A million years ago, a housewife went to the supermarket once a week and stuffed her cart to overflowing with enough food to sustain her family for a week. Seven days later, she would return.
Slowly, this tradition was chipped away by the convenience stores, the Walmarts and the Costcos of the world. Even McDonald’s became a grocery substitute. Grocers fought back hard: in-store banks, dry cleaners, florists, cafes, high-end gourmet, prepared foods, you name it. The battle continues to rage, with Walgreen’s aggressive roll-out of its prepared food strategy, for instance. Grocers need to find more ways to get us to visit their stores many more times per week.
Almost exactly a year ago to the day, we told you about the innovative Wegmans chain and its initiative to for in-store pubs. We said then we didn’t think this would go far, and we’ve not heard booh since.
But that hasn’t kept Wegmans from trying to attack our weak spot – booze – once again.
This time, Wegmans has outfitted a couple of locations to trial a “fill your own glass” wine vending machine. Similar to its pub concept, the idea is to give customers another reason to visit the in-grocery “food court,” which hopefully adds to the number of shopper visits per week and nets incremental shopping elsewhere in the store.
Once again, Wegmans is focused on the alcohol-backward state of Pennsylvania, so it’s doubtful this will catch on elsewhere. But our next boozy innovation just might.
It turns out that a quiet revolution in beer distribution is underway. I’m talking “growlers,” kids, those big-ass glass containers for real draft beer. Many grocers have sold already-filled 64-ounce growlers for years, but the “next new thing” is to walk in with your empty growler and get a refill (not for free, like at Starbucks, sadly).
Whole Foods, taking its “natural” theme to a whol’ nubba lebel, has been reportedly selling draft growlers at more than 40 of its stores nationwide. Just about every day lately, some small local grocer announces it will be getting in on the action soon.
This has perfect written all over it. Alcohol. Quality product (no Budnozzle here). Green packaging. Alcohol. Convenience. Support for local brewers. Affordable alternative to bars. Did I mention alcohol? And if grocers locate the tap in the right place, incremental sales of $7 bags of Doritos are sure to follow.
This is a great expansion strategy by the grocery industry. Tomorrow, though, we look at an alternative strategy, one at the opposite end of the spectrum: the incredibly shrinking grocery store.
Until then, drink up!
