Should a supermarket buyer be making decisions based on their personal preferences? Should they be deciding what their customers will like based on what they like? Do they go out and survey the customers and ask them what they like?
I don’t think so, because I have never had anyone in the supermarket come up to me and ask what I would like to see on the shelves. More often than not I will get pissed off and change supermarkets when they decide to discontinue items that I regularly purchase.
A personal example is my local supermarket, which has never stocked Epic Pale Ale, because the liquor buyer thinks its too bitter. You would think they would take into consideration that I’ve probably spent over $100,000 there in the last 10 years. I’ve supported their business, I’d think they could at least give it a go to see if it sells.
This is why we are now seeing the success of new market chains such as NOSH and Farro Fresh. Hey big supermarkets, you need to pay attention to what your customers want. And sometimes that means stocking things that are not to your personal taste.
Times are a changing. Old dogs need to learn some new tricks.