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I have never seen an empty shelf in any major brand store. The idea is insane. Especially for a store targeting an upmarket clientele with high prices.

AmVess 9y ago
It gives the store a scruffy, downmarket image. Also, it removes convenience. If I cannot get all the items on my list at a single store, then I will immediately stop going to that store...likely to never return. Companies have been trying to reinvent the grocery store for decades now. What can be done has already been done, and now they are trying to alter the way their customers shop. Guess what! That doesn't work. This experiment will end badly for WF.
- ghshephard 9y ago
  " If I cannot get all the items on my list at a single store, then I will immediately stop going to that store." You've got it completely backwards - this new policy is designed for you - the goal is to ensure they always keep product in stock, and the "holes" are a forcing function. Previously WF would just put something else in place, thereby reducing the pressure to restock. Now, the goal is to quickly as possible, ensure they have everything available.
  - DashRattlesnake 9y ago
    > the goal is to ensure they always keep product in stock, and the "holes" are a forcing function This empty shelves thing is enough of a thing that it seems like it's not really working. And empty shelves sends such a terrible message to everybody who encounters them that I question the wisdom of who picked that as a "forcing function." Whenever I see that in a store, it just reeks of failure and decay.
  - AmVess 9y ago
    No, it's completely not designed for me. My local supermarket has kept the same items in the same places for 5+ years. They keep things in stock by going to the store room and filling shelves up when they get low. Just In Time Delivery works when you are building cars, but it falls flat on its face in a grocery store. If I see an empty shelf, I assume the business isn't being run properly. If I can't get all my shopping done in one place, I go to a store that gives me that option. Trying to get consumers to change their grocery shopping habits never works.
- caseysoftware 9y ago
  Whether they "re-face" a shelf with another item or leave it empty, you're not going to get the item on your list. This policy is a wash in that regard. Alternatively, if staff can glance at a shelf and know what to reorder more easily and customers know exactly where to find something every time, that seems like a win for you and them.
DashRattlesnake 9y ago
I have recently, in Sears. Retail protip: don't be like Sears.
- saas_co_de 9y ago
  Exactly. It is typically associated with eminent or actual bankruptcy or a natural disaster.

AmVess 9y ago

It gives the store a scruffy, downmarket image. Also, it removes convenience. If I cannot get all the items on my list at a single store, then I will immediately stop going to that store...likely to never return. Companies have been trying to reinvent the grocery store for decades now. What can be done has already been done, and now they are trying to alter the way their customers shop. Guess what! That doesn't work. This experiment will end badly for WF.

ghshephard 9y ago
" If I cannot get all the items on my list at a single store, then I will immediately stop going to that store." You've got it completely backwards - this new policy is designed for you - the goal is to ensure they always keep product in stock, and the "holes" are a forcing function. Previously WF would just put something else in place, thereby reducing the pressure to restock. Now, the goal is to quickly as possible, ensure they have everything available.
- DashRattlesnake 9y ago
  > the goal is to ensure they always keep product in stock, and the "holes" are a forcing function This empty shelves thing is enough of a thing that it seems like it's not really working. And empty shelves sends such a terrible message to everybody who encounters them that I question the wisdom of who picked that as a "forcing function." Whenever I see that in a store, it just reeks of failure and decay.
- AmVess 9y ago
  No, it's completely not designed for me. My local supermarket has kept the same items in the same places for 5+ years. They keep things in stock by going to the store room and filling shelves up when they get low. Just In Time Delivery works when you are building cars, but it falls flat on its face in a grocery store. If I see an empty shelf, I assume the business isn't being run properly. If I can't get all my shopping done in one place, I go to a store that gives me that option. Trying to get consumers to change their grocery shopping habits never works.
caseysoftware 9y ago
Whether they "re-face" a shelf with another item or leave it empty, you're not going to get the item on your list. This policy is a wash in that regard. Alternatively, if staff can glance at a shelf and know what to reorder more easily and customers know exactly where to find something every time, that seems like a win for you and them.

DashRattlesnake 9y ago

I have recently, in Sears. Retail protip: don't be like Sears.

saas_co_de 9y ago
Exactly. It is typically associated with eminent or actual bankruptcy or a natural disaster.