with the ice cream sauces - in the bulk section. Of course! (-: Chicken stock/boullion powder is another thing I have trouble finding in my store. I eventually gave up and made vegetable stock at home. But of course then, chicken stock started appearing in my store - in the strangest places. There’s a wire rack of all kinds of powdered boullion hanging at the end of the chip aisle in one store. And in the other store I frequent, all the stock is found with the sugar and spices … which is also where you’ll find bacon bits. Which just blows my mind. I don’t know how they do it, but I don’t envy them their job, trying to decide what goes where. The thing I love is that even after a store renovates, everything still ends up in weird places. You’d think given the chance to start over again, they’d re-think these things. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/56 "2003-07-03T17:04:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*Well, I’ve got a combination-sighting that _almost_ makes sense. Almost. > > Mini Propane Tanks (Filled), next to… > Mini Kerosene Cans (Filled), next to… > Lamp Oil, next to… > Jumbo-sized paper napkin packages. > > All stacked on top of the freezer case. > > In store in California (aka ‘Earthquake Country’). > > I guess I can take some comfort in the fact that ‘Goofus’ found gainful employment with the Safeway Corperation after leaving “Highlights.” \*\* I grew up in Gallatin County in Montana (I’ve heard that California is the only place in the US that is more earthquake -prone than there), and the small grocery store in our town kept the taco sauce and salsa on the shelf above the egg case. After a small quake when I was in seventh grade, I remember seeing a blurb in the paper mentioning the “Mexican omelets” that ensued. Every time I visit my local supermarket now, they ask me if I found everything I was looking for. Perhaps they are trying to improve their layouts. The only thing I’ve ever heard anyone mention that they could not find was…you guessed it, marachino cherries! ---
**Author:** ![todd33rpm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@todd33rpm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/todd33rpm)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863/57 "2003-07-06T14:12:54Z")
Aaaaaaggggggggggggggh! _Again_ with the damned refixturing! I just GOT used to finding my horseradish in the same place a few weeks in a row, and now they’re reworking everything AGAIN!!! This doesn’t look small-time, either, because half the soda has moved into an entirely different part of the store…I shudder to think what ELSE they’ve got in mind. Deli meats next to Windex? Dog food in the baked goods? Sure, bring it on. I have nothing BETTER TO DO WITH MY TIME THAN LOOK AROUND FOR EVERY FLIPPIN’ THING I NEED. Oh, and I’d LOVE to ask for help, but since half the registers are those Scan-It-Your-Damned-Self ones, I can’t find an employee so’s I can ASK much of ANYTHING. I suspect that THIS is what a stroke feels like… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-aisle-layouts-product-combinations-in-your-supermarket-drive-you-nuts/184863.md?page=2)