Sian Jarvis, the supermarket’s head of corporate affairs, had undermined her claims to care about the health of her customers and let slip one of the secrets of a multi-billion-pound industry ... she revealed that one in three Asda checkouts “are what we call guilt-free checkouts”. Jarvis insisted “guilt-free” was merely “a term that’s commonly used in retail”. But it was too late, and her “guilt” gaffe quickly invited scorn in the industry and among public health professionals. Whatever the damage, she had already opened a door to the arcane science of supermarket psychology. To the designers of the modern store, shoppers are lab rats with trolleys, guided through a maze of aisles by the promise of rewards they never knew they sought The Secrets Of Our Supermarkets

[more inside]
posted by the man of twists and turns on Apr 10, 2013 - 238 comments

Lost in the Supermarket. You know the saying "No good deed goes unpunished"? Just read the story.
posted by MattMangels on Dec 27, 2011 - 118 comments

"By this point there was devastation everywhere. All junctions were blocked by overturned glass bottle dumpsters and makeshift neighbourhood roadblocks blocks." Last night, a huge clash between protestors and the police kicked off in the colourful Stokes Croft area of Bristol. The cause? A recently-opened Tesco Express supermarket.
posted by hnnrs on Apr 22, 2011 - 56 comments

Wine kiosks open for business in PA. Some folks think it's a dumb idea. [more inside]
posted by fixedgear on Jun 24, 2010 - 128 comments

Vintage Supermarket Photos
posted by srboisvert on Mar 24, 2009 - 43 comments

Finnish supermarket dominoes. (6 1/2 minute SLYT post)
posted by miss lynnster on Mar 15, 2008 - 34 comments

Did you bring bottles? They gave away dishes, encyclopedias, and Batman toys to get you in the store. Most have been replaced by mega-groceries, but David Gwynn remembers the grocery chain ^{^} down the block.
posted by ?! on Oct 11, 2006 - 19 comments

My grocery store tells me my wife's cycle - A few months of shopping after Kroger started its 'Plus' card and they know more about my wife than her children do. Yep, we have been using the Kroger card for a while now, but no more. For the last two months I have received a cupon for tampons only days before my wife needs them. Big Brother is not on TV, he is in the supermarket. Join the boycott at nocards.com.
posted by DragonBoy on Sep 15, 2000 - 19 comments