It's standard protocol for Walmart to update its look every three years. Or at least that's the explanation a Walmart associate gave for the overnight relocation of the pharmacy into a newly-constructed gray wooden box-room ... and for the fact that the bread has moved from the second aisle to a corner at the back of the store.
You heard me right. They moved the bread. This has caused major disgruntlement among Walmart clientele. I overheard one customer ask an associate whether the bread could be re-relocated because, and I quote, "Everyone is complaining about this."
As if a Walmart peon has control over the store's layout. Ha.
My dad works as a consultant for Target, and he says that store layouts are decided on by analyzing massive amounts of customer traffic data.
"Why do you think milk is at the back of grocery stores?" he asked.
"Because that's where it's supposed to be," I answered, confused.
"No," he explained. "There was a time when milk was at the front of the store, so that customers who just wanted to run in to buy milk could. But then stores realized that it was better for business if customers were forced to walk through the entire store."
So, if you go into the Conley Road Walmart in Columbia, Mo., and wander around looking for bread only to discover it after you've picked up five other items, now you'll know why Walmart corporate put the bread in the corner.
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It's also why Ikea makes it's store like a maze, so you wander through and spend thousands of dollars before you've even found the item you came for. :-P
IKEAs store layouts are amazing at making sure that you see every item of merchandise before you leave the store. It's probably a good thing that I don't own a truck, otherwise it would actually be possible for me to bring back furniture from IKEA. As it is, I always come back with knives, hangers, and misc. kitchen gadgets.
Also, either Target cares more about store layout or has better industrial engineers/marketing people, because I always enjoy seeing the extra stuff on my way to the milk aisle more at Target than I do at Walmart.
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