Went on quick grocery run after work yesterday and was glad to see many people with their masks on. It was reassuring and also helped not to stick out. I always look at what is sale in the frozen food aisle even though I rarely buy from there. It serves as an interesting indicator of what the grocer thought would be a hit with their customer base and ended up being a miss. A lot of vegetarian meal options were on sale last night. If I had to guess, the merchandizing was driven by market trend analysis and perceived buyer interest that ended up not squaring with reality.
The fact is if a person is not vegetarian but open to trying it as an option or even has a strong preference for it, if they are at the frozen food aisle on a weeknight chances are that the food has to meet an immediate need. They are likely hungry, had a long day and want to go home eat and retire for the day. So a meal that looks like it may be too lite or too little will lose over something that is tried and true - involving a familiar protein like poultry or meat. This theory seemed to be borne out in every shelf - empty spaces where the the chicken and meat versions of the product were non-discounted and stacks of the vegetarian options deeply discounted. When a person is hungry and wiped out after the day, its hard to stay true to fads, trends and interests. They need food they are used to.
No comments:
Post a Comment