[singpilot]

I saw a report somewhere that was tracking the product from production to distribution to point of sale. Had to do with dated product, the manufacturer was trying to pin down why they got so much expired product back from stores. They were trying to reduce the time that stuff 'sat', other than on the shelf. Turns out the large chains were at fault. They bought in such large quantities that product would sit in distribution warehouses until 'drawn down' by individual stores. Sometimes using their own trucking network to ship excesses from one end of the country to the other.

I guess then the stores even started instrumenting the end of isles (to pick up the items in your cart) to determing the order that shoppers went thru the stores to rearrange items for maximum exposure. Stuff that if seen, would be picked up on impulse, but buried would not. The 'mandatory' (things that everyone needs to go to the store for) stuff could almost be put anywhere. Ever noticed how getting eggs, bread, dog food, toilet paper and milk send you to every corner of the store?