Most customers have routines when doing their usual supermarket rounds. They have lists – regular items – and know the store pretty well.
The issue with this predictable method of shopping is that many people typically transform into “auto-pilot” mode. They pick up their stuff fairly quickly – and move on. They almost become blind to anything new or different!
I’d suspect that we’re in the minority – folks who enjoy observing and “shopping around” instead of just getting what is on our list as quickly as possible.
At the same time – I’d say it’s safe to say that MOST customers (ShopRite in this instance) have probably NOT seen the following products at their market (ShopRite of Clinton, NJ in this case).
So what did we discover this week?
Delallo – Groceria Authentic Italian Marketplace
In a section at the end of the fresh meat area, is a display of Delallo Italian products. A wide range of jarred and bottled items. You won’t find these in the regular aisles next to similar items. This is grouped by the same brand – which is why many people will not find it.
Oils, spices, condiments, sauces and so on.
One thing we picked up recently was their lemon juice (for our tasty spiked sparkling seltzer drinks).
Also a favorite here – is the tomato puree. Out of all the sauces we checked out, it seems to have the lowest sugar content. A nice clean taste.
We wonder why this brand has to have their own section. It has both pros and cons. Sure, you can see the whole product line in one spot, which may help them sell things beyond what the customer may be looking for (by simple exposure), it also isolates them. Those looking for pasta sauce will likely just go to the main aisle. Who knows.
Local Pennsylvania Products (Granola Factory & Backyard Beans)
This little “shelf” in between the yogurt section and refrigerated section is probably easy for people to just breeze by. Just seems out of place, right?
But you do what you have to do. And it features two companies from just across the state border to the west. “Artisan” things that come with a higher price tag for supporting local.
Granola Factory – this company makes, you guessed it – granola-based snacks. From bagged cereals to chewy “Bethlehem Bars.” If we ate high-density carbs like this, we’d probably enjoy them. But we’re basically Carnivore – so this is literally off the table.
Backyard Beans Coffee – another PA-based company out of Lansdale, PA. Locally-roasted coffee for about $11 a bag (almost $15 a pound). I’m sure it tastes good, but it’s out of our price-range. We enjoy our instant coffee much more. Almost the same experience, but for profoundly less money and drastically less hassle. But Backyard Beans goes out of their way to put in clear, bold print that the bag is “compostable.” I guess garbage means more to some shoppers than the actual product they’re buying.
So explore a little and see what you can find!
That concludes our post about Local Products that are hidden in supermarkets.
If you take the time to just look around a bit, you can find things that you might not ordinarily see if you’re in a hurry to get the hell out of there. Sure, we’re all busy – but that doesn’t mean you can’t “open your eyes” while still being efficient.
Enjoy the day!
