The hidden war over grocery shelf space

There's a hidden market in the supermarket — Vox's Phil Edwards explains.

[sierralvx]

I worked as an overnight shelver at superstore in Canada for a bit, and being the person that physically puts the products into the slots they pay for is nerve-wracking. In fact, food companies would send representatives to the store to check if we had put their product exactly where they wanted it. And next time you're looking at the price for oreos, look at the price tag on the shelf a little closer. There will be a 'f1' code, meaning 'face this number of objects', which is how many products are meant to be facing the front of the shelf. Sometimes there are f7' or f10' rows, and it made me go 'fuck that!" every time, having to squeeze every product as close as I could without it falling off. My old co-worker described it as mini real estate, and that is so accurate.

[stannisthemannisbaratheon]

I keep thinking the video is over but it keeps going

[rancidmarshmallow]

"with generic bits"
yup, that's my new motto.

[browtf]

i love this channel cause honestly they report things i didn't even know existed

[ClideGeardenaweseomeness]

wow vox, you didnt state that you were sponsored by generic, im disappointed

[Cnadian]

These are the vox videos that made me sub in the first place.

[shavonegranville]

the face on the model of generic ice cream is glorious.

[s_for_short]

Wait...so when i pick something from a shelf and 10 mins later i decide i dont want it so i leave it at a random shelf am i commiting a crime?

[theCodyReeder]

"made by Walter White foods" lol

[Keepedia]

What can I do to get my face on your generic icecream?

[Lucy-ngcw]

I wish at the end they would do a quick run down on what it's like in different countries.

[ionlymadethistoleavecoment]

So VOX just made me weigh the ethical concerns of buying ice cream.

[TimZarra]

no wonder all the ice cream at the grocery store sucks. It's not a competition for the best ice cream, but a competition to see who can afford the shelving space.

[nathanaelcrawford]

While Walmart doesn't charge slotting fees (anymore), they do use their clout to force other large corporations to bend to their will.
A notable instance where they attempted this was with Little Debbie a few years back. McKee Foods (Little Debbie's parent company) uses a (somewhat antiquated) DSD system of independent delivery drivers, each one operating their own small business.
Some time ago, Walmart began a push to bring as many companies into their direct-ship model (McKee sells to Walmart, who then takes over the distribution to their stores, cutting out the middle man).
McKee flatly refused- as doing this would destroy thousands of their distributors primary income. Walmart retaliated by demoting Little Debbie to the bottom shelves, and bringing in more competition- trying to force their hands by strangling their income.
They failed to force McKee's hand in this particular case, but the income for many distributors I know personally took an enormous hit- sometimes up to a third of their income- due to these (and similar) practices.

[ceegee]

Wow, I had it so backwards. I thought the grocery stores bought food from vendors at a whole-sale price and then sold to consumers for a profit. I had no idea the grocery stores taxed the vendors to even hold their products. Crazy!

[JesseLH]

How much did grey poupon have to pay in slotting fees?

[cat]

-with Generic bits
-it is certainly a type of ice cream
-it tastes OK

[grantg.]

I don't care where the ice cream is placed, I will find blue bell and buy it.

[Lines]

Food delivery is discouraged and the long-gone milkman used to deliver all kinds of other food. They want you in the store because you'll probably buy impulse items. The store is organized in a way to get you walking through as much of the store as possible.

[Nyxeme]

I suddenly have a craving for Generic Ice Cream...