-=> Quoting Dave Drum to Shawn Highfield <=-

 DD> You do know how retail works, don't you? It's only stocked if
 DD> there is a market for it ...  If an item does not "turn
 DD> over" enough times and just sits on the shelves collecting dust it is 
 DD> recalled to the warehouse and replaced with a new (hopefully) better
 DD> selling product.

In this computerised age bit is really easy to track turnover,
have automated reordering  and when factoring in mark-ups as well as
turnover and unit prices calculate how many dollars per square foot
every shelf spot in the store makes.

Sadly some of my favourite old school liquors and liqueurs like
Benedictine and Chartreuse have disappeared locally to make way for
kiddy alco-pops, silly flavoured vodkas and cheap artificially
flavoured "schnapps" such as "Dr. McGillicuddy's Intense Butterscotch
Schnapps".

Some old fashioned merchandising:

Way back when I was an IGA shelf stocker and bag boy I noticed at
Easter that a case of green tea disappeared in a week and mentioned
to the store owner that he should probably order lots more. He said,
"No way. It'll sit for a year. The only time people around here
drink green tea is at wakes when the pot is on the back of the stove
all night long. It doesn't get bitter like black tea does.  One case
is plenty. I only stock it once a year and everybody knows to come
and get some at Easter if they want any."

Another one: The only seafood farm people ate back then was canned
salmon and sardines. And not much of that. Dad asked the IGA to
special order a case of canned lobster. The smallest box was 12 cans.
Dad promised to buy 6 of them, cajoled the owner into trying one
(he had never tasted lobster or crab his whole life) and putting 5
cans on the shelf to see if anyone wanted it. That was when I was 5
so 1954. I went to work there in 1964 and one day when "facing up"
shelves I found 5 dusty cans of lobster behind and under the salmon!
They weren't salable any more of course and when the owner said to
throw them out, I said I'd make them my next five lunches instead.
He was afraid they'd kill me; they didn't. Canned goods can last a
century if not more. 

Cheers

Jim
 
... Replace your morning coffee with organic green tea and loose 87%
... That's 87% of the little bit of joy still left in your life.

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