The Clever Reason Milk Is Kept At The Back Of The Grocery Store

The plan is always to get in, grab the milk you need for tomorrow's cereal, and leave the grocery store within minutes. But it never seems to work out quite that easily. We end up perusing all the tasty treats lining the shelves along the way, and before we know it, we're walking to the car with a handful of goodies, wondering what just happened and double-checking to make sure milk is included in our bounty.

It's no accident those items you regularly need are all the way in the back of the store. Grocery stores are designed that way because they intend for you to buy other items you may not need at the time as you travel to the rear to pick up something simple like milk. If you're walking past all the fancy packaging screaming out for you to pick it up and give it a look, you are more likely to walk out with some of those products. This marketing tactic is called merchandising, and grocery stores are experts at it. They selectively place items within the store so customers are forced to see countless appealing products before they buy a simple gallon of milk.

Part of merchandising is figuring out which items are frequently bought by customers. Other products are also in the back of grocery stores for the same reason. Milk, bread, and eggs are kept in the back of the store because customers purchase them often. The business is attempting to encourage you to buy other appealing items impulsively by making you walk by them before you walk out with your milk.

Successful marketing is the backbone of any successful business, and grocery stores could teach a masterclass on this craft. They spend millions of dollars each year trying to figure out exactly where every single item should be placed on a shelf to optimize its buying potential. Merchandising is one marketing approach successful grocery stores use to grow and stay successful, but it might not be the only reason milk is kept in the back of the building. 

Another theory is that stores put milk and refrigerated items in the back because those coolers are closer to the loading docks in the rear of the facility. This means the milk won't be out at room temperature for as long as it travels from the back of the store to being stocked in the cooler. Whatever the reason, there are actions you can take to make sure you exit the grocery store with only what you intended to leave with.

Knowing a marketing tactic is at play will keep you aware of why you're eyeballing that package of snack cakes as you make your way to the back of the grocery store to get your necessities like milk, and knowing is half the battle. The easiest way to avoid leaving with more than you need is to remind yourself while you're inside that, despite all the flashy treats beckoning a glance as you walk to the back, all you need are a few staple items. If that's all you intended to buy, simply commit to leaving with only that.

If a steely reserve isn't in your wheelhouse, there are more convenient options to buy only what you need from the supermarket. Today, many services will get your groceries delivered right to your door. You can also utilize a grocery store's pick-up service if that's an option in your area. This way, someone else gets everything you need, and you won't feel like you have to constantly fight temptation as you make your way to the necessities. The next time you only need some milk and bread, you can potentially save yourself some cash and time if you know the grocery store is coaxing you down every aisle to pick something up along the way. You just need to take the appropriate steps to avoid temptation. Or give in to the appeal; those Oreos you walked by would complement that milk just right.